Falter’s fine performance leads the Phillies to a 4-1 win in Game 2, helping them gain a split in their doubleheader against the Mets

There was an air of optimism entering this series against the Mets. It seemed like it lined up perfectly; the Phillies would miss Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom, while the Mets would face Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler. Less thought was given to Bailey Falter, who was called up from triple-A Lehigh Valley just days earlier to start Game 2 of their day-night doubleheader on Saturday evening.

But baseball loves its unlikely heroes. And the Phillies have had their fair share of them this season. Matt Vierling and Alec Bohm seemingly broke All-Star closer Josh Hader. Garrett Stubbs, who stands 5-foot-10, hit the first home run of his MLB career to give his team a 3-1 victory against the Marlins on June 15. And in the Phillies’ 4-1 win on Saturday night, which followed an ugly 8-2 loss in the matinee opener, Falter, who entered this game with a 4.85 ERA and only 72 2/3 innings worth of big league experience, gave the Phillies a performance virtually no one saw coming. One that allowed the Phillies to earn a doubleheader split.

Initially, it looked like Falter was headed toward disaster. He hit Starling Marte, the second batter he faced, and then allowed a single and two walks to load the bases (catcher J.T. Realmuto caught Marte trying to steal second base).

With Jeff McNeil at the plate and the bases loaded, Falter threw a wild pitch. A run scored, but it would be the only run he allowed. From there, the 25-year-old southpaw cruised. After a 26-pitch first inning, he threw a 10-pitch second inning, a 10-pitch third, and a 10-pitch fourth.

Interim manager Rob Thomson initially said he’d like Falter to give them “six solid innings, maybe seven,” and some fans reacted with incredulity. But Falter did just that. He finished his night after completing six innings, allowing just two hits, the one earned run, and two walks with three strikeouts. He also hit two batters. He threw a season-high 84 pitches, 52 of them for strikes.

Falter admitted that he was feeling a little “amped up” in the first inning, but said a conversation with catcher J.T. Realmuto and pitching coach Caleb Cotham helped to calm him down.

“The conversation helped a lot, for sure, and the pitches got a little bit better,” Falter said. “I’ve always thought I got better as the game goes on. Start a little rough sometimes. But as soon as I get a little feel for the hitters and the game and how everything’s going, I tend to settle in a little bit more.”

Falter has spent this season shuffling between triple-A and the big leagues. He has been given opportunities, but more times than not, he’s struggled. Saturday was perhaps the biggest start of his career, and he shined, especially in the shadow of Wheeler’s performance in Game 1. The right-hander said he physically felt good, and he felt like he was locating his pitches well. He allowed only three hits that clocked in at 90 mph or more, but the Mets kept finding holes.

“Just giving up a bunch of bloop hits, basically,” Wheeler said after the game. “A couple of hard hit balls over the past two games but that’s about it. That’s what’s frustrating. I am making my pitches, hitting my spots for the most part. And they’re just getting some cheap hits. And that’s part of baseball sometimes. You’ve got to try to limit the damage when that kind of stuff starts happening. You can’t let it keep rolling.”

Wheeler also struggled with command. Of his 106 pitches, only 58 were strikes (he was throwing approximately 55% strikes, compared to 68% on Aug. 14).

The Phillies’ offense didn’t show many signs of life in the opener. Mets starter Trevor Williams held the Phillies to just four hits and two walks through four innings. From there, they only scored one run, thanks to a Jean Segura sac fly in the bottom of the sixth, to narrowly avoid getting shut out for the fifth time in nine games.

Game 2 was a different story. The Phillies didn’t make the most of all of their opportunities — they went 4-for-17 with runners in scoring position — but racked up 11 hits and four runs off Mets starter David Peterson and the relievers who followed. Kyle Schwarber, who has only made three starts in the Phillies’ past 10 games thanks to a mild calf strain, looked particularly sharp. He went 2-for-4, which also happened to be the two hardest hits of the night (a 111.3 mph double and a 109 mph triple).

“The at-bats were good,” Thomson said. “We got some opposite field hits, which is huge. We got a couple of hits with runners in scoring position. We could have added on a lot more, we had other people in scoring position, too, but just didn’t get them across. But I thought the at-bats were really good, I thought they were staying on the ball, and using the other side of the field. It was good.”

Thanks to Falter’s one-run outing and a scoreless performance from the bullpen, the four runs were enough to give the Phillies a much needed win.

In the top of the first inning, shortly after Falter threw a wild pitch to score a run, McNeil hit a liner to right field. With runners on second and third, it seemed like it would be a sure two-RBI single, but Castellanos slid to his left just in time to nab it. His catch was the difference between a one-run or three-run inning for Falter.

“Huge props to Castellanos for that sliding catch,” Falter said. “That was huge. Game-changer in the game, I believe.”

David Robertson ended up getting a two-inning save in Game 2 Saturday because reliever Seranthony Domínguez was unavailable. Domínguez said he felt tightness in his right triceps on Saturday morning while playing catch, and will likely get an MRI on Sunday to see what’s going on.

This is Domínguez’s first full season since 2019. He underwent Tommy John surgery in July of 2020.

“I feel really worried about it, because it’s my arm,” he said. “I take it seriously because I’ve got to take care of my arm because it’s the only way I can compete.”

» READ MORE: ‘I never expected to throw 100′: Inside the reemergence of the Phillies’ Seranthony Domínguez

The Phillies got rather unlucky offensively, too. Of the 10 hardest hit balls of the day, eight were hit by Phillies hitters (but only two fell for hits). The Mets, conversely, racked up a ton of weak hits (many of them off Wheeler), and finished their day with 10 hits. Go figure.

The Phillies struck out nine times and collected only six hits. They narrowly avoided getting shut out for the fifth time in nine games when Jean Segura drove in Nick Castellanos with a sac fly in the bottom of the sixth. But the Phillies did little damage after that, except for Garrett Stubbs scoring on an error in the bottom of the ninth.

“As I’ve always said, you go through times like this,” said interim manager Rob Thomson. “You keep encouraging them, you keep talking about doing the little things, and good things will happen. Don’t try to do too much. We’re going to come out of it at some point, but it’s frustrating at times, sure.”

» READ MORE: Phillies look like their old selves as the Mets rock Aaron Nola, 7-2

On Friday night, the Mets orchestrated a double steal in the top of the fifth inning that worked beautifully. Francisco Lindor stole second base, with Starling Marte on third base. Bryson Stott’s throw home was wide, allowing Marte to score.

The Phillies attempted something similar on Saturday afternoon in the bottom of the fourth. With Segura on first and Stott on third, Stott headed for home but Mets catcher Michael Perez was blocking his path to the plate. Stott sailed over Perez to avoid a tag but failed to touch the plate and was called out.

The original call was a strikeout double play, but Thomson challenged it. Stott was called out and the inning ended.