NEW YORK -- It's no secret that the Phillies are looking to acquire a hitter before the end of the month. Most of the attention has centered on Orioles shortstop Manny Machado. The rest has focused on other everyday options should Machado land elsewhere.
Third basemen like Mike Moustakas, Adrian Beltre and Matt Duffy have been reported as possibilities. The Phillies like Kansas City super-utility man Whit Merrifield, too. Certainly there are others who could help.
But following a 4-3 loss to the Mets in 10 innings in Game 1 of Monday's doubleheader at Citi Field, it is worth mentioning that sources have told MLB.com that the Phillies are looking to upgrade their bench, too. They are looking for the 2018 version of Matt Stairs or Greg Dobbs. They are looking for somebody who can give the offense a little more depth, a little more punch late in the game. They are looking for somebody like Stairs, who ripped a home run deep "into the night" in Game 5 of the 2008 National League Championship Series at Dodger Stadium.

The Phillies could have used a big hit in Game 1. They went 2-for-13 with runners in scoring position, stranding 12 runners on base. Coincidentally, Mets pinch-hitter Wilmer Flores hit a walk-off homer in the 10th. It is the fourth walk-off homer of his career and his 10th walk-off RBI.
Phillies pinch-hitters went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts. Aaron Altherr grounded into a double play in the sixth. Jesmuel Valentin struck out swinging with one out in the eighth, after the Mets walked the bases loaded. Dylan Cozens struck out swinging to end the 10th, closing out a frame that the Phils started with back-to-back singles.
"I believe in all of our players," Phillies manager Gabe Kapler said after Game 1. "I will continue to believe in our players. We've had some big at-bats from Val and some big hits. He's actually won us some games with some big clutch hitting. So all of our guys I believe in. And our job is to put our players in the best position to succeed. That includes our bench players here."

Phillies pinch-hitters entered the game batting .212 with five home runs, 18 RBIs and a .676 OPS, which ranked 10th in baseball. Nick Williams is easily the team's best bench bat, although he has worked himself into more regular playing time since the beginning of the season. He has hit .476 (10-for-21) with one double, three home runs and eight RBIs as a pinch-hitter.
Phillies pinch-hitters other than Williams have hit a combined .152 (14-for-92) with four doubles, two home runs and 10 RBIs.
The .152 average would be 27th in baseball.

"Yeah, we did have some chances to score runs and ultimately we didn't get the big hit in the big moment," Kapler said. "We've had that happen from time to time during the season. It's part of baseball. It's 'round ball, round bat.' Swing and miss sometimes. You put the ball in the seats sometimes. And today in Game 1 we didn't get the big hit."
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Maikel Franco hit a game-tying solo home run to left field in the fourth inning to make it, 3-3. It was Franco's 11th homer of the year. The third baseman is hitting .474 (9-for-19) with one double, one home run, three RBIs, three walks, two strikeouts and a 1.230 OPS in six games hitting eighth in the Phillies' lineup.

"I really like him in that spot," Kapler said. "And I think I've shared this with you guys. I like that he's kind of forced to be patient with the pitcher behind him. He's not always going to get something to hit early in the count. Sometimes they are going to be considering the fact that the pitcher is behind him. And so therefore they are going to force him to see the ball a little bit longer. And I'm not saying one thing has led to the other. I just kind of like him there and we'll see how this works going forward."
SOUND SMART
Phillies right-hander Zach Eflin allowed three runs in five innings, snapping his six-start win streak. It had been the longest since Cliff Lee's seven-start win streak in 2011.

"I didn't really have slider command. I didn't have curveball command," Eflin said. "I threw some changeups that were kind of up in the zone. My heater, four-seam, I felt some really good ones but at times I just didn't get in enough or didn't sink enough. But I thought they hit some really good pitches. But at the end of the day you are going to run into starts like that. So I'm not worried about it."
YOU GOTTA SEE THIS
Kapler almost earned his first ejection in the second inning, when it appeared Eflin got hit by a pitch. But home-plate umpire Tom Hallion ruled that because Eflin showed bunt that he actually struck out swinging. It was a bizarre scene as Mets manager Mickey Callaway emerged from the dugout to ask the umpires to hurry up and resume the game.

HE SAID IT
"We weren't thinking about preserving bullets for Game 2." -- Kapler, on pitching Seranthony Dominguez for two innings
MITEL REPLAY OF THE DAY
The Mets won a huge challenge in the 10th. They thought Flores got hit by a pitch, but replay ruled he did not. He answered with a walk-off home run. He has four walk-off homers in his career.

UP NEXT
Triple-A Lehigh Valley right-hander Enyel De Los Santos is expected to make his Major League debut Tuesday night at 7:10 p.m. ET against the Mets at Citi Field. De Los Santos is the Phillies' No. 11 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline. He has pitched remarkably well for the IronPigs. He is 9-3 with a 1.89 ERA in 16 starts, earning a spot in Sunday's All-Star Futures Game at Nationals Park.