*Photo from the Philadelphia Inquirer*
With the Philadelphia Phillies hanging on for dear life in the playoff race, they need wins any way necessary. Being severely limited in scoring by the Baltimore Orioles is not great for a team that wants to make the playoffs. All they needed was a few runs this time. Andrew McCutchen hit a double, JT Realmuto hit the winning hit, and the Phillies walked off the Orioles 3-2 in 10 innings on Tuesday night.
Realmuto, responsible for a two run walk off, talked about barely staying in it and needing wins, saying that "We need all of them. This late in the season, where we’re at, a few games behind the Braves, we can’t afford to lose two or three in a row anymore."
The game remained scoreless until the 4th inning, when Ramon Urias hit an RBI single into center field, bringing in Richie Martin to make it 1-0 Orioles. In the 6th, Realmuto scored on an RBI double from McCutchen to tie it 1-1. In the top of the 10th, Austin Hays hit an RBI double to give Baltimore a 2-1 lead. In the bottom of the 10th, Realmuto came up with two runners on and drove them both home, making it a 3-2 win for the Phillies.
Realmuto came up in the 10th, after the Orioles opted to walk Harper. It seemed like a fine decision, as Harper went 2-4 on the night, until you look and see Harper was at the center of two baserunning mistakes, one in the 3rd, and one in the 8th. In the 8th, Harper was thrown out trying to get home on a ground ball out, being out by several feet at home. So, they still walked him, and Realmuto delivered instead.
Harper said of getting walked in the 10th for Realmuto that "I always ask Joe Girardi and Joe Dillon ‘What do you guys think? Are they going to pitch to me?' And they always tell me no. I think Girardi said to me last time: 'If it's me there's no chance.'"
Ian Kennedy got the win for the Phillies, despite giving up one run in the 10th, improving his record to 3-1 this season. Adonis Medina made his first career start and second major league appearance for the Phillies, as they went with a bullpen game. Medina allowed one run on 4 hits and two walks, striking out 3 hitters across 3 2/3 innings. Jose Alvarado, Archie Bradley, and Hector Neris also pitched.
Cesar Valdez blew his 5th save of the season and fell to a 2-2 record by getting the loss for the Orioles, giving up the walkoff hit to Realmuto in the 10th. The Orioles went with a bullpen game as well, so Valdez was the last pitcher out of the bullpen by the 10th. Conner Greene opened and went one inning. Thomas Eshelman gave up the RBI double in the 4th. Marcos Diplan, Dillon Tate, Eric Hanhold, Tyler Wells, and Fernando Abad also pitched.
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde talked about the decision to walk Harper to face Realmuto, saying that "I didn't want Harper to beat us there. Realmuto is an All-Star, superstar-type player. I didn’t want him to beat us either. We just made pitches too close to the plate there with their pinch-hitter on deck."
The Phillies and Orioles wrap up their series on Wednesday evening, with Zack Wheeler taking the mound for the Phillies, and Keegan Akin getting the start for the Orioles.
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