Tommy Henry Blasted by the Phillies in Diamondbacks 12-1 Loss

The D-backs were never in this game on a 97 degree day in Philadelphia.

Jun 22, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Tommy Henry (47) pitches in the first inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports / John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports

The Arizona Diamondbacks were trampled by the Philadelphia Phillies by a score of 12-1 on Saturday. Tommy Henry had another dismal outing and Zack Wheeler shut down the Diamondbacks offense as he's done so often before. It was another steamy day at Citizen's Bank Park as the temperature hit 97 degrees.

Henry lasted just 3.2 innings, allowing six runs on six hits, including back-to-back homers by Bryce Harper and Alec Bohm in the third inning. Harper's home run went halfway up the second deck, 427 feet away. Henry's record is now 2-3 with a 7.04 ERA.

Wheeler was perfect through four innings before allowing his first baserunners in the fifth. He hit Christian Walker on the upper arm with a fastball and gave up his first hit to Jake McCarthy. Tucker Barnhart singled in a run, making it 6-1 at the time.

The D-backs never got into the game however. Wheeler went on to throw two more scoreless innings, going seven innings with two hits and just the one run allowed. He struck out eight.

Scott McGough relieved Henry and gave up four more runs in 2.1 innings, extinguishing any hopes of a D-backs comeback. That included a two-run homer to Nick Castellanos in the fifth inning. Castellanos also hit a two-run single after McGough had walked the bases loaded in the 6th. The Phillies' right fielder also had a sacrifice fly in the first inning to record five RBI on the day.

Henry has twice been called upon to fill in for injured starters this year. Unfortunately he's been unable to recreate any of the success he had in 2023 before his season was cut short by an elbow injury.

Replacing Eduardo Rodriguez, who has not thrown a pitch for the D-backs this year, Henry made the opening day roster. In six starts over the first month of the season, Henry went 1-2 with a 5.40 ERA while averaging just 4.7 innings per start.

Optioned to Triple-A Reno, he pitched there for all of May and into early June. But he was pressed back into the rotation again due to injuries to Zac Gallen and Blake Walston. Since coming back, he's allowed 11 runs in 10 innings. He's given up 14 hits including five homers and walked seven.

This might be Henry's last chance for a while. Zac Gallen still won't be back by the time Henry's turn comes up again. But with the off day Monday, the team could skip his spot in the rotation next week. In the meantime, there doesn't seem to be any easy answer to fix Henry's problems. He simply doesn't have the command necessary to pitch effectively with the stuff he has.

The Diamondbacks drop back under .500 with the loss, going to 38-39. They'll try to take the series on Sunday behind Slade Cecconi. The Phillies will start Cristopher Sanchez. The game is the early Sunday Roku broadcast, beginning at 8:35 A.M. MST, 11:35 A.M. EST.

The game will be free and not blacked out for anyone that wants to watch it. If you have an MLB TV or D-backs TV subscription you can watch as normal. If you don't, it's very easy to get the free Roku broadcast. You can read more about how to do that HERE.