Phillies sweep of the Mets comes at the best time possible
The Phillies completed a four-game sweep of the Mets Thursday afternoon, and it couldn’t have come at a better time in the season.
The Phillies hit their lowest point of the season Sunday after being swept by the last-place Marlins. Every part of the team was faltering with everyone looking for someone to blame, whether it be the players, coaches, or front office. They entered their series with the Mets looking for a massive change of fortune.
The Mets also came into the series in turmoil, albeit for a different reason. Manager Mickey Callaway and pitcher Jason Vargas were both fined for threatening a reporter after their loss Sunday to the Cubs. They too had plenty of reason to start racking up wins.
In four days, Philadelphia turned the entire tone about their season around (with a little help from Brad Miller‘s bamboo). They picked up four resounding wins over the Mets, all of which involved coming back from a deficit. On top of that, they had two walk-off wins, with an especially emphatic one Thursday afternoon.
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Most of Thursday’s game was a pitching duel with Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler trading zeroes. The first run didn’t come until the sixth inning thanks to a huge Bryce Harper home run. That 1-0 score held until the top of the ninth when Hector Neris blew his second save of the season after pitching three straight days.
Despite going down by two runs, the team that already pulled three straight comeback wins still had plenty of fight. Cesar Hernandez walked, and Maikel Franco blasted a game-tying home run (so much for him being done).
Another walk from Cesar Hernandez and a single from Scott Kingery put the game-winning run in scoring position with one out.
Jean Segura topped off his stellar series with a walk-off home run, the second walk-off in less than 24 hours for the team.
What we saw this week was a resounding statement by the Fightin’ Phils. Things were at a breaking point Sunday night, and it would have been easy to roll over and let things fall apart even further. Instead, the team rallied back and has renewed life on the season.
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After the sweep, Philadelphia now stands 4.5 games back of the Braves at 43-38. They won’t play a home game again until after the All-Star Break, including three games against the Braves next week. The narrative surrounding the season could be markedly different in less than two weeks, depending on the upcoming road trip.