Vince Velasquez’s wildness, punchless offense send Phillies to season’s first loss, 8-4, to Mets

Wait, you didn’t really think they’d win ‘em all?

The prospect of a 5-0 start — the Phillies’ first since 1915 — vanished in the seventh inning Tuesday night in a cloud of pitches out of the strike zone from starter-turned-long-reliever/perennial enigma Vince Velasquez. He walked four of five batters — all of whom scored — and the New York Mets stretched a one-run lead into an 8-4 victory at Citizens Bank Park.

Not even fireman reliever Brandon Kintzler was able to extinguish the match lit by Velasquez. And 24 hours after the Phillies rallied late against the Mets’ bullpen, an offense that has mostly snoozed for a week didn’t stir until it was too late. The white T-shirts that were turned into rally towels Monday night remained holstered by the announced crowd of 10,752.

“I take full blame of the whole situation,” Velasquez said. “This game could’ve been a closer deficit, and I take full responsibility for that. Three, four walks is not acceptable at all in this town. That’s totally unnecessary on my behalf.”

The Phillies scratched out 10 hits, only three for extra bases against Mets starter Marcus Stroman and three relievers. They went 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position. They have scored 18 runs in five games and are hitting .259 and slugging just .346.

But if Monday night’s game pivoted on Mets manager Luis Rojas’ decision to pull Jacob deGrom, the planet’s best pitcher, after 77 pitches, this one turned on Phillies manager Joe Girardi’s choice to turn to Velasquez in the sixth inning of a tight game.

Three relievers, including high-leverage options José Alvarado and Connor Brogdon, were unavailable because of their recent usage, according to Girardi. When he lifted starter Chase Anderson for a pinch-hitter in the fifth inning of a 2-1 game, it was going to be either Velasquez or David Hale. Girardi liked Velasquez better against the heart of the Mets’ order.

And Velasquez was electric in the sixth inning. He struck out Michael Conforto, Pete Alonso, and Dom Smith on 14 pitches. Girardi sent him back out for the seventh and was hoping to use him in the eighth, too.

But Velasquez walked leadoff batter Luis Guillorme in the seventh inning and lost all command while pitching out of the stretch. He walked the bases loaded and forced home a run by walking Brandon Nimmo. At one point, he threw 12 of 14 pitches out of the strike zone. When Girardi finally pulled him, he walked off the mound to boos.

“As soon as I got out of my windup phase and went back in the stretch, the whole plan of attack just collapsed,” Velasquez said. “That’s kind of where I need to clean it up. I started aiming, started cutting the ball a little bit. I just need to go back and sharpen up some things on my behalf.”

Whatever the case, it left Girardi scratching his head.

“It’s hard to explain,” he said.

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Actually, the two innings were a snapshot of Velasquez’s six-year Phillies career, which may not have continued this season if the organization had more rotation depth in triple A.

For a second consecutive game, Girardi summoned Kintzler to hold a two-run deficit with the bases loaded and one out. But after getting a clutch double play in the fourth inning Monday night, Kintzler gave up a sacrifice fly and an RBI double.

The Mets padded the lead in the ninth on Alonso’s two-run homer against Hale.

Anderson — the third Chase to play for the Phillies, following d’Arnaud and some guy named Utley — breezed through a 15-pitch first inning, overcame Alonso’s leadoff double in the second, and stranded a runner in the third.

Everything was going well, in other words, when Anderson walked Alonso to open the fourth inning, then threw a high-and-outside fastball in a 1-1 count to Smith. Somehow, the lefty-hitting Smith got his barrel on the ball and hit it the other way into the left-field seats for a two-run home run.

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Velasquez isn’t in the rotation, but the Phillies also want to keep his arm stretched out for when they inevitably will need a sixth starter because of either an injury or ineffectiveness. And with horses Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler and emerging Zach Eflin leading the rotation, opportunities are hard to come by for a $4 million long man who can’t be sent to the minors without giving consent.

“It’s a hard role to manage,” Girardi said before the game. “Because when you need him, you need him, and you don’t want the guy to throw a bunch of pitches [in the bullpen] the day before. That’s the problem. It’s a tricky situation.”

In time, maybe the Phillies will still decide to move on from Velasquez, who surely could benefit from a change of scenery. But they would have to feel comfortable with another internal option as a long man/No. 6 starter (Ramón Rosso or Adonis Medina?) or find one outside the organization.

For now, Girardi’s solution was to bring in Velasquez behind Anderson. After what happened, does it give him pause to do that again in a close game?

“No, it doesn’t,” Girardi said. “We’re going to need Vinny. We’re going to need all these guys to contribute.”