Stott tops Puddin' Head for Phils-record hit streak
Remarkable run ends after Phillies manage just one knock in Game 2 loss
Paul Casella
@paul_casellaMLBCHICAGO -- Bryson Stott wasted no time replacing Puddin' Head in the Phillies' record book on Tuesday.
Stott grounded a leadoff single up the middle to start the Phillies' 7-4 win over the White Sox in the first game of a doubleheader at Guaranteed Rate Field. The base knock extended Stott's hitting streak to 17 games, surpassing Willie "Puddin' Head" Jones for the longest to start a season by any Philadelphia player in the Modern Era (since 1900). Jones' 16-game streak opened the 1950 season.
So did Stott keep a souvenir to commemorate passing Puddin¡¯ Head?
¡°I'm not sure what happened to the ball -- I didn't ask to throw it in or anything,¡± Stott said. ¡°But it's pretty cool. Pretty cool.¡±
Unfortunately for Stott, his hitting streak did not survive the day. He went 0-for-4 in Philadelphia¡¯s 3-0 loss in the nightcap, though he nearly extended the streak in his final at-bat. Facing Chicago closer Reynaldo L¨®pez, Stott ripped a 100.7 mph fly ball to deep left-center field, only to have center fielder Luis Robert Jr. track it down a Statcast-projected 380 feet from home plate.
The ball had a 63 percent hit probability, per Statcast, but the streak ending was the last thing on Stott¡¯s mind.
¡°Just trying to get on base any way,¡± Stott said. ¡°Down three runs there, just needed some baserunners. I hit it good, but a little too high.¡±
Stott, however, certainly wasn¡¯t alone in going hitless. The Phillies were held without a hit until the eighth inning, when Brandon Marsh lined a leadoff double to left field that proved to be the team¡¯s only hit of the ballgame.
White Sox starter Lucas Giolito racked up seven strikeouts over six innings before turning it over to the bullpen. It was a dominant outing against a Phillies team that had notched 14 hits just a few hours earlier in the opening game -- and had 23 in its 14-3 win over the Reds on Sunday.
The 37 hits in those two games were the most by the Phillies in any two-game stretch since July 13-14, 2007. They also had an MLB-best .297 average prior to being one-hit.
But Philadelphia¡¯s hitters had no answer for Giolito, who induced 12 swings and misses -- and pumped in 18 called strikes.?
"He's got a really good changeup,¡± Stott said of a pitch that led to six whiffs by Phillies hitters. ¡°You see it, but it never gets to home plate. I think a lot of us were out in front on it, so once that's in your head, he can beat you with other stuff. He did a really good job."
The lack of production to end the night ultimately overshadowed a lot of positives from the twin bill. Along with Stott making history in the first at-bat of the day, Josh Harrison?had a breakout performance out of the No. 9 spot in the opener, going 3-for-5 with his first homer as a Phillie and four RBIs.
And speaking of hits, the Phillies¡¯ bullpen didn¡¯t allow a single one while stringing together a picture-perfect performance in Game 1. Gregory Soto, Craig Kimbrel, Seranthony Dom¨ªnguez and Jos¨¦ Alvarado each tossed a 1-2-3 inning with two strikeouts apiece.
"That's clearly dominance, you know?¡± manager Rob Thomson said. ¡°From Soto to Kimbrel to Seranthony to Alvarado -- I don't know how many strikeouts they had, but no walks. Just pounding the zone. High-quality stuff."
Of course, Giolito and Co. immediately returned the favor.?
On top of Stott's 0-for-4 effort, Trea Turner also went 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts -- and went 0-for-8 with four K's on the day overall. Kyle Schwarber went 0-for-2 with a walk, and Nick Castellanos went 0-for-3, meaning the Phillies' first four hitters combined to go 0-for-13 in the nightcap.?
But despite all of that, the Phillies still ranked second in the Majors with a .286 team average at the time of their final out.?
¡°That's baseball,¡± Stott said. ¡°Yeah, you'd like to score 15, 16 runs a game and get 12 hits every night -- but that¡¯s just not what the game of baseball is.¡±