Endy Rodriguez was removed from tonight's game against the Phillies at PNC Park with right elbow discomfort. Don Kelly said over the game that Endy felt it in the first inning, “He wanted to go out and throw and just test it to see. We're still evaluating. It's just right elbow discomfort.”

Rodriguez spoke with Kelly and a trainer near home plate after throwing down to second base following Bailey Falter's warmup pitches in the second inning. He then walked to the clubhouse. He was replaced by Henry Davis. 

Rodriguez, who's hitting .173/.246/.250 this season, missed a majority of last year after undergoing elbow surgery in December 2023. He returned toward the end of the year and played in 10 games between Class AA Altoona and Class AAA Indianapolis as part of a rehab assignment, producing one home run and five RBIs.

With Joey Bart already on the seven-day concussion IL, Davis remains the only current active catcher if Rodriguez needs to make an IL stint. Bart was approved to begin regular baseball activities earlier this week but has yet to be activated.

• Falter was pulled after 3 2/3 innings and just 65 pitches but after having given up two solidly struck hits to Trea Turner in their first two matchups, Kelly thought it was a tough out for a third try, “Felt like (Shugart) was a much better matchup and the game could be on the line right there. Having a fresh pen with all of our guys and the bullpen came in, did a great job, held them to those four runs and gave us a great chance to win." 

• Chase Shugart had stranded 13 inherited runners before giving up the two runs to Turner in the fourth inning. The bullpen overall closed it down after Turner’s single with 3 hits and retiring the last 11 batters. "Shugart coming in, he's been fantastic in that role, Kelly said. “We pieced it together with (Ferguson), Santana and Bednar. They did an awesome job coming in and throwing strikes. Really efficient too. It was a great job by them." 

• The bottom of the lineup helped to set the stage in the ninth as Jared Triolo and Adam Frazier singled against Jordan Romano and Isiah Kiner-Falefa’s sacrifice bunt attempt down the third base line turned into an infield single as the ball carefully stopped just off the chalk: 

• Triolo has struggled for most of the season, though he’s shown a glimmer of a turnaround going 5 for his last 14 at-bats. Kelly said, “Yeah, just like everybody, he continues to work, he's working on his swing all the time… He was squaring some balls up, that he wasn't getting rewarded for, and I think he's starting to get rewarded for that now. You know, he's doing a good job.”

• After Oneil Cruz was caught looking in the ninth with the bases loaded, Nick Gonzales played the hero driving an 85-mph slider to the wall in left for the game-winning sacrifice fly. On his late-game heroics, Gonzales said “Everybody was doing their part. I’m blessed to have the opportunity to win the game.”