Phils await word on J.T. Realmuto (groin) ahead of finale vs. Jays

The Philadelphia Phillies will know more about the status of catcher J.T. Realmuto before the rubber match of their three-game series on Thursday afternoon against the host Toronto Blue Jays.

Realmuto left the game in the bottom of the ninth of a 2-1 loss to Toronto on Wednesday after he took a foul ball in the groin area. He was replaced by Rafael Marchan.

“He’s getting checked out,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson, a former catcher, said postgame about Realmuto. “It’s a pretty good one. He said he has had worse, but we’ll see.”

Realmuto, who went 1-for-3 on Wednesday in Philadelphia’s 2-1 loss, plays a key role behind the plate.

The Phillies won the series opener 8-3 on Tuesday, their only victory in the past six games.

On Wednesday, Alejandro Kirk hit a walk-off single high off the right field wall to score Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and give the Blue Jays their sixth win in the past seven games.

Philadelphia aims to get back on the winning track with left-hander Jesus Luzardo (5-1, 3.58 ERA) scheduled to start on Thursday. He has never faced the Blue Jays.

Toronto plans to counter with right-hander Chris Bassitt (5-3, 3.80), who will be making his 200th career start. Bassitt is 4-0 with a 2.36 ERA in six career starts against Philadelphia.

The Phillies will try to regain the offense that has deserted them since they scored seven runs in the first two innings on Tuesday. Their only run on Wednesday came on a second-inning homer from Nick Castellanos against Jose Berrios.

Former Blue Jay Jordan Romano, a native of the Toronto area, took the loss on Wednesday in his first outing against his former team. He entered the game in the ninth inning to an ovation, but the crowd was silent moments later when Realmuto was hit by Bo Bichette’s foul ball and doubled over.

Bichette was retired after the catching change, but Guerrero subsequently grounded a single up the middle to extend his on-base streak to 34 games. He stole second when Romano was slow to the plate in his delivery, and then Kirk delivered with two outs.

“I’ve got to make a better pitch,” said Romano, who was signed by the Phillies in the offseason.

“We both tried to do the best we could, and I ended up a bit on the winning side,” Kirk said about facing his former batterymate. “But it’s not easy to face a guy like Romano.”

Romano said the mid-inning change in catchers was not an excuse.

“Both our guys are great,” Romano said. “It wasn’t a big deal for myself.”

Jeff Hoffman, who pitched for the Phillies the past two seasons and was signed by Toronto as a free agent in January, allowed one hit and got one out while picking up the win.

After a strong start to the season, when he had a 1.17 ERA through the end of April, Hoffman compiled a 13.50 ERA across 12 outings in May.

“It’s been a little bit of a rocky road,” Hoffman said. “Dealt with some mechanical stuff.”

However, he added: “We’ve gotten into a good spot. I feel good about where we’re at now.”

In his second career major league start, Philadelphia’s Mick Abel allowed one run in 5 1/3 innings on Wednesday. He was recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to take the spot of Zack Wheeler, who was placed on the paternity list.

The run Abel allowed came on Bichette’s sixth-inning triple that deflected off the glove of sliding center fielder Brandon Marsh.

–Field Level Media