CINCINNATI – This is kind of the way the front office plots when it adds talent on the trade deadline.
Three of the Phillies’ recent additions did well in an important 4-3 win over the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on Monday night.
Noah Sendergaard made seven innings of the three-stroke ball and didn’t walk a hit.
David Robertson had a massive three after the Reds made it one game and things soured for eighth.
Edmundo Sosa was the offensive and defensive star of the match with three RBIs and two impressive plays behind Syndergaard at third base.
“All these guys played really well,” said coach Rob Thompson. “Syndergaard, his stuff is constantly improving. He threw all kinds of punches. Robertson was phenomenal. He was in all those big moments, the playoffs, the world championships. When you have a guy like that, he settles down on everyone. And Sosa has made some tremendous plays.”
Syndergaard and Robertson were both acquired by Phillies hours before the August 2 trading deadline. Sosa came a few days ago in a deal with St. Louis. Velez targeted him as a useful player who could play a solid defense off the bench late in games or at the start.
Looking to get as many right bats in the lineup as possible against Cincinnati left-winger Mike Minor, Thompson used Alec Bohm as the designated hitter and played Sosa for third. This move paid off both offensive and defensive.
Sosa had one in the third inning and a double RBI in the fifth. Both blows came against Minor.
All four of Velez’s runs came in two seasons.
The win improved the Phillies to 64-51 and put them back on track after they were stopped two days in a row by the Mets in New York. The Phils are in control of the NL wild-card runner-up, which is half a game in San Diego.
Sendergaard, who played 15 games for the Angels before being acquired with Mickey Moniac and minor league player Gadiel Sanchez, is now 2-0 in three games with Velez and, most importantly, the club has won in all three.
“It feels great,” said Sendergaard. “It’s great to be a part of this team and I’m looking forward to this journey.”
Syndergaard missed the 2020 season and most of the 2021 season with an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery. He signed with the Angels in November and this club gave him extra time between starts as he continued his recovery.
Monday night’s start against the Reds marked the first time this season that the right-hander has played on a four-day break. I loved it. There were no issues. shine on.
Syndergaard’s economy of pitches was excellent. He only threw 71 in passing seven innings and 58 were strikes. He allowed two runs in the second half and Homer in the bottom of the eighth before Thompson went to Robertson. Seranthony Dominguez scored the ninth goal and saved it.
Syndergaard finished his descent with only 77 floors. He only threw 16 balls. Hit eight and hit six. He threw the first hit on the 24th of the 28 hitter.
“That’s the most important part of winning the fight with the hitter and moving forward and moving forward,” he said. “A scout came to my house when I was 17 and asked me what is the most important field in baseball. And I said, ‘Fastball?'” Changeup? “He said, ‘No, hit it. So that’s something I’m proud of.'”
Syndergaard loves life like Phillie. He soon associated with betting coaches Caleb Cutham and Brian Kaplan. Syndergaard manipulated him by casting him as an angel. It is believed that he was trying to reinvent himself after the surgery. Kotham and Kaplan convinced him to simplify the delivery process. Syndergaard loves the results.
“Lift up (the left leg) and go, let my sport take over and don’t make it any harder than it is,” he said of his delivery disc. “The strides I’ve taken in back-to-back sessions with Caleb and Cap have been amazing. I haven’t had more confidence on Mound this year and it shows in my stuff and my ability to play on the pitch.”
The Minor, which started with Cincinnati, is a pitcher that has been linked to the Phillies for years as a potential trade target or free agent. The 34-year-old left-hander entered the game with a 6.24 ERA in 12 starts, and that was a welcome sight for the Phillies, who have faced some micro ERAs in their previous five games.
In order, Velez have faced Sandy Alcantara (2.01), Edward Cabrera (2.05), Max Scherzer (1.93), Jacob Degrom (1.62) and Chris Bassett (3.27) in their previous five matches. They lost three of those games, all by shutdown.
The Phils rallied for three doubles against Minor in the third inning. Nick Castellanos fell into one and Sosa delivered the other two.
After two back-to-back closures in New York, the rally was a burden to be lifted off the shelf of the bat. Velez will be looking to make it second in a row for the Reds behind Kyle Gibson on Tuesday night.
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