'It stings:' Robertson asks for ball, allows crushing HR

PHILADELPHIA -- The Phillies on Sunday morning lost their best relief pitcher for at least the next 12 days and one of their best setup men for the remainder of the season.

It left the bullpen perilously thin before Sunday evening’s 10-9 loss to the Mets at Citizens Bank Park, which dropped the Phillies (66-55) into the third NL Wild Card with 41 games to play. New York grinded plate appearance after plate appearance in the first three games of the series, forcing Phillies relievers to throw a combined 191 pitches, including 36 from David Robertson in a six-out save in Game 2 of Saturday’s doubleheader. Phillies interim manager Rob Thomson told Robertson before Sunday’s game that he planned to use him only in an emergency.

But as the Phillies took a one-run lead in the eighth with Jean Segura’s solo home run, Robertson warmed up.

He called the Phillies’ dugout. He wanted the ball.

“I really want to come through for the guys,” Robertson said.

But Robertson allowed a leadoff double to Mets second baseman Jeff McNeil and a two-run homer to Mark Canha.

“It’s just frustrating,” Robertson said. “I’ve got to go home and live with that one. I wanted this one. It stings.”

Robertson threw Canha a 2-2 cutter. He wanted it down and away. It was up and in.

“I did not mean to throw it where I threw it,” he said.

Robertson, who had not allowed a run in his first seven appearances with the Phillies, will get more chances. The Phillies placed Seranthony Domínguez on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to Thursday) before the game with right triceps tendinitis. Thomson said Domínguez could rejoin the team when he is first eligible to be activated on Sept. 2, but Domínguez awaited results from an MRI exam to see if he has structural damage in his arm. The Phillies also lost Corey Knebel for the season. He tore a capsule in his right shoulder.

Domínguez was 6-4 with a 1.64 ERA and nine saves in 46 appearances. Knebel was 3-5 with a 3.43 ERA and 12 saves in 46 appearances.

Sam Coonrod replaced Knebel in the bullpen last week. Rookie Tyler Cyr replaced Domínguez on Sunday.

Domínguez first learned he could not pitch Saturday after he experienced stiffness and swelling in his right arm after playing catch. His inability to pitch in Saturday’s doubleheader rippled into Sunday.

The Phillies hoped it might not matter. Alec Bohm went 3-for-5 with two home runs and a career-high six RBIs. He hit a three-run home run to left in the first to give the Phillies a 3-0 lead. He hit a three-run homer to right in the fourth to give them a 7-4 lead. Bohm was the first player in Phillies history to hit two go-ahead three-run and/or grand slam home runs in a game, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

But Phillies right-hander Connor Brogdon allowed a three-run homer to Canha in the seventh to tie the game at 7.

It was the Phillies’ first blown save since July 30.

Segura’s go-ahead homer put the Phillies in position to split the series. But Robertson blew the Phillies’ first save in the ninth inning since June 18. He struck out Brett Baty and Michael Perez, then Thomson replaced him with Cyr, who allowed a solo homer to Brandon Nimmo.

It was a huge run as the Phillies scored once against Mets closer Edwin Díaz in the ninth.

Why remove Robertson there? And why Cyr over Coonrod?

“Once they go up one, it’s pretty difficult to score off [Díaz],” Thomson said. “Although we did. But at that point, it’s Robby’s health that I’m concerned about. He was at 20 pitches and that’s about where I wanted to limit him. Then Cyr came in and the home run turned out to be big. I’d do it the exact same way every time. Because I’m not going to get him hurt.”

Thomson said he chose Cyr over Coonrod because they were going to pitch Coonrod only if the game was tied in the ninth.

They also need somebody relatively fresh to be available Monday behind starter Noah Syndergaard.

The Phillies finished 5-14 (.263) in their season series against the Mets. They are 61-41 (.598) against everybody else, including the Dodgers (4-3), Cardinals (4-3), Braves (6-6), Padres (4-3) and Brewers (4-2). If the NL standings hold and the Phillies win the third Wild Card and beat the Cardinals in the best-of-three NL Wild Card series, they would play the Mets in the NLDS.

“We’re going to face them again hopefully,” Thomson said about the Mets. “Playoff baseball is a little different than the regular season. But I think for the most part in the last two series we played them pretty tough. They’re a good ballclub and we’re a good ballclub.”