PHILADELPHIA— After a Friday night thriller, the Phillies and the Dodgers were back at it on Saturday afternoon.
Aaron Nola took the mound for the Phillies. After a poor showing in Washington against the Nationals, Nola was looking to bounce back in his home debut. Nola would be opposed by Roki Sasaki, the Japanese phenom whose sweepstakes took over Major League Baseball this past off-season.
Both teams struck early, but then their starting pitchers settled into the game. We were in for another late-inning showdown between the Phillies and the Dodgers.
Early Offense
For the second straight game, the Phillies jumped out to a 1-0 lead.
Back-to-back singles by Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner provided a Philly welcome to Roki Sasaki. Turner’s single to right field allowed for Schwarber to go from first to third in the at-bat, putting a runner in scoring position. Turner’s 3rd stolen base of the season then put two runners in scoring position for Bryce Harper.
Harper did not capitalize on the opportunity, but Alec Bohm did. Bohm put a ball in play to the 2nd baseman, giving Schwarber the green light to head home. This gave the Phillies a 1-0 lead.
Just as soon as the Phillies grabbed the lead, the Dodgers took it right back.
Home Run Problem
It is no secret that Aaron Nola struggles to keep the ball in the yard.
Despite producing stellar performances and earning well-deserved respect around the league, Nola always seems to leave a start with a home run allowed. That was the case in his 1st start against the Nationals and again when facing the Dodgers.
After a relatively clean 1st inning, Aaron took the mound again in the 2nd. With one out, Max Muncy would drive a ball to right field for a double. Nola seemingly dialed back in, striking out the next batter, Andy Pages.
Then stepped up Kike Hernandez. Hitting a measly .091 for the year, Kike drilled a 2-run shot into the left field pavilion. This spiked his batting average and the score, as the Phillies now trailed 2-1.
In the top of the 6th, the home run bug would strike again. This time, Michael Conforto would put a ball into the seats in right field. While this one hardly got out, it extended the Dodgers lead to 3-1. For the second time in just 2 starts, Aaron Nola would allow 2 home runs in a game.
Aaron Nola finished the game with 6 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, and 2 HR. He threw 97 pitches, 61 for strikes.
Phillies Baserunning Blunder
After the first two innings, both starting pitchers settled into the ballgame.
Sasaki was flashing his arm talent and proving why he was highly sought after in the international free agency period. His fastball was consistently hitting 97-97 miles per hour, and it was easy for the Dodger rookie. After allowing two runners to start the 5th inning, Dave Roberts would go to the bullpen, removing Sasaki from the ballgame.
Reliever Anthony Banda would come on to try and squash the comeback attempt. With runners at the corners and 1 out, up stepped Kyle Schwarber. Schwarber would hit a ball to deep right, which was plenty to score J.T. Realmuto. However, Bryson Stott strayed too far from first base. Outfielder Teoscar Hernandez would gun out Stott trying to get back to first, ending the inning and costing the Phillies the tying run. In the post-game press conference, Rob Thomson did confirm that they had called for a hit-and-run in that spot.
Roki Sasaki finished the game with 4 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, and 4 K. He threw just 68 pitches, 41 for strikes.
Late-Inning Heroics?
It was getting late in the ballgame for the Phillies. Down 3-1 in the 6th, the team needed to get something going offensively. To this point in the game, they had just 1 hit since the 1st inning (Bryson Stott‘s single in the 5th).
Sending their 2-3-4 hitters to the plate against the Dodger bullpen, it was time for the Phillies to make some magic happen. However, Turner, Harper, and Bohm went down to retire the side. In the bottom of the 7th, the same results played out. The Phillies were retired in order, making their quest for a comeback that much harder.
With 2 outs in the 8th, Kyle Schwarber would get another chance to hit. Los Angeles reliever Alex Vesia would hit him with a pitch that ran up and in. With the tying run at the plate in Trea Turner, the home crowd started to get loud. They saw their opportunity arise and were hopeful their all-star shortstop would deliver. Instead, Turner went on strikes, and the inning was over.
In the 9th inning, it was up to Harper, Bohm, and Kepler to tie or take the lead. The Dodgers would send Tanner Scott to the mound. Scott was one of the Dodgers’ many prized off-season acquisitions. The 2024 All-Star has wipeout stuff, and the Phillies were in for a challenge.
Bryce Harper would swing at the first pitch he saw, hitting a dribbler to third base. Max Muncy misplayed the ball on a clear error but was scored to have a hit for Harper.
Alec Bohm would also swing at the first pitch. This ball, however, landed right into the shortstop Mookie Betts‘ glove, resulting in a 6-4-3 double play. Max Kepler was the final hope. Kepler would fly out to left field, also on the first pitch, to end the ballgame.
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
