PHILADELPHIA — Twenty-four hours after the Phillies scored 15 runs and banged out 20 hits against reigning Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara, fans threw $1 hot dogs onto the field.
This is city that will hold you accountable, and the Phillies failed to capitalize on the momentum they built on Monday with an 8-4 loss on Tuesday. So, on “Dollar Dog Night,” hot dogs wrapped in aluminum foil showered down from the upper decks, some of them landing on the right-field grass.
The Phillies weren’t playing clean baseball. Third baseman Edmundo Sosa committed an error in the top of the third inning, and, with two outs in the bottom of the sixth, Bryson Stott hit a bases-loaded single off Jesús Luzardo to score two runs, but took too wide of a turn at first base. Jean Segura cut off the throw to the plate and threw to first, nailing Stott, who overran the bag.
The bullpen wasn’t as solid as it had been in previous games. Left-handed reliever Gregory Soto finished the sixth inning without allowing a run, but Connor Brogdon allowed a home run to Luis Arraez in the seventh inning. Andrew Bellatti, who had yet to allow an earned run this season, allowed three of them in the eighth inning — which is when the hot dogs began to fall. He allowed a single to Arraez, who hit for the cycle. It was the first cycle in Marlins history, and Arraez, last year’s AL batting champ, is slashing .537/.596/.732 this season.
In the big leagues, there is never much room for error, but there was even less room on Tuesday. Luzardo shut the Phillies out for five innings. Aaron Nola saw his velocity creep up, compared to his previous start in New York, but allowed a lot of hard contact. In all, Nola gave up nine hits and four runs in 5⅔ innings with six strikeouts and gave up one homer.
Nola’s line doesn’t exactly tell the whole story. He was unable to finish the sixth inning, but only because of a missed call by home plate umpire Nate Tomlinson. The Marlins broke things open in the top of the sixth, when Jorge Soler doubled in a run Yuli Gurriel singled in an other.
By the time Segura stepped up to the plate, Miami was up, 3-0. He worked Nola to a 2-2 count, with two outs, and took a sinker that landed just inside the strike zone. Tomlinson called it a ball, and Segura singled two pitches later.
Nick Fortes singled after him to score Gurriel. All of a sudden, it was 4-0. Nola departed after that.
The Phillies tried to rally in the bottom of the eighth, and again in the bottom of the ninth. J.T. Realmuto hit a two-out RBI double to left field to score Brandon Marsh to tack on a run in the ninth. But it was to no avail. Nick Castellanos struck out to end the game.
