CHICAGO — Two weeks ago, Michael Mercado was playing in a game against the Norfolk Tides in Allentown.
Taijuan Walker was healthy. Spencer Turnbull was healthy. The idea of Mercado taking the field at Wrigley Field just two Tuesdays later in his first major-league game against baseball’s best team would have seemed far-fetched.
Nevertheless, he was present for the Phillies in Game 1 of the series against the Cubs, and became the first of five potential starters by the July 30 trade deadline.
The 25-year-old rookie took a hard hit here and there — mostly to Cody Bellinger — but made a promising debut in the Phillies’ rotation, allowing just one run on two hits over five innings in a 6-4 win, a good job for any team’s fifth starter.
Mercado singled with two outs in the first inning and scored on a 2–0 single to Ian Happ, but was thrown out on the rebound.
He threw 28 pitches and allowed a two-out RBI double in the third inning, then also pitched scoreless innings in the fourth and fifth.
“The most important thing is to stay patient and keep competing and don’t get nervous,” Trea Turner said.
“That tells you a little bit about his makeup and balance,” manager Rob Thomson said. “He threw strikes, the fastball had good velo, it seemed like he was getting good carry. The cutter was really effective and he landed his breaking ball well enough to shut everybody else out. I thought he was really good.”
Mercado didn’t even begin the year on the Phillies’ depth chart of starting pitchers. They acquired him in November from the Rays, who didn’t have room on their 40-man roster, and he began the season as a reliever in Triple A.
But the struggles of players such as Kolby Allard, David Buchanan and Mick Abel gave him his opportunity.
“It was actually (assistant pitching coach) Brian Kaplan who came up with the idea, because we had some guys that weren't doing well in Triple-A at the beginning of the season,” Thomson said. “With his effectiveness with high velocity, strike-throwing ability and the way he can throw his breaking ball, he thought that could be a big piece for depth for us. And thank God he came up with the idea because it worked out really well.”
The end of Mercado's first start was particularly impressive. He retired the last seven batters he faced and needed only 21 pitches to complete the fourth and fifth innings before handing the ball off to the bullpen, which retired nine consecutive batters until José Ruiz allowed all three batters he faced to score in the ninth inning.
“Both times I felt more nervous than I did during pregame warmups,” Mercado said of his first relief appearance and first start. “It’s like making my debut, it’s one of those things you dream about doing in such a historic place. It was a great team win, too. I’m just happy I could contribute.”
“I think the confidence I have in myself and the trust the guys in this clubhouse have in me is awesome. We do what we've always done and, for me, that's pitching. To be able to accept and enjoy it just like any other sport is a big deal.”
The Phillies backed him up in the start, which helped. Garrett Stubbs, who prides himself on game-planning and the strategic element of catching, got Mercado going in the start and helped him out with a two-run double down the third-base line in the second inning.
Turner hit a solo home run to left-center in the third, then crushed Hayden Wesneski’s 94-mph fastball up the middle in the fifth, hitting it 439 feet from the stadium onto Waveland Avenue for a two-run shot. Two innings later, Turner fell behind 1-2 in the count before hitting a two-out, opposite-field RBI single.
“Yeah, absolutely,” Thomson said of the positive impact of early run support. “But it can work the other way too. It can put more pressure on a player because he's got a lead and he doesn't want to give it up. But he held his own. He was brilliant.”
Turner hit a game-winning two-run single on Sunday, and the next week to 10 days will be even more important than usual as the Phillies await the return of Bryce Harper (hamstring strain), Kyle Schwarber (groin strain) and JT Realmuto (right meniscus surgery recovery). All three injured Phillies are improving. They were all seen jogging on the field Tuesday, Realmuto did receiving drills and took batting practice on the field for the first time since June 12 surgery, and Harper and Schwarber hit in an indoor cage.
Harper and Schwarber could be back as early as July 9. Realmuto’s return might have to wait until after the All-Star break, though Thompson hasn’t closed the door.
“We'll see,” the Phillies' manager said Tuesday afternoon. “He gets better quickly.”
The Phillies are 11-9 without Realmuto and 3-1 since Harper and Schwarber left. They've also gotten big contributions from Turner and Nick Castellanos and Stubbs.
Stubbs considers his offense “icing on the cake,” but he has been at his best since Realmuto's surgery, batting .275 with a hit in 10 of 11 games played.
The next-man-up mentality for the 2024 Phillies has been more than just lip service.
“A lot of guys want to play,” Turner said. “Everybody is excited for the opportunity and that's really important. I don't know if that's always the case, but I think guys are excited to play and that's really nice. When their name is called, it's their time to prove what they're capable of, and plus we have a lot of good players. That combination is what you're looking for.”
The Phils are 56-29, a season-best 27 games over .500. The Braves lost to the Giants, so the Phillies' division lead is back to nine games. The teams will play each other this weekend for the first time since the first three games of the year.
But first, they'll try to win at least two of three games against a Cubs team that has lost six of seven series and 16 of its last 24 games. Zack Wheeler will take the hill Wednesday night, and Christopher Sanchez will start on July 4 afternoon.