The record will show that J.T. Realmuto lined a leadoff double, stole third base, and scored the go-ahead run in the eighth inning of the Phillies’ come-from-behind 4-3 victory Friday night.
But that wouldn’t represent his full impact on the game.
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In the fourth inning, with the Phillies down by three runs and stuck in a 17-inning scoreless rut — 12 of which had come against the pitching-challenged Rockies — Realmuto pointed to first base to signal to home-plate umpire Alex Tosi that he got hit by a two-strike pitch from Colorado starter Noah Davis.
“It just grazed my elbow,” Realmuto said.
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Rockies manager Bud Black was, well, skeptical. The replay wasn’t conclusive, and Black lacked a challenge anyway after losing it earlier in the game. He argued and got ejected by Tosi, none of which changed the fact that the Phillies loaded the bases with no outs to arouse a sellout crowd of 43,261 at Citizens Bank Park.
Later, after Edmundo Sosa punctuated his return to the lineup by hitting a sinking line drive that dropped in front of diving left fielder Jurickson Profar to score Realmuto with the deciding run, Phillies manager Rob Thomson pointed to the hit by pitch as the turning point of the game.
“That loads the bases with nobody out,” Thomson said. “That was a great atmosphere tonight with the fan base. It got them on their feet, got us kind of energized.”
There were other meaningful takeaways from a feel-good victory over a team the Phillies should handle. Aaron Nola got through seven for the first time since last Sept. 17. Sosa returned after missing five games with a sore back and brought defense, energy, and a big hit against old friend Brad Hand, who received his National League championship ring in a small pregame ceremony.
But if the Phillies finally begin to build momentum, they will point to the fourth inning. They got shut out one night earlier by the Rockies, who came to town having dropped eight games in a row, and made nothing of three two-out hits in the first three innings against Davis, who was making his second career start.
And then, Nick Castellanos reached on an error. Brandon Marsh singled. Realmuto got nicked ever so gently. As he did a few weeks ago against the Reds, Castellanos inched more than halfway up the third-base line, distracted Davis, and caused him to balk in a run. Jake Cave beat a shift with an infield single to third base to make it 3-2, and the comeback was on.
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“Yeah, we needed that,” Realmuto said. “It feels like we haven’t had a lot of breaks go our way. A lot of that’s on us as well, but just having an inning like that, where we can get some momentum and come back in that game, that was important.”
Kyle Schwarber tied the game with a solo home run in the seventh, and the Phillies won for the second time when trailing after six innings.
Oh, Nola
Like left-hander Matt Strahm one night earlier — and Bailey Falter on Tuesday night in Chicago, for that matter — Nola pitched well save for a mistake in the first inning.
Nola left a fastball up to Ryan McMahon, who crushed it into the shrubbery beyond the center-field wall for a three-run home run. Otherwise, he was mostly solid, holding the Rockies to four hits.
“I want to go deep in the game, and sometimes it happens in the first inning,” Nola said. “It kind of stinks, but you overcome it and you stick with your plan and stick with all your pitches and make your pitches.”
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The pivotal moment in the game for Nola came in the sixth inning. He walked Profar and Charlie Blackmon, but rather than letting things mushroom, he escaped the jam by getting C.J. Cron to bounce into a double play.
Nola’s signature curveball also was more effective than it has been. He threw it 35 times out of 94 pitches overall and got 21 swings, including four whiffs. Nola cited better arm speed and throwing it with more conviction as the biggest difference.
“Just not trying to make it nasty, if that makes sense,” Nola said.
Said Realmuto: “It’s kind of trusting his stuff out there a little bit more. He’s got four really good pitches, so we can go a lot of different directions late in the count. I feel like we’ve given up a few too many two-strike hits. Trying to just stay with his strengths.”
Sosa strikes again
Sosa pumped his fist and yelled at the dugout after dropping the go-ahead single into left field. In the top of the ninth inning, the third baseman leaped to rob a hit from Cron.
It was another snapshot of why Thomson wants to keep Sosa in the lineup as much as possible.
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Sosa was regarded as a solid defensive player with the Cardinals before the Phillies acquired him in a deadline trade last year. But he has worked with hitting coach Kevin Long to improve at the plate. He’s off to a 12-for-35 (.343) start with three doubles, two homers, and six RBIs.
“I’m trying to give the best version of myself,” Sosa said through a team interpreter. “I know I have pretty good defense. But people need to know that Edmundo Sosa also has a bat. I’m ready to hit, too.”
