Phillies manager Rob Thomson says that veteran Whit Merrifield needs more playing time to help him find his game and break his season-long struggles at the plate. It s a move that makes sense, but fans will hate it.
Bryce Harper celebrated with a soccer slide after his tying home run, Ranger Suárez became the season’s first 10-game winner and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the New York Mets 7-2 on Saturday in the opener of Major League Baseball’s third London Series. Harper sparked a six-run fourth that included Whit Merrifield's three-run homer for the major league-best Phillies (45-19), who have won four in a row and seven of eight. Nick Castellanos added an eighth-inning homer and watched from the batter’s box until he knew it was inside the left-field foul pole at London Stadium, home of the Premier League club West Ham.