Phillies pound Bryse Wilson early to hand Pirates 6th consecutive loss

The Pittsburgh Pirates and Philadelphia Phillies are on opposite ends of the state and headed in different directions.

The Phillies scored six runs in the first two innings, knocking Pirates starter Bryse Wilson out early, and added an insurance run in the eighth on their way to a fifth consecutive win.

Despite three home runs, the Pirates’ rally fell short in a 7-4 loss Friday night at Citizens Bank Park that was their sixth consecutive defeat, 12th in 14 games and 24th in 32 games since the All-Star break.

Much of the damage was self-inflicted, as the Pirates had a pair of defensive mishaps that put Wilson in a precarious position as the Phillies batted around the order in a four-run first inning.

“The first two innings, we didn’t play great defensively, and we kind of put oursevles in a hole,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said on the AT&T SportsNet postgame show. “Against a club like this, we cannot give away extra outs.”

First, Kyle Schwarber reached on a throwing error by second baseman Rodolfo Castro. After Rhys Hoskins doubled, Alec Bohm got an infield single when Castro crossed in front of shortstop Kevin Newman to field the grounder but didn’t get a forceout.

“The first play, he came in at an angle that he’s probably got to come in a little harder on the ball Schwarber hit,” Shelton said. “The second, that’s Newman’s ball. They’re not running on contact. We have to make sure we get an out there and go across the diamond.”

That the Pirates didn’t get an out only got the Phillies fans even more pumped for the return of Bryce Harper, who was activated Friday after missing 52 games with a broken left thumb.

The 2021 NL MVP, who came to bat with the bases loaded and no outs, hit a two-run single past first baseman Michael Chavis to give the Phillies a 2-0 lead. Bohm scored on J.T. Realmuto’s grounder that forced Harper out at second to make it 3-0. After Realmuto stole second base, he scored on Nick Castellanos’ single to right for a 4-0 Phillies lead. Wilson gave up three earned runs on five hits on 43 pitches, including an 11-pitch at-bat that saw Bohm foul it off five times.

“That can really do some damage to a starter,” Shelton said, “and we saw the effects of it.”

Added Wilson: “It’s frustrating because I’m making good pitches. It’s like, maybe I should throw a not-so-good pitch so he can just put it in play.”

The Pirates turned to Zach Thompson, who started Sunday against Cincinnati but saved the bullpen by throwing five innings of relief. Thompson got off to a rocky start, as Schwarber led off with a double off the right-field wall and scored on a single by Hoskins for a 5-0 lead. Thompson got two groundouts, but Hoskins scored on another error, this one by shortstop Kevin Newman, for a 6-0 Phillies lead.

Thompson allowed four hits without a walk while striking out two in throwing 82 pitches. That slowed the Phillies, and allowed the Pirates to mount a comeback.

“He did a great job,” Shelton said of Thompson. “He came in, was extremely efficient, was able to go through their lineup multiple times, execute pitches. It’s probably about as good as we’ve seen him throw.”

The Pirates started their rally in the fourth, when Newman singled and Reynolds followed by driving Bailey Falter’s 1-1 fastball 376 feet to left for his 21st home run to cut it to 6-2. It ended a 2-for-26 funk for Reynolds since his two-homer game against the Boston Red Sox on Aug. 18.

Castro continued his hot-hitting August — he was batting .294 with six extra-base hits entering the game — by leading off the fifth inning with a 387-foot solo shot for his fourth homer to cut the Phillies’ lead to 6-3.

The Pirates turned to the long ball again in the seventh to trim their deficit to two runs, as Ben Gamel hit a 363-foot leadoff homer to right off Connor Brogdon to make it 6-4. After Castro singled and advanced to second on Greg Allen’s sacrifice and Oneil Cruz drew a walk, the Phillies pulled Brogdon. Lefty reliever Jose Alvarado got Jason Delay to ground into a double play to the end the scoring threat.

The Pirates turned to Yohan Ramirez, who was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis when Colin Holderman was placed on the 15-day injured list with right shoulder soreness. Ramirez retired the side in the seventh, as the Pirates’ bullpen retired 11 consecutive Phillies batters.

Castellanos doubled off Ramirez to start the eighth. Pinch runner Bradley Zimmer was headed to third on Bryson Stott’s hit-and-run poke through the left side and scored to stretch the Phillies’ lead to 7-4.

Shelton acknowledged that the losing is wearing on the Pirates, as evidenced by their sloppy defense, but credited his team for the comeback that forced the Phillies to use four relievers to clinch the win.

“We’re playing good clubs,” Shelton said. “Going back to it, we have to catch the ball. Giving away extra outs is not something we can afford to do. I think guys are grinding. I give them credit. We got down 6-0 against a playoff team, and we came back and cut it to 6-4. The entire back end of their bullpen had to pitch, so I give our guys credit for continuing to go.”