Phillies’ Ninth-Inning Explosion Buries Rangers in Series Opener
Aug 8, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Trea Turner (7) celebrates with Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Bryson Stott (5) and Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper (3) after hitting a three-run home run during the ninth inning against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
This trip to Texas has started better than the last one.
This time, Cristopher Sanchez took the mound in Texas the Phillies’ offense was able to put up four runs. Sanchez pitched very well despite the Rangers taking away one of his best weapons. They were very patient on the changeup tonight, leading to a couple of long innings — including a 25 pitch first inning and a 26 pitch fifth inning.
Everything in between was the Sanchez we’re accustomed to, efficient and strong. He finished the game with 6 innings pitched, one earned run, six strikeouts, and one walk. The one concerning stat to finish the game was that there were 13 hard hit balls tonight off of Sanchez, so he wasn’t missing bats, but he was gritting it out, which is one of the reasons he leads the National League in ERA after tonight.
The Phillies held a 4-1 lead until the 9th inning, when the offense came alive. Bryson Stott came up with the bases loaded and hit a double, then the next batter, Trea Turner, hit a hanging slider over the left center fence and hit his first home run since June 27th.
They struck for 5 runs, to take the first game of the series 9-1, snapping a 10-game losing streak in Arlington, TX.
The Phillies’ offense started quickly tonight. Kyle Schwarber hit a long home run that was hooking to the right field corner, but didn’t quite hook enough, and clanged off the foul pole in right field. The sound was impressive, so I have a feeling that the Rangers’ ground crew will need to check the pole for dents after tonight’s game.
In addition to that, Brandon Marsh went 4-5 in the game, finishing a triple shy of the cycle.
In the 4th inning, the Phils’ power again bit Rangers starter Merrill Kelly, who was the Rangers’ big acquisition at the trade deadline. Marsh led the inning off with a laser beam home run that was hit hard into the right field stands. It was hit so hard that Marsh sprinted out of the box, not certain if it was a home run. But it cleared the wall with plenty to spare.
The Phils added a couple of more runs by playing station-to-station baseball, which sounds great. They scored four runs, and Sanchez only gave up a run, so that should be a reason to be happy, but behind this very good win was a concerning stat that was a big issue in the big scuffle that happened when the Phils visited Texas earlier this season. The Phillies were 4-14 with runners in scoring position in this game, which was punctuated by leaving the bases loaded.
I know many will look at the score and say that the offense just woke up late, but there was a stretch in the game where the Phillies were 1-11 with RISP, which feels very similar to other stretches of offensive ineptitude for the Phils this season. In this game, the ninth inning blew the game wide open, but in all honesty, this should have been a much bigger win. With the night Marsh, Sanchez, and Turner had, the game should not have been a bigger win.
With tonight’s win and the Mets collapsing in Milwaukee, the Phils have a 3.5-game lead in the NL East, something I’m sure they are not taking for granted. Despite tonight’s dry period with runners in scoring position, the Phillies are playing great baseball, and the Mets are struggling. This is the time for the Phillies to take advantage of the Mets’ struggles and get some breathing room. These are the small moments that will add up to something much bigger come playoffs. Breaking the Arlington curse was a great start to the Phils’ longest road trip of the season.
Steve Hamilton
Steve may have been born in California, but don’t let that fool you. After dating a local woman and clashing with her and her family over sports for decades, he has an affinity for Philly sports. Balancing love for Philly and Bay Area sports teams may seem impossible, we can all agree that the Cowboys are the true evil.
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