Phillies’ José Alvarado moves on from beef with Mets’ Dom Smith, closes out win vs. Brewers | Extra Innings

The Phillies recorded the final nine outs Wednesday by using a pitcher who hadn’t pitched in 18 days, another pitcher who was ineligible to pitch a night earlier because his name had been left off the lineup card, and a third pitcher who was returning from a two-game suspension. It worked. Matt Moore, Enyel De Los Santos, and José Alvarado finished the last three innings of a 5-4 win over the Brewers, and the Phillies will try Thursday afternoon for a rare four-game sweep with Zack Wheeler on the mound.

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— Matt Breen (extrainnings@inquirer.com)

There was no time for Joe Girardi to ease Alvarado back as he needed the left-hander Wednesday night in the ninth inning of a one-run game.

Alvarado had nearly incited a brawl last Friday against the Mets and then unraveled two days later in the eighth inning. The next day, Alvarado began a two-game suspension and missed the first two wins against Milwaukee.

But the Phillies had a taxed bullpen Wednesday night, so Girardi welcomed back Alvarado by asking him to get the final three outs of the 5-4 win over the Brewers.

“He threw strikes and did a really good job,” Girardi said.

Alvarado’s beef with the Mets dated to earlier this season in New York when he hit Michael Conforto on April 13 with a 100.1-mph sinker. Dom Smith chirped at Alvarado from the dugout, and Alvarado shushed him from the mound before waving his hand at him.

Smith and Alvarado didn’t see each other for 13 more days, but the tension was obvious last Friday in the eighth inning. Alvarado struck out Smith with two runners on and taunted the hitter as he walked back to the dugout. Smith turned back, the dugouts emptied, and the players had to be separated.

“I am a professional pitcher,” Alvarado said. “I don’t want to hit somebody because I know I throw hard. I don’t want to hit someone and lose games. Every time when I’m coming into a game, I focus on the target. That’s it.”

Mets manager Luis Rojas said Alvarado instigated the incident. Smith said Alvarado waited for his teammates to grab him, and offered to meet Alvarado in the stadium tunnel “if he really wanted to get after it.”

“For me, I’m done,” Alvarado said. “When we face the New York Mets, I’ll continue to focus on my plan and attack the strike zone and put the ball on the plate real quick. I don’t want to hit somebody. That’s baseball.”

Alvarado appealed his initial three-game suspension Sunday afternoon and then failed to retire any of the three batters he faced that night. It seemed like the emotions of Friday night had caught up with him. Girardi also thought Alvarado might have been worn out by pitching for the fourth time in six games since being activated off the COVID-19 injured list.

A two-day suspension might have been a needed respite for Alvarado, an important piece of the bullpen. He looked rested Wednesday as he handled the ninth inning while Girardi found rest for Héctor Neris.

Alvarado retired three of the four batters he faced and ended the game with two consecutive strikeouts. Alvarado’s last three pitches were 98.4, 99, and 99.2 mph. Travis Shaw swung and missed at each of them. He had no chance as Alvarado returned refreshed.

“I’m focused on coming in every day to work hard and continue to follow my plan,” Alvarado said. “When the manager calls my name in the bullpen, be ready. When I come into the game to pitch, I focus only on the target. I watch the glove. I don’t care who’s hitting.”

Matt Moore and Enyel De Los Santos provided unexpected relief for the Phillies in another one-run win, 5-4, over Brewers, Scott Lauber writes.

Girardi explained what happened Tuesday night when his lineup card almost cost the Phillies a win. Girardi took the blame for not having De Los Santos on the official card.

Cody Asche is back with the Phillies, and Bob Brookover caught up with the former third-baseman about his new career as a minor-league hitting coach.

Today: Zack Wheeler starts the series finale against the Brewers, 1:05 p.m.

Tomorrow: Zach Eflin opens a three-game series in Atlanta, 7:20 p.m.

Saturday: Vince Velasquez starts against right-hander Ian Anderson, 7:20 p.m.

Sunday: Aaron Nola starts on Sunday Night Baseball against Huascar Ynoa, 7:08 p.m.

Monday: The Phillies are off.

Didi Gregorius’ grand slam in Wednesday’s first inning was the eighth of his career. All of his grand slams have come since 2017, and he leads the majors in grand slams since that year.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, among players to debut since 1900, Gregorius became one of six to hit eight grand slams during seasons in which their primary position was shortstop, joining Miguel Tejada (11), Alex Rodriguez (10), Vern Stephens (10), Ernie Banks (9), and Edgar Renteria (9). Since joining the Phillies, Gregorius is 6-for-16 with the bases loaded with three slams.

Send questions by email or on Twitter @matt_breen.

Question: How come there is no discussion about Travis Jankowski for CF? I guess he has a low ceiling but also apparently a higher floor than everyone else the Phils have tried. He has Quinn like speed but better D. He’s from Lancaster too. — Bruce Q. via email

Answer: Thanks, Bruce. The 29-year-old Jankowski could get a shot in center as the Phillies continue to search for production. He has 994 plate appearances in the majors and has played in the majors for six straight seasons. He’s the everyday centerfielder at triple A but would first need to be added to the 40-man roster before joining the Phillies. That could be a big hurdle to pass.

“His name comes up,” Girardi said before Wednesday’s game. “He played pretty well in spring training. Obviously, he’s a really good defender. He has speed. The key thing for him is to get on base at a high clip because he’s going to create havoc somewhat like Roman Quinn. He’s probably not as prolific a stolen-base guy like Roman. He’s probably not going to run as much as Roman. But his name has come up.”