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CHICAGO – Sometimes words are not necessary.
Hector Neris emerged from the back room of the clubhouse visiting Wrigley Field early Thursday night. He stopped near his locker, took a sip of cold water, smiled and gently patted his chest several times.
If Neris ticker was still in the running 20 minutes after defeating the last three outs of the Phillies' win against the Chicago Cubs (see comments), that was quite understandable. These last three outs were atrocious. The last two came with runners in second and third place and the winning race at the plate after the Cubs had already pushed one.
"You have backup," says relieved reliever. "My team had the victory."
It was a special of Wrigley Field, a wild victory, and this victory gave the Phils a split in a four-game series. They could have won three wins, but they lost a one-point lead on ninth Tuesday.
The Phillies have done everything to give a seven point lead to this one. Head coach Gabe Kapler plunged deep into his pen and used five substitutes.
"I thought I would stay inside," said Nola. "I did not know Gabe had already called the office.
"I had the impression of being able to stay indoors. I felt good. I was waiting to face (Jason) Heyward right there. I felt that I just had to run a throw and get a double play on the spot. "
One day when Nola's command was not very precise, Kapler decided to make a change.
"I do not think Nola had her best command," Kapler said. "He walked four hitters. There were tough contacts in this round and a near-miss. It was just the right time to bring (Adam) Morgan over there.
"Of course, Noles being what it is, it could have gone through this round, but we have no opportunity to create an alternative universe and see what would have happened if we had left Nola out, these are the debates, the natural debates happen after a match like this. "
The relief parade that followed Nola was particularly difficult. Morgan and Seranthony Dominguez survived the sixth goal and Pat Neshek was scoreless for three points on a two-run run in the seventh. Jose Alvarez came out of the seventh and Neris from the eighth before surviving a single, one stroll and a double RBI in the ninth.
Kapler's management of the office has recently been criticized, even in his own pavilion. It's not ideal to use five substitutes one day when you have a big lead over a big series against the mighty Milwaukee, but Kapler defended himself.
"You always want it to be a piece of cake," he said. "But it would be a fantasy. It does not work like that. The players are too good. You must be ready for things to go wrong. Of course, in a perfect world, things would have been more fluid. They were not smooth. But we stayed hard in the dugout during this match. "
Neris had a hard time losing Javier Baez to finish eighth with two riders. As Baez's stolen ball landed in Andrew McCutchen's glove, he passed Neris on the inside grass.
"Hey, you're good, man," Baez told Neris.
"Hey, you scare me," Neris replied.
Neris handled his emotions well in the ninth. After allowing the first two men to reach the base, he came back from a 3-0 account to strike Heyward. Heyward was so excited that he ran his stick over his knee.
"I'm happy for Hector," said Kapler. "He had the most courageous performance possible. This line-up is endless and every guy can hit the ball out of the stadium. In the current state of things, you have always thought that there might be more shopping at home. My initial thought when this ball landed in McCutchen's glove (for the final exit) was "Good for Hector". Good for such a solid and rock solid human being and a stud farm. So great to see this happen to him. "
The Phils offensive was good. He had great success and led Jon Lester from the game early. The defense also looked good, especially third-baseman Sean Rodriguez, who stopped a possible Cubs meet with a huge game in the sixth.
"I know it's an old adage, probably more used in basketball than in baseball, but the offensive wins glory, but the defense wins the game," Rodriguez said.
The Phillies, leaders of the east of the NL, go to Milwaukee at 29-21. The Brewers (29-22) are only one and a half behind the Cubs at the top of the NL Central. The Brewers defeated the Phils last week in Philadelphia, but the Phils believe they have strengthened their confidence in the Cubs in Chicago.
"We have enough talent here in this room to beat any league player," Jean Segura said at the quick stop.
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