Late Nite with Nola is the hottest show on television. It’s got celebrity guests. It’s got a good opening monologue. It’s got fun interviews about Bryce Harper’s toothbrushing preferences. One thing it doesn’t have a lot of is runs for his opponent.
The night started with Kyle Schwarber getting most of a cutter, but not all of it. It ended up as a fly out. But Bryce Harper got all of his, and sent it over the fence in right field: good night, baseball, and good night to the many Phillies fans who
nod off before these late West Coast starts. Brandon Marsh singled on the first pitch he saw, then got picked off at first for the last out of the frame. As he slid, the tag from Ty France caught his fingers. He regarded them gingerly, but returned to play. In the bottom of the inning, Aaron Nola sent the first three Padres he saw back to their dugout in rapid succession, operating at a pace that was a kindness to East Coast fans hoping both to watch the game and get some shuteye.
J.T. Realmuto, like Harper before him, saw a Randy Vásquez cutter he liked, and sent it on a tour of of the Western Metal Supply Co Building in left for the Phillies’ second homer of the night. Not to be outdone as a philanthropist, Trea Turner treated a sinker to the same tour one inning later, and the Phillies were up 3-0. After Harper walked and Marsh and Alec Bohm both singled, they were up 4-0. Meanwhile, Nola dealt with the minimum number of Dads through three. Edmundo Sosa almost joined the solo shot parade, but a leaping grab from Jackson Merrill stopped him.
Marsh left the game as the bottom of the fourth dawned. The tag on the pickoff turned out to have caused a sprained middle finger; Adolis García was his replacement. Nola breezed through the first two San Diegos, then found trouble: a sharp hit from Gavin Sheets up the middle bounced off Turner’s glove for the first Padre baserunner of the night, and Manny Machado sent a liner over the left field wall to narrow the score to 4-2.
The score remained there through the sixth, with Nola righting the ship following the homer and sending the next five Padres down in order. It would’ve been six, had San Diego not successfully challenged an out call at first. Unfazed, Nola struck out Sheets to end the sixth.
That ended his night on a successful note (3 hits, 2 ER, 5 K). Orion Kerkering was brought in to replace him and struck out three, continuing a solid night for Philadelphia pitching.
The Phillies put two runners on to start the eighth via Padres reliever Wandy Peralta granting free passes, but quickly saw that start become two outs via a Bohm pop out and Bryson Stott grounding into a force out. Realmuto was hit by a pitch to load the bases, but a groundout from Justin Crawford ended the frame.
Brad Keller was given the eighth and quickly allowed a solo shot to Ramón Laureano. Nick Castellanos was called in to pinch-hit. He struck out, Fernando Tatis Jr. singled, and Sheets walked. An infield dribbler from Machado threatened to load the bases, but Bohm charged in and deftly completed the play, sending the Phillies to the ninth with their narrow lead.
The Padres went with Adrian Morejon rather than Mason Miller for that final frame; he faced three Phillies and sent them all down, aided by a baserunning blunder from Schwarber that turned a lineout into a double play.
That cued up Jhoan Duran for the bottom ninth. This being a road game, he did not get his traditional entrance. It turns out, however, that he does not need flaming tarantulas to get himself in the zone. He induced a groundout from Miguel Andujar, made Merrill strike out on an awkward looking failed check swing, and bid bonne nuite to France, and the Padres, with a low splitter for strike three.
The Phillies thus sent their fans to bed happy, and provided a happy wake-up for the fans who didn’t stay up for the game. All’s well that ends well.
The Phillies are 28-27. They’ll finish the series in San Diego tomorrow at 4:10.
