Garrett Stubbs clubbed a three-run home run in Friday night’s loss to the Mets, continuing his insane start to the season. Stubbs took Mets reliever Chasen Shreve deep in the top of the sixth to make it a 7-6 Mets lead, although the Phillies would go on to lose 8-6.
Stubbs has staked his claim to the title of best backup catcher in baseball this season, as he’s posted a bananas 1.162 OPS over 33 plate appearances thus far. Like every backup catcher, Stubbs has only appeared in one or two games each week, but has really made those chances count. He came up clutch last weekend when he hit his first career home run on Sunday to cut the Dodgers’ lead to 2-1, and then was at the center of the action in the Phillies’ wild tenth inning walk-off victory.
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He came up clutch once again tonight even though the Phils did lose, as the sixth inning home run from Stubbs made it a one run game. Unfortunately, spot starter Bailey Falter got touched up for five runs (only two earned) over three innings, while the struggling Nick Nelson surrendered three earned runs of his own in two frames.
The Phillies put up six runs in an exciting sixth inning, but we’re shut out other than that, and fell to 8.5 games behind the Mets in the NL East after tonight’s loss. Sinkerballer Zach Eflin will take the mound tomorrow for the Phillies against 2021 All-Star Taijuan Walker as the Phillies look to get back on track.