That’s what’s in: Resilient Phillies Win Battle Of Attrition in NLCS Rematch

The theme of the four-game series between the Phillies and Padres this weekend was resilience. Both teams looked the part of a contender this weekend, and many big hits and key defensive plays highlighted the weekend. It seemed as though the series would be lopsided to begin with, but it became a battle with many punches thrown on both sides. 

The first game was a lopsided blowout with a touch of intrigue at the end. Cristopher Sanchez was roughed up by the Padres’ lineup, and the Phillies’ offense couldn’t muster anything until it was too late. Hitting with RISP was once again an issue for the Phillies.

It looked like it would be the same issue when the Phillies went down 3-0 on Friday when another gaffe by Trea Turner that would’ve kept the game tied turned into a lead for the Padres. Then the Phillies came to life after Blake Snell left the game, stringing together three runs to tie it, punctuated by a mammoth Kyle Schwarber home run.

Immediately after tying it, Manny Machado broke the tie by slugging a second-deck homer, the 300th homer of his career. However, the Phillies battled back; great base running put the pressure on the Padres, and Bryce Harper tied it with an infield single, and then Schwarber gave the Phillies the lead. Trea Turner then gave the Phillies an insurance run, passing the baton to Craig Kimbrel, who closed the door to a game-one victory of the doubleheader.

Later that night, the Phillies again fell behind after defensive miscues and questionable umpiring, the latter of which plagued the whole series. Fortunately, the offense found its groove against Ryan Weathers, highlighted by Bryce Harper’s first home run since May 26, and Kyle Schwarber’s three-run home run, his second long ball of the day.

The Padres’ bullpen did not do their team any favors, surrendering five runs to the Phils. It ended up being a laugher of a win for the Phillies to sweep the doubleheader. The player who stole headlines for the doubleheader was Johan Rojas, who had a ridiculous double play on his first MLB putout, a stolen base, and a three-hit game that featured his first career hits and RBI. 

The series finale was a wild one, which saw Zack Wheeler giving up an early 3-run lead, while Seth Lugo was dealing for the Padres, home runs by Stott and Schwarber put the Phillies back in the game. A rally fueled by Bryce Harper and J.T. Realmuto followed, which flipped the game to a two-run advantage for the Phillies. However, in the top of the 8th, questionable umpiring and a lack of control on behalf of Gregory Soto led to the Phillies surrendering their lead as Fernando Tatis, Jr. tied the ballgame with a two-run base hit. Extra innings saw the Phillies get down to their final out against All-Star closer Josh Hader, but Bryce Harper seized the moment and tied the game for the Phillies with a line-drive single to centerfield. Jeff Hoffman threw an absolutely crucial two scoreless innings, and then the Phillies finally closed victory in the twelfth on a Kyle Schwarber sac fly.

This series highlighted the resilience, fight, and depth the Phillies have that has made this team so good recently, and it also became apparent that the Padres lack those qualities. The Phillies’ star power shone through this series, with Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper having incredible performances, and with Trea Turner and J.T. Realmuto also having some great moments. This series was a massive momentum-shifter and a big tone-setter for the second half of the season, as the Phils sit just a half-game back of the last wild card spot, and a full game behind the first wild card spot.

The Phillies look to stay hot against the Milwaukee Brewers in a three-game series that begins on Tuesday.