Philadelphia Phillies Flail, Fail to Complete Sweep of Pittsburgh
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The Philadelphia Phillies took the 's' away from the word sweep on Sunday, as they posted a miserable effort against the Pirates. The momentum they'd generated in their six-game winning streak all but evaporated into the summer heat, as Philadelphia dropped a winnable seventh game by a score of 5-0.
The Phils must have left their fight at home. They mounted just four hits against rookie right-hander Roansy Contreras and the Pirates' cobbled pitching staff. The 22-year-old was spectacular, inducing 17 swings-and-misses from the Phillies lineup, and allowing just three singles on the day.
The Buccos on the other hand trounced Noah Syndergaard, who allowed five runs across 5.2 frames of work. In a rare feat, Thor allowed three triples in the same contest, all of which generated a run in the first, fourth, and sixth innings off the bats of Oneil Cruz, Tucupita Marcano, and Bryan Reynolds respectively.
Syndergaard allowed the Pirates to add further in the sixth inning, thanks to an RBI fielder's choice and a followup RBI double via Pittsburgh's right fielder, Bligh Madris.
It was a truly lifeless effort on the Phillies' part, but even the best teams find themselves stymied by the bad ones from time to time.
Post game, the Phillies shuffled off to Arizona, where they'll tango with the Diamondbacks for what should be three more easily winnable contests. Philadelphia has done well to shut down the bad teams this season, Sunday's result not withstanding, and will look to continue that trend against Torey Lovullo's 58-67 squad.
Hopefully 2022's August series against the Diamondbacks at home yields a different result than its 2021 iteration, where the Phillies found themselves battered, bruised, and swept out of Phoenix with their heads hung low.
No pressure.
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