It’s all a matter of perspective, I guess.

With the Phillies’ 5-4 win over the Brewers on Wednesday night, they secured their second three-game winning streak of the season and a quality series victory over a team that came into Citizens Bank Park playing stellar baseball.

The Phillies handed the ball to Jose Alvarado in the ninth inning thanks to solid late-game bullpen performances by Brandon Kintzler, Matt Moore, and Enyel De Los Santos, a procession of arms they certainly did not envision taking down key outs late in games.

They have have won three games this week with three different closers. They’ve done it without their best player and on the heels of a loss to the Mets so ugly that it could have sent the team into a tailspin.

I mean, hell, this team is in first place, flaws and all, so I want to keep this thing mostly positive. That said, I do have just one simple question after this latest nail-biter win, one you may have too.

Can these guys ever make anything f’n easy?

After entering the night in the midst of a wild run featuring six straight one-run games, you would have thought maybe, just maybe, the Phillies were due for a laugher. At the very least, you would have thought after their first five batters reached base and scored to open the game against Milwaukee starter Freddy Peralta, things might finally be, I don’t know, comfortable?

Not so, as even Didi Gregorius’ eighth-career grand slam, one that built the Phillies an instant 5-0 lead against a pitcher who hadn’t allowed a single first-inning hit or run this season, wasn’t enough to avert another nervous finish.

Of course, that’s because the Phillies registered exactly two more base runners after the grand slam.

Two.

Brewers pitchers sat down 24 of the Phillies’ next 26 hitters, facing just one over the minimum while also allowing their lineup an opportunity to slowly eat away at a narrowing lead.

In the end, however, the Phillies did just enough to avoid the lurking collapse and lock up their ninth one-run victory of the season.

More Fun With Instant Replay

It may not have been obvious when it happened in the third inning of a 5-1 game, but a brilliant tag by J.T. Realmuto on a high throw to the plate from Odubel Herrera to cut down Daniel Vogelbach turned out to be the difference in a tight game.

Vogelbach, who was the trail run on what was initially a two-run single by Avisail Garcia, was ruled safe by home plate umpire Marvin Hudson. After the Phillies challenged, replay officials overturned the call. Looks like they got it right, but would you have been surprised if the call on the field held up?

After the first month of this season, I sure as hell wouldn’t have been.

“I think it slipped a little bit,” Phils manager Joe Girardi said of Herrera’s throw. “He even said ‘I made a bad throw, J.T. made a great play,’ and J.T. made a great play.”

Credit to Herrera for getting the ball to the plate, but a better throw probably eliminates the drama. Then again, that’s sort of this team’s deal, making it an on brand play in an on brand game, if you will.

Matt Moore, Setup Man

With the Phillies holding a one-run lead in the seventh inning, Girardi turned to…Matt Moore?

Sure, what the hell? Why not?

“We just thought with their lefties, we’re going to use Matt,” Girardi said. “We kind of had a plan where we were going to use him tonight, and we weren’t sure when. My hope was that it was to start an inning and not to come in in the middle of an inning because it’s not something he’s used to, but he did a fantastic job.”

Moore had not pitched in a game for 18 days and doesn’t exactly profile as a late-inning guy, but he got the job done.

After issuing a leadoff walk to Lorenzo Cain, Moore got Vogelbach to bounce into a double play before striking out Travis Shaw to end the inning.

Moving forward, it will be interesting to see what the Phillies do with Moore.

Following his six-inning, one-run effort on Monday night, the Phillies believe Vince Velasquez has earned another start this weekend in Atlanta.

Moore, who was unimpressive in three April starts before missing time due to COVID protocols (he told reporters he did not test positive), could flip to a multi-inning relief role. He could also soon find himself back in the rotation given Chase Anderson’s inability to get deep into games, and, well, Velasquez isn’t exactly a sure-thing to stick in the rotation.

To his credit, Moore had the perfect answer when asked about his currently undefined status.

“From being overseas and being on some losers before that, being with this group right here, it’s been a long time since I’ve felt all-in the way I am right now,” Moore said. “So whether my role is in the starting rotation, or if it’s the long guy in the bullpen, or somewhere in between, that’s where I am at right now. I feel really good about where our club is at, and being a part of that is the biggest thing to me.”

Probably Not for the Best

After the Phillies placed Matt Joyce and Roman Quinn on the 10-day injured list earlier Wednesday, the team recalled Scott Kingery and Mickey Moniak from Lehigh Valley.

Kingery helped win the Iron Pigs’ season opener with a two-run walk-off triple on Tuesday night, but he struck out on three pitches in the seventh inning against Brewers lefty reliever Brent Suter Wednesday night. The final two strikes of the brief at-bat came on whiffs at 87 and 87.6 mph fastballs, respectively. It was a rough sequence:

The Phillies are shorthanded and need bodies, but shuffling Kingery back and forth is unlikely to provide the team or player much help right now.