This was Matt Moore’s finest moment as a Phillie and it came in a way no one imagined when the season started five weeks ago.
Moore got three huge outs in the seventh inning to help the Phillies hang on for their third straight one-run victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday night. Didi Gregorius keyed an early-arriving, quick-departing offensive attack with a grand slam in the first inning and relievers Brandon Kintzler, Moore, Enyel De Los Santos and Jose Alvarado combined to get 13 outs to preserve the 5-4 win.
Moore’s scoreless seventh inning stood out because he hadn’t pitched in 18 days.
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That's a lot of rust.
“I didn’t know what to expect, to be honest,” manager Joe Girardi said. “How sharp would he be? Would he be able to throw strikes?
“He’s a true pro. He stayed ready and he got three huge outs for us.”
Moore walked the first batter he faced, Lorenzo Cain, before rolling a double play and registering a strikeout.
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It was his best contribution of the young season. He signed with the Phillies over the winter as a starter and won the No. 4 spot in the rotation in spring training.
After three poor starts and a 9.82 ERA, Moore was placed in COVID-19 protocol; he did not test positive but came in contact with someone who did. He spent a week in protocol then was activated and sat through 10 days of inactivity.
“This was one of the harder things I’ve had to do in my career,” Girardi said. “We brought him back because we needed him and we needed some length and then we never got in a game where we needed length. Then he didn’t throw for a long period of time. I was frustrated for him, but he was a true pro. He just wanted to get back out there.”
There is a barn on the property in South Jersey where Moore is staying. During his time on the COVID list, he threw balls against the foundation of the barn. In his 10 days back on the active list, he threw just bullpen sessions.
Game competition is different, especially when the game is tight.
Moore delivered.
“I kind of felt all right, like, it’s not new, it’s just been a little while,” he said. “Then from there you just try to pick up the dirty spot in the glove.”
Moore said Girardi hasn’t told him much about his role, short or long term. Just show up to the park ready to pitch.
Vince Velasquez has usurped Moore’s spot in the rotation and will make his fourth start Saturday night in Atlanta. Velasquez’ status in the rotation seems to be start-by-start and Spencer Howard is waiting in the wings at Lehigh Valley and possibly not far away.
“Whether my role is in the starting rotation or if it's the long guy in the bullpen or somewhere in between, that's where I'm at right now and I feel really good about where our club's at,” Moore said. “Being a part of that is the biggest thing to me.”
Moore wasn’t the only surprise contributor out of the bullpen. De Los Santos survived a leadoff double in the eighth in his first big-league outing of the season.
The Phils have their first three-game winning streak since the first week of the season. They lead the NL East at 16-15. Zack Wheeler starts Thursday afternoon as the Phils go for a four-game sweep of the Brewers.