PHILADELPHIA — The Phillies came back from the dead to beat the previously hard-charging Mets on Saturday, 6-4.
Bryce Harper woke up everybody – including himself – with two home runs. Last time he’d hit one beyond a fence was on Aug. 9.
Cal Stevenson, another of the several “who’s that?” guys called up from Lehigh Valley, supplied a game-winning, two-run double, then saved that lead by leaping to bring back a homer over the centerfield fence hit by J.D. Martinez.
Of all the high-water marks for the Philles Saturday, one was perhaps overshadowed. Rob Thomson noticed, however.
“Taijuan saved us with the three innings he gave us,” the Phillies manager said. “The stuff was (better); the fastball velocity was up, the split was good.”
Yes, that Taijuan Walker, the should-be starting pitcher who on this day at least contributed to a win. He lasted three scoreless innings of relief and looked more than competent the entire time. Walker, last seen as a starter losing 10-0 to Houston at the end of August, hadn’t been seen in a very good light as a September reliever. He came in Saturday after the latest fifth strater called up, Kolby Allard, looked very much like a minor leaguer against the Mets in a three-inning stint.
Allard, who in the first inning looked like he’d eaten about a box too many Wheaties for breakfast, took a while to calm himself down. By that point the Mets were up 4-0 and looking very much like the streaking team that steamrolled Aaron Nola the night before.
True, the Phillies came into this game with a seven-game lead over the Mets in the National League East, but the way they looked Friday night and for much of the first five innings Saturday, there were a few very-older fans suffering crazy visions of a 1964 season they still can’t talk to their grandkids about.
Proud Canadian baseball pioneer Thomson isn’t from the right city or the right country or even right time (well, almost) to recall that famed Phillies meltdown of 60 years ago. But he wouldn’t have thought it anyway.
“They have short memories,” he said of his Phillies.
Even Walker, whose every baseball memory of 2024 has been more of a nightmare, can start to forget now. What he can also do is look ahead, for he finally has started to make a case to have Thomson include him on a playoff roster.
“That’s the goal,” Walker said.
His goal after taking over for what Thomson called the “erratic” Allard was to just find a little success and give so many thousands of visiting Mets fans a reason to chill their entertaining arrogance for a while.
Walker came in with the Phils down four and worked clean fourth, fifth and sixth innings, while Harper set about slapping his offense awake. Harper hit his long-awaited homer in the fourth to get the Phils to within three, then clubbed another one in the sixth, a two-run shot off a full count that cut the Mets lead to one.
It also brought everyone to the point of forgetting all those nervous thoughts of the Mets – who had won 12 of their previous 14 – successfully playing catchup. At least for now, anyway.
“I was trying to keep the momentum going and get quick outs and keep us in there,” Walker said. “Any way I can help the team. I don’t think I’ve done a good job helping the team this year, so any way I can help. I’m happy I was able to do it today. It was a big win for us.”
The victory came because once Harper got them rolling, the Phillies went into attack mode. That was especially true of Stevenson, the unlikely hero in center who had the game-winning double in the seventh, his second go-ahead base knock of the week, and the game-saving catch in the eighth. The Phillies bullpen took care of the rest.
It all seemed to be a refresher course for how quickly this club can strike when given the chance, even when all seems to be trending downward.
That includes the former No. 5 starter-turned-reliever who still believes he has a place on this team.
Contact Rob Parent at rparent@delcotimes.com
Source: Berkshire mont
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