Last night, the Phillies had something of a gut check win. They got a hard fought victory in a game in which they had an offensive explosion, something we haven’t seen much of in this team’s history. Usually, after scoring something like 19 runs like they did on Thursday, they come back the following evening and get few hits, few runs and the inevitable loss.
A game like tonight, one where there was again little offense thanks to Chris Sale, followed by a crushing extra inning loss that doesn’t allow
them to pick up valuable ground on the Mets, was yet another one that had an air of inevitability. However, Cristopher Sanchez, coming off a disappointing outing in Queens, was outstanding in his own right, aided by the defense of Trea Turner, buoyed by a single home run by Weston Wilson, allowed the Phillies to get ahead early. The Braves fought back to tie it, but a clutch RBI single in extra innings by Turner allowed the Phillies to get another game over the Mets and take home the victory.
Wilson opened the scoring for the Phillies in the third, in the game to specifically counteract the southpawness of Chris Sale.
This made it 1-0 and for a while, Sanchez made it look like he would make it stick. The balk he had against the Mets seemed to unravel him this week, but he was in total control for this one. He was helped out by some outstanding defensive play by Turner, a few of which we haven’t seen him make since he’s come here. It definitely was a difference maker tonight.
The Braves would put a run on Sanchez in the sixth when back to back doubles by Jurickson Profar and Matt Olson tied the game at one a piece.
However, the game would remain that way as bullpens held the offenses to very little, sending the game to extra innings. In their half of the tenth, with the ghost runner on and one out, Nacho Alvarez took a fastball from Matt Strahm and put it into right field for the go ahead run. Strahm kept it there, a noble victory, setting up the Phillies for their half of the tenth.
Nick Castellanos was hit with the first pitch of the inning by Hunter Stratton, but Harrison Bader got his doors blown off for the first out. Bryson Stott followed with a bloop single to right that didn’t quite get deep enough to score Alec Bohm from second, but the bases were loaded. Brandon Marsh would go down looking against new pitcher Dylan Dodd, setting up Turner to be the hero.
Hero, he became.
This win, combined with the Mets loss, puts the Phillies up six in the division for now. It still seems as though it will all come down to when New York comes to Philadelphia for four games, but keeping it stretched out as much as possible will help keep those games a little less stressful. Maybe.
For now, chalk up another series victory with a rare four game mop-portunity within the Phillies’ grasp tomorrow evening on Sunday Night Baseball.
