The Phillies did exactly what they needed to do Thursday afternoon. They avoided a three-game sweep by the powerful Dodgers with a 2-1 victory, one that ensured an escape from one of their most difficult remaining series with at least a share of first place.

Maybe that standard isn’t exactly sky-high, but such is life in the 2021 National League East.

Of course, the win didn’t come easily.

Holding a one-run lead in the ninth, a pair of Ian Kennedy walks — which were strongly-aided by home plate umpire Alfonso Márquez — put the go-ahead run on base.

Kennedy first issued a one-out walk on this 3-2 pitch to Corey Seager.


Two batters later, it appeared Kennedy had Cody Bellinger struck out to end the game. Márquez had other plans, however, prompting Phillies manager Joe Girardi to justifiably lose his shit.

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After hitting Will Smith to load the bases, Kennedy finally got Billy McKinney to fly out for the game’s final out.

“Well, I did learn one thing,” Girardi quipped. “Ian Kennedy can get a five-out save. I learned that today.”

It was Girardi’s third ejection of the season. He remained understandably upset about what transpired after the game.

“They don’t have to swing for it to be a strike. The one to Seager was a great pitch. The one to Bellinger was a great pitch. And what I don’t understand is, I was walking down the stairs and that’s when he threw me out. I mean, come on. Either throw me out when I’m yelling at you, but not walking down the stairs. I was done yelling. He doesn’t say anything, whether they’re strikes or not. He didn’t say one word, and I don’t get it. That’s a five-out save, so good job, Ian.”

Harper Provides Early Spark

With Rhys Hoskins on the injured list and J.T. Realmuto out of the lineup a day after taking a vicious shot to his face mask on a foul tip Wednesday night, a scuffling Phillies offense that plated just five total runs over its previous three games desperately needed an early spark.

Bryce Harper provided one in the first inning with his 21st homer (19th solo) of the season, a blast that gave the Phillies their first lead of the series.

The Phillies other only other run of the day came on a clutch two-out RBI single by Ronald Torreyes.

I don’t know about you, but I’m not sure where this team would be without Torreyes. It seems like every single one of his 52 hits this season have come in a key spot. Throw in the defensive boost he’s provided on the left side of the infield, and he has simply been an invaluable piece.

Stay, Just a Little Bit Longer

Ranger Suárez’s quest to complete five full innings following his transition to the starting rotation will have to wait at least one more start.

Entering the fifth inning at 67 pitches, Girardi opted to push Suárez for one more inning. After striking out Bellinger to begin the inning, he would put the next two Dodgers hitters aboard, prompting Girardi to summon Enyel De Los Santos from the bullpen.

Despite lasting just 4 1/3 innings, Suárez again gave the Phillies a chance early on by allowing just one earned run.

Of course, that earned run may not have scored had it not been for a De Los Santos wild pitch, one that should’ve been handled by catcher Andrew Knapp. That allowed lead runner Austin Barnes to score on a groundout — which may or may not have actually been a groundout.

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In three starts since joining the Phillies’ rotation, Suárez has yielded just one earned run over 10 innings of work. He will have roughly 90 pitches to work with his next time out.

Diminished Confidence in Alec Bohm?

After a sleepy first two months at the plate, Phillies infielder Alec Bohm started to pick things up in early June. Over a 44-game stretch from June 1 through August 3, Bohm hit .322 with an .810 OPS. But his continuing defensive struggles have overshadowed his improved performance at the plate.

Bohm did not start any of the three games against the Dodgers at third base. After a pair of bad misplays at first base last night, he wasn’t in the starting lineup at either position in this one.

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Given the Phillies were already without Realmuto and Hoskins, it’s telling that Girardi opted to leave another one of his better remaining offensive options out of the lineup.

Perhaps even more telling is that Girardi opted to pinch-hit Bohm in a low-leverage spot with two outs and nobody on base in the fifth inning. Continuing a recent trend in the series, Bohm was quickly blown away with hittable fastballs for a strikeout.

On the season, Bohm is hitting just .199 against fastballs. He has whiffed on nearly 25% of his swings against the pitch. That’s a significant increase from his 18.4% whiff rate against fastballs last season.

Really, you have to wonder where Bohm’s confidence level sits at as his defensive struggles have rendered him borderline unplayable at the moment. Over his last eight games, he’s hitting just .190 with nine strikeouts in 21 at-bats.

A Rough Go of It

Much credit goes to Suárez and the procession of four Phillies relievers that limited a potent Dodgers lineup to just three hits and one run. Their combined effort helped the Phillies’ modest two runs stand up on an afternoon scoring was at a premium.

Of course, it didn’t have to be so hard.

Knapp, who is now hitting .158 with a .449 OPS following an 0-for-3 day, twice left the bases loaded, helping spoil his team’s two best scoring chances.

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After posting a career-best .278 batting average and .849 OPS in 33 games last season, Knapp is in the midst of the worst offensive season of his career.

His diminished contact rate is a big part of the diminished numbers. After striking out in 26.4% of his at-bats last season, that number has jumped to roughly 40% this season.