USATSI_18237727 — © Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Phillies Offense Sleepless in Seattle

After a night in which they arrived in Seattle at 3:30am EST, the Philadelphia Phillies put on an offensive clinic.

Author:
Ben Silver
May 10, 2022 8:53 AM EDT

It took just five innings for the Philadelphia Phillies to eclipse their total offensive output from Sunday’s 18-inning doubleheader.

But offense wasn't the only aspect in which the Phillies dominated the Seattle Mariners on Monday night. Philadelphia starting pitcher Ranger Suárez silenced the Mariner bats for six dominant innings.

Things got dicey early on in the second when Suárez allowed Jesse Winker to reach on a single, then walked Luis Torrens. But catcher J.T. Realmuto made a mound visit to calm the young hurler down and it was smooth sailing from there.

Suárez again allowed the first two batters on the inning to reach in the sixth, but the Venezuelan lefty didn't let it affect his poise. He struck out the next two Mariners hitters before forcing a pop up from Dylan Moore to end the frame at 104 pitches on the night, becoming only the second Phillie to eclipse the 100-pitch threshold in 2022.

On the other side of the ball, the Phillies dominated, just as, if not more, efficiently.

Initially, it seemed like the Phillies might be doomed to another night of offensive ineptitude, but by the second inning, the Phillies began to hit around Seattle starter Chris Flexen.

Jean Segura crushed a 2-0 fastball for his 101st home run to get the scoring started in the second inning, and Rhys Hoskins followed him with a moonshot home run of his own.

Philadelphia took a 2-0 lead which they did not relinquish for the rest of the night.

The Phillies added on in the third when Nick Castellanos mashed a two-out double off the wall in left-center, and Realmuto followed him with an RBI single. Castellanos' bat would again make an impact as soon as the fifth inning when the Phillies broke the game open.

The Phillies began a three-run rally that started with a singles from Alec Bohm and Harper. Castellanos came up next with his second double of the night. The conga line kept moving when Realmuto singled next to score Harper and Segura scored Castellanos with an RBI groundout.

The Phillies offense finally began to move like it was built to.

By the seventh, the Phillies elevated their lead from comfortable to a slugfest. RBIs came from Castellanos, Segura, and Hoskins to make it a 9-0 lead.

But the fun wasn't over yet for Philadelphia. Manager Joe Girardi brought in Francisco Morales to make his Major League debut. Sporting a dazzling slider and a blazing fastball, Morales struck out the first two hitters of his career and picked up six outs on six hitters.

James Norwood came in for the Phillies in the ninth looking to redeem himself from a disaster inning in Thursday's New York Mets debacle. He picked up three quick outs to end the ball game and send Phillies fans home happy.

Philadelphia's next contest will be 9:40pm EST on Tuesday, with the pitching matchup being between Aaron Nola and 2021 AL Cy Young winner Robbie Ray.