 that cleared the bases and gave the Phillies a 5-0 lead. Hoskins hit 18 homers in just 50 games in 2017, 34 in 2018 and 29 last year - but has none this season. He only had one RBI this year and tied an ignominious franchise record this week when he grounded into three double plays in one game.''I think any time you barrel a baseball, it feels good,'' Hoskins said.Matz allowed eight runs against the Nationals his last time out and seemed to have figured himself out early in this one. Segura hit a solo homer in the second for the 1-0 lead, but that was the only hit the lefty allowed until the fifth.He walked Andrew McCutchen (batting just .184) with the bases loaded before allowing Hoskins -- his average hovering around .200 all season -- to rip his double. Hoskins scored on Bryce Harper's head-first slide into second base for an RBI double and a 6-0 lead. That was it for Matz.When you have results like this a few outings in a row, in your head you're like, I've got to change something. Something's got to be different,'' Matz said. ''That's the battle for me.'' Nola (2-1) tossed three-hit ball and struck out eight over his seven innings. He struck out 30 over this last three starts.''It was a big series win against the Mets,'' Nola said. ''They're a good team. There's not too many breezes anymore, especially in the East.'' Nola left his last start against Baltimore after allowing one run in eight innings. Two relievers gave up seven runs in the ninth and the Phillies held on for a 13-8 victory.Dominic Smith broke up the shutout with a two-run homer in the ninth, his fourth straight game with a homer.''There's some at-bats when I have runners in scoring position where, especially with me being in the middle of the lineup, I need to be able to get that job done,'' Smith said. ''I have to stay locked in, I have to stay in my zone.'' The Phillies won the first two games of the series after Harper's RBI single in the bottom of the ninth inning lifted them to a 6-5 victory Friday. The Phillies are 7-9, and in a season in which it will get late in the playoff push early, they know they needed to get going.''I think we need to make some hay in the next 10 days,'' Girardi said. ''These are important games. These two are important. I don't want to look too far ahead but these games are important.'' METS MOVESThe Mets added C Francisco Alvarez and RHP Matthew Allan to their 60-man player pool and assigned them to their training site in Brooklyn, New York. Mets manager Luis Rojas said he wanted the players to stay sharp in case they were needed in big leagues.''If we feel that they can come and help the team win at some point, then definitely they can come and do it,'' Rojas said.TRAINER'S ROOMMets: INF/OF Jeff McNeil was out of the starting lineup again after crashing into a wall and being carted off the field Thursday. Rojas said McNeil ''feels better'' than he did on Friday.Phillies: Starter Spencer Howard lasted just 3 1/3 innings on Friday before he left because of a blister on his finger. Howard said he expected to make his next start.ON THE ROAD AGAINThe Phillies finish the series against the Mets on Sunday, giving them 16 home games and only one on the road. That picks up a bit with nine days of road games (that includes a doubleheader) ahead until they return home on Aug. 28. Girardi said he'll talk to the team about the importance of staying safe on the road and not breaking team protocols.''I think it's important that our players are extremely diligent,'' he said. ''We have a code of conduct. We'll remind our players on a daily basis.'' UP NEXTThe Phillies send RHP Zack Wheeler 92-0, 2.89 ERA) to the mound against New York RHP Rick Porcello (1-2, 5.68). Porcello allowed three runs in 13 innings over his last two starts. He allowed 11 runs in six innnings in his first two.---More MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/-Sports)
Phillies turn to ace Nola vs. Mets' MatzAfter a dramatic walk-off victory Friday, the Philadelphia Phillies will look for their second win in a row when they host the New York Mets on Saturday.Bryce Harper singled home Roman Quinn in the bottom of the ninth inning for a 6-5 win to help offset a three-game sweep at the hands of the Baltimore Orioles earlier in the week."This was a very important win for us," Phillies manager Joe Girardi said.The Phillies will hand the ball on Saturday to their ace, right-hander Aaron Nola, who is 1-1 with a 2.79 ERA. Nola has rung up 22 strikeouts in his past two starts, covering 14 innings.Nola holds an impressive 7-1 record and a 3.13 ERA in 13 career starts against the Mets.Nola's last start was stellar. He gave up only two hits and one run in eight innings. He left with a 13-1 lead and watched as the Phillies had to hold on for a 13-8 victory over the Atlanta Braves."Aaron did not want to come out," Girardi said. "But sometimes I feel that it's my job to protect players from themselves, right? And I feel bad pulling him. I told him, I understand if he's upset with me. I'm OK with that. But the prize is not in the month of August. And we need him to be healthy." The Phillies' bullpen has struggled all season, and closer Hector Neris absorbed his second blown save by allowing the tying run to score in the ninth inning on Friday."That's going to come around," Nola said of the bullpen. "I know it. It's still kind of early for us." Philadelphia's J. T. Realmuto smashed a three-run home run on Friday, his eighth homer of the season.Dominic Smith and Robinson Cano hit back-to-back home runs for the Mets.The Mets might need more than five runs in support of Saturday's struggling starter, left-hander Steven Matz.In four starts this season, Matz is 0-3 record with an 8.20 ERA. Matz has allowed eight home runs in 18 2/3 innings, and he gave up eight runs in 4 1/3 innings against the Washington Nationals on Monday.In Matz's career against the Phillies, he is 2-4 mark with a 5.48 ERA in 11 games, 10 starts."It seems like they were seeing me really well," Matz said of the Nationals. "I felt like I had good stuff. Normally when I feel this good, I'm able to locate the ball. They were getting to me. I have to get with (pitching coach Jeremy) Hefner and make the adjustments, because two games like this is unacceptable." Mets manager Luis Rojas pointed to another reason for Matz's early-season struggles."His mechanics, when he's about to release it, about to throw it, you can see he's holding himself back a little bit," Rojas said. "It can definitely cause a tip." The Mets' Pete Alonso went 0-for-5 on Friday, dropping his average to .225. Last season, Alonso hit .260 with 53 home runs and 120 RBIs on his way to being named National League Rookie of the Year."For me, the biggest thing throughout this entire thing is to stay calm and trust myself," Alonso said. "I know what type of player I can be. For me, I know the sky's the limit." --Field Level Media
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