Oct 6, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Matt Strahm (25) pitches in the ninth inning against the New York Mets during game two of the NLDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
When the Mets knocked around Jeff Hoffman, Matt Strahm and, to a lesser extent, Orion Kerkering in Game 1, the Phillies were chalking it up as a one-off.
After all, those three guys have been the most reliable and consistent relievers the Phillies have had since the season began at the end of March, and rarely do they all have bad outings at the same time.
But although the Phillies were able to win a marathon slugfest over the Mets 7-6 to even the NLDS at 1-1, the Phillies bullpen was knocked around for a second game in a row.
Jose Ruiz, Kerkering and Strahm combined to throw 2 2/3 innings and gave up six hits, four runs and a walk. Three of the hits they allowed were homers. Strahm also picked up a blown save.
"Those were the pockets that we set up prior to the game for all of those guys, so you know the Mets, right now, are putting some slug on our bullpen," manager Rob Thomson said. "We got to take a look at that."
Sure do. And they only have 48 hours to figure it out.
Ruiz came in first to relieve starter Cristopher Sanchez, who pitched well enough — allowing two runs on five hits in five innings — but he also had the good fortune of getting some very good defense, especially from Bryson Stott at second base and Bryce Harper at first.
The first batter Ruiz faced was Pete Alonso and well, the polar bear did what he does:
Pete Alonso goes yard to extend the @Mets lead! #NLDS pic.twitter.com/GRXRCH2m7C
Kerkering, who has not yet had an encouraging outing in the last two postseasons, came in in the seventh after the Phillies had Harper and Nick Castellanos hit back-to-back homers to tie the score 3-3 in the bottom of the sixth. He couldn't give them a shutdown inning, giving up a two-out homer to Brandon Nimmo.
BRANDON NIMMO!
THE @METS ARE BACK IN FRONT! #NLDS pic.twitter.com/vsJxNw4Cnd
Remember when Rob Thomson said Kerkering was like having another lefty in the bullpen when Jose Alvarado had to take a leave of absence from the team?
Yeah, about that...
Carlos Estevez gave the Phillies a good, clean inning in the top of the eighth, retiring three straight Mets on just eight pitches.
But after Stott's heroic triple in the bottom of the eighth, Strahm gave up a one-out single in the ninth to Francisco Lindor and then Mark Vientos took him deep for his second homer of the game to tie the score at 6-6.
MARK VIENTOS TIES IT FOR THE @METS!
THIS GAME!!! pic.twitter.com/GQOx1ruACB
"It was a bad miss," Strahm said. "It was up, out of the zone. I was trying to go down and away to freeze him. He's really good and keeps his bat flat across the top of the zone, so if you go up, you have to go up-up. So, it was a bad miss. A really bad miss."
The Phillies always talk about flushing bad performances, but this is two in a row by the bullpen, and Kerkering and Strahm have to own a piece of both.
Hoffman got the last out of the ninth inning, so he earned the win in Game 2, and Estevez was solid. But something has to get rectified and quick, because the bullpen is definitely going to be needed in New York.
The Phillies are hoping for length from Aaron Nola in Game 3, but it's likely that even if he gives that to them, the bullpen is still going to be needed for at least two innings.
And then in Game 4, it's expected that they may have to eat a lot more outs, especially with the way Ranger Suarez has struggled down the stretch.
"I've been a reliever for a long time," Strahm said. You got to forget it as quick as you can."
Maybe it's a little easier to forget it after such a dramatic win.
"One hundred percent," he said. "Winning fixes everything."
