Phillies' 5-4 loss to Padres drops them out of 1st place in NL East, half-game behind Mets
Phillies starter Zach Wheeler had one of his worst performances of the season, giving up four runs and six hits over six innings. It was only the third time this year that he's allowed four runs or more. Leading up to Saturday's game, Wheeler had allowed one run or fewer in six consecutive starts and nine of his past 10.
Advertisement
The Phillies built a 2-0 lead in the second inning on a Nick Castellanos RBI single, followed by a run-scoring double from J.T. Realmuto. San Diego tied the score in the bottom of the frame on a two-run homer by Jackson Merrill. The Padres then went on top, 3-2, on a RBI single from Martín Maldonado.
Philadelphia rallied to take a 4-3 lead in the fifth on a two-run single from Edmundo Sosa. That knocked out Padres starter Yu Darvish, who gave up four runs, five hits and two walks in 4 2/3 innings in his second appearance of the season.
Merrill once again tied the score with his second homer of the game. He connected with a 95 mph fastball from Wheeler, thrown high out of the strike zone but outside enough for Merrill to extend and pull the ball to right-center field.
Advertisement
The Padres took the lead for good in the seventh after Tanner Banks took over for Wheeler. Banks struck out Maldonado to begin the inning, but then allowed consecutive singles to Fernando Tatis Jr. and Luis Arraez. He was relieved by Jordan Romano, who left a 92.5 mph fastball down the middle of the strike zone for Machado to drive for what turned out to be his game-winning sacrifice fly.
Philadelphia had an opportunity to tie the score in the eighth when Realmuto singled, then advanced to third on a base hit from Otto Kemp. But Brandon Marsh popped up a Yuki Matsui fastball left right in the middle of the strike zone and couldn't drive Realmuto in.
Advertisement
In the ninth, Jeremiah Estrada pitched a 1-2-3 ninth, retiring Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper for his third save of the season.
With the loss, the Phillies dropped to 54-41 and lost first place in the NL East for the first time since June 26. The Padres improved to 52-43, which keeps them 4.5 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers (57-39), who got a 2-1 win over the San Francisco Giants (52-44) on Saturday.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
5 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Mets all-time home run leaders: Pete Alonso breaks team record
Pete Alonso now stands alone in New York Mets history. The "Polar Bear" launched his 253rd career home run on Tuesday night to break the tie he was in with Darryl Strawberry for most homers in Mets history. Alonso, the 30-year-old first baseman in his seventh season, accomplished the feat in his 965th game with the Mets. Strawberry played 1,109 games with the Mets over eight seasons. Alonso's record-breaking blast came off the Atlanta Braves' Spencer Strider in the bottom of the third inning Tuesday night, Aug. 12. The homer gave the Mets, who currently hold the last wild-card spot in the National League, a 5-1 lead. Watch: Pete Alonso breaks Mets home run record Mets home run leaders Pete Alonso*, 253 homers Darryl Strawberry, 252 David Wright, 242 Mike Piazza, 220 Howard Johnson, 192 Dave Kingman, 154 Carlos Beltran, 149 Michael Conforto, 132 Franciso Lindor*, 131 Brandon Nimmo*, 129 Asterisk denotes players are currently on Mets This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Pete Alonso breaks New York Mets home run record
Yahoo
5 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Pete Carroll hopes youth movement has Raiders on the right path
HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — Pete Carroll has made it clear since his introductory news conference in January that he intends to win now, and he and the Raiders have taken steps to be more competitive, such as trading for veteran quarterback Geno Smith. But Carroll also has been forthright that rookies will get the opportunity to play, pointing to his own history with first-year players at Southern California and with the Seahawks. And, so far, Carroll has been a man of his word, with rookies and other young players getting the chance to make a big impact in training camp and in Thursday's preseason opener at Seattle. The latest depth chart that was released Tuesday underscored that commitment. Seven rookies are on the two-deep, including running back Ashton Jeanty, wide receiver Dont'e Thornton and cornerback Darien Porter on the first team. All three were drafted this year in the first four rounds. Eight second-year players — four on each the first and second team — also populate the depth chart. 'I'm not hesitant to play young guys,' Carroll said. "We've almost forced them into it and forced to feed them until they show us who they are, what they're all about and how much they can handle. It isn't all on them. It's on us to make sure that we ask them to do things that they're capable of doing at this time.' Carroll used this plan at USC and Seattle. He took over a Trojans program coming off a 5-7 season and by the second year had USC back on track. USC went from 6-6 in Carroll's first season in 2001 to a run of seven consecutive years of at least 11 victories, winning a pair of national titles. The Seahawks won nine games over two seasons when Carroll was hired in 2010. He needed three years to get moving in the right direction, but then the Seahawks won double-digit games eight of nine seasons with two Super Bowl appearances and one championship. He faces a similarly heavy build in Las Vegas. The Raiders not only come off a 4-13 season, they haven't won a playoff game since appearing in the Super Bowl in the 2002 season. 'We're moving in a good direction now,' Carroll said. 'I can feel it. This is how it's supposed to feel, according to what I've experienced. I couldn't tell you what's going to happen, but I do know they're going to be together, and I do know they're going to play for one another.' Most of the youth movement was expected on offense. Brock Bowers put together perhaps the greatest season for a rookie tight end, and linemen Jackson Powers-Johnson and DJ Glaze started as first-year players. Plus, Jeanty as the sixth overall draft pick arrived in Las Vegas this year knowing he would be a major focus of the offense. 'We want to run the ball, so I'm going to try my best to make this offense run,' Jeanty said. "We've got great receivers, great tight ends, a great quarterback, and it'll start with the run game.' Not as expected were the emergence of Thornton, Porter and defensive tackle Jonah Laulu. All three are listed on the first team. Laulu has the burden of stepping in at the spot expected to be filled by Christian Wilkins before the Raiders released him over a dispute about his recovery plan for a broken foot. Thornton wasn't even the first receiver Las Vegas drafted this year — Jack Bech, who is running second team, went in the second round. Porter took advantage of a cornerbacks room with more questions than answers and hasn't let go of the spot. 'It was a bit intimidating at first,' Porter said, "but now I embrace it every single day.' Personnel updates Powers-Johnson returned to practice Tuesday after sitting out Sunday with a rib injury. Defensive tackle Adam Butler also was back after going home to tend to a family matter. Guard Alex Cappa remained out with a rib injury. Waiting on the NFL There hasn't been an announcement on whether Smith and defensive end Maxx Crosby will be fined for making obscene gestures to Seahawks fans before Thursday's game. One fan held a sign that read: 'Bigger Bust — Geno Or JaMarcus Russell?' Carroll defended his quarterback's actions. 'Did you see what the sign said?" Carroll asked a reporter. "Next question.' ___ AP NFL:
Yahoo
5 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Vinnie Pasquantino's three-run home run (21)
Vinnie Pasquantino crushes a three-run home run to right field to extend the Royals lead to 4-0 in the 3rd
