Extras! Phillies 6, Braves 5

Release the breath you’ve been holding. It took until the tenth inning, but the Phillies managed to win the series in the end.

How the Braves Scored

Matt Olson, Nicky Lopez, and Austin Riley had RBI singles in the fourth, fifth, and eighth innings, respectively. Marcell Ozuna had an RBI double in the eighth and Ozzie Albies had a sac fly in the tenth.

How the Phillies Scored

Alec Bohm started off the scoring in the first with an RBI single. Nick Castellanos had two home runs, a solo homer in the second and a two-run in the fourth.

The game-winning runs came when Stott plated two runs in the top of the 10th on a bases-loaded double.

How the Phillies Pitched

Nola: 6.0 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 8 K
Alvarado: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Hoffman: 0.1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
Soto: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
Kimbrel: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, K
Strahm: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

The good news is that Aaron Nola looked like the kind of pitcher you’d want starting in a playoff game. 68 of his 94 pitches were strikes and not a single one of them was a home run!

The bad news is that the bullpen couldn’t hold the initial lead they were given. The two runs they allowed in the eighth weren’t necessarily disaster-causing, especially since the Phillies squeaked out the win in the end. But now that they’re (hopefully) heading into the playoffs, they have to be able to count on the bullpen to be able to protect a close lead late in games.

What We Need to Talk About

What really needs to be addressed is the inability to hold runners on in important moments. The pitching staff allowed three stolen bases in this game, but the important ones were the two by Luke Williams in the bottom of the ninth inning that turned a leadoff walk into a runner on third with only one out. Had Castellanos not made a perfect throw to get Williams out at home on Arcia’s fly ball, that leadoff walk would have led to the walk-off run. The little things like this will absolutely be a factor in October.

Fun Fact of the Game

Brandon Marsh and Bryce Harper both reached 10 stolen bases in this game, making them the sixth and seventh Phillies to reach the mark this season, respectively. The last time the Phillies had 7+ players reach 10+ stolen bases in the same season was 1913.

Unfortunately, it is unlikely they will reach 8 players. The next closest players are Bohm and Sosa, each with 4.

Next Up

Tomorrow the Phillies open a 4-game series against the Mets at home in Philadelphia. Ranger Suarez is expected to start the first game against David Peterson, followed by Walker, Wheeler, and Sanchez. Before games started today, the Mets had a magic elimination number of 3.

Scoreboard Watching

Tuesday’s Results

Arizona: Beat the Giants 8-4

Chicago: Beat the Pirates 14-1

Miami: Beat the Mets 4-3

Cincinnati: Lost to the Twins 7-0

San Francisco: Lost to the Diamondbacks 8-4

Today’s Games, as of posting

Arizona and San Francisco: 1-0 SF (top of the 1st)

Chicago: vs the Pirates at 7:40 pm

Miami: vs the Mets at 6:40 pm

Cincinnati: Lost to the Twins 5-3