PHILADELPHIA -- Rangers right-hander Jacob deGrom woke up on Saturday morning with a stiff neck.
The Phillies learned a few hours later that he would not make his scheduled start. But the Phillies waited until the very end of a 5-4 loss in 10 innings to hit.
J.T. Realmuto’s two-out single in the fifth inning was the Phillies’ only hit until Alec Bohm’s two-out single in the ninth. Edmundo Sosa walked and Adolis García -- after Rangers first baseman Jake Burger dropped a potential game-ending foul popup -- picked up a broken-bat RBI double to left field to score the Phillies’ first run. Brandon Marsh’s single to right-center field scored two more runs to tie the game.
But the Rangers scored twice in the 10th to win it. The Phillies put the potential tying run on base with zero outs in the bottom of the inning, but scored only one run.
It was a long day to sit in the cold, but at least fans saw something encouraging from Phillies right-hander Aaron Nola.
Nola allowed five hits, three runs and two walks while striking out seven in five innings. Not great. Not a quality start. But he is trying to bounce back from a 6.01 ERA last season, which was the worst year of his career.
Nola’s four-seam fastball averaged 91.5 mph in frigid conditions. It averaged 91.9 mph last season.
The Phillies announced a first-pitch temperature of 45 degrees, making it the coldest start to a game in Philadelphia since April 5, 2019, when it was 43 degrees at first pitch against the Twins.
Nola gave up a solo homer to Corey Seager in the first inning and a two-run homer off the left-field foul pole to Burger in the third. Nola will give up his share of homers, but he also got 14 swings and misses on his pitches.
He had only two games with more whiffs last season.