© Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports
Gregorius Seals the Deal Against Pirates, Phillies Gain Ground on Braves
Tonight was perhaps the most important game of the Philadelphia Phillies' 2021 season.
As the Atlanta Braves already lost to the San Diego Padres 6-5 in the first game of a double-header, a Phils win would bring them within 1.5 games.
Kyle Gibson started for Philadelphia and cruised through the Pirates lineup through the first three innings. He even supplied himself with some run support by hitting the first homerun of his major league career in the third.
But Gibson ran into trouble in the eighth, allowing four runs on three hits, including a walk and a hit-by-pitch.
The Phillies would once again have to be comeback kids. Brad Miller got it going in the fourth when he hit a solo shot for his 20th homer of the season.
Bryce Harper continued to erase the deficit in the fifth, when he drove in Matt Vierling on an RBI-double. It was MV3's 40th double of the season.
After Andrew McCutchen was able to score on a wild pitch, Ronald Torreyes then pinch-hit for Gibson. Torreyes came up clutch once again, singling to center to put the Phils ahead 5-4.
Cam Bedrosian entered in relief in the seventh and allowed a go-ahead two-run shot to Wilmer Difo. Sigh.
Luckily, Didi Gregorius responded promptly by launching a three-run dinger in the next half-inning to make it 8-6.
Ian Kennedy closed out the game in the ninth to move the Phils to just one game back of the Braves for the division lead. Should Atlanta lose their second game versus San Diego tonight, Philadelphia could be just 0.5 back by morning.
Final Score: Phillies 8, Pirates 6
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