Phillies bats go quiet, Diamondbacks make NLCS a series again

In one of the hottest states in America, the Phillies’ offense went cold.

The Phillies lost, 2-1, to the Arizona Diamondbacks in Game 3 of the National League Championship on Ketel Marte‘s walk-off single. We have a series again.

This game was scoreless until the top of the seventh, when the Phillies took a lead as Bryce Harper walked, advanced to third with two outs, and scored on a wild pitch.

Needing nine more outs to take a 3-0 series lead, Orion Kerkering was called upon and did not have his best stuff. He allowed a single, RBI double, and single to just three batters. Jose Alvarado relieved him with runners on the corners and nobody out and ended the seventh inning on just three pitches, including an improbable double-play.

Alvarado’s scoreless eighth kept it 1-1, but Craig Kimbrel loaded the bases with an out in the ninth, and Marte’s game-winning base hit ended the ballgame.

The DBacks started rookie right-hander Brandon Pfaadt. He had a 5.72 ERA in the regular season, but he looked like Cy Young. He completely shut down the Phillies offense with 5 2/3 scoreless innings and nine strikeouts.

Pfaadt was only expected to throw around 50 pitches, but he was so dominant that he was extended to 70. DBacks manager Torey Lovullo pulled him with two outs in the sixth as Kyle Schwarber came up to bat for a third time. While the Phillies were happy to see him depart, they still could not get anything going on offense against Ryan Thompson, Kevin Ginkel, and Paul Sewald. After scoring 15 runs and clobbering six home runs in the first two games of the NLCS, the Phillies only accumulated three hits.

Ranger Suarez went 5 1/3 scoreless innings, as well. He exited with Ketel Marte on third base, and Jeff Hoffman struck out Gabriel Moreno and grounded out Christian Walker to hold it.

This was the first of Suarez’s eight postseason appearances in which the Phillies lost. It was not on him.

Suarez has a 0.94 ERA in the postseason, which is the best ERA in postseason history with. a minimum of five starts.

Simply, the Phillies did not hit. Arizona was looking for any way to back into the NLCS back at Chase Field, and they did just that. Now, the Phillies must not let the momentum shift.