In the final regular season game at Citizens Bank Park, the Philadelphia Phillies delivered a worthy performance for their fanbase.
Trea Turner, Nick Castellanos, and Kody Clemens all hit home runs to power the Phillies to a 9-6 victory against the Chicago Cubs. Wednesday’s win won the series for the Phils but also helped clinch a first-round bye in the NLDS. While the team still has to wait and find their opponent, they will benefit from the time off.
Offensive Outburst
The offense did their thing.
The club struck for 13 hits, 9 runs, and were on base 16 times against Javier Assad and the Cubs. They combined for three homers, Turner (20), Castellanos (23), and Clemens (5) all got one more chance to ring the bell.
Trea Turner hit his home run first over to deep left field. Nick Castellanos added insurance with an opposite-field home run in the third inning. Kody Clemens didn’t want to feel left out, however, so he hit a home run in the fourth inning. Brandon Marsh came up big with a bases-clearing double in the fifth inning. The situational hitting was exactly what the team needed in the finale. They only left five men on base all night, which speaks to their success. JT Realmuto, Marsh, and Stott all had crucial hits with runners in scoring position.
Pitching Recap
The pitching wasn’t the best tonight, but they did enough to keep the game in hand for the offense. Cristopher Sánchez was pitching well until he allowed a three-run home run in the fourth inning to Nico Hoerner. Hoerner also hit a home run in his next at-bat against Jose Ruiz in the sixth inning. The Cubs were able to push six runs across the board in the ballgame.
Orion Kerkering and Jeff Hoffman however, were lights out. They shut down the Cubs in their two total innings of work. Carlos Estevez was in to close the game and aside from allowing an additional run, he was able to end the ballgame with the lead intact.
Phillies Postseason Takeaways
There are a couple of things to take away from this game. Kody Clemens continues to prove why he should be on the postseason roster. He can take a week off, come back, and immediately contribute to a win. Additionally, he can come off the bench and provide the spark. That is something you need for the postseason.
Another takeaway is Nick Castellanos’ bat. He has at least one hit every game this week, including going 3-4 tonight. If his bat can leak into the NLDS, that’ll be massive against whoever they end up playing.
One final takeaway is Bryson Stott’s night. He was 2-3 with two RBI tonight. Including Wednesday’s game, he has hit in seven of the last ten. If he can continue to get hot, it’ll be just in time for the NLDS.
The Phillies officially clinched a bye into the NLDS with a win tonight and a Brewers loss. They can now set their pitching the way they want and prepare to dominate the postseason.
Photo Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
