After dropping Game 1, the Phillies needed a response in Game 2, and they got one in a wild, back-and-forth win over the Braves that pushed the NL Wild Card Series on.
Philadelphia came out with an early jolt. Trea Turner doubled to open the game, moved to third on a groundout, and Bryce Harper brought him home with an RBI single.
Cristopher Sanchez had the kind of cushion you want for your starter, but the Braves answered right away in the first. Ronald Acuna worked his way around the bases with a pair of steals before Matt Olson drove him in.
From there, the game settled into a tense pitching duel between Sanchez and Mahle. The Phillies picked up a few two-out hits, but they never really put sustained pressure on Mahle after that opening inning.
Sanchez was the sharper arm overall, though he had to escape a major jam in the sixth. With the bases loaded and one out, he got Michael Harris to roll into a double play, and Alec Bohm helped turn the rare 3-2-3 twin killing by handling the ball cleanly, firing to J.T.
Realmuto, and getting it back to Bohm.
The seventh inning turned the game again. Sanchez got into trouble with two on and one out, and Philadelphia’s defense cracked.
Bryce Harper misplayed a ball to right field, letting a run score and putting Atlanta ahead 2-1. Olson followed with a sacrifice fly to make it 3-1, and that ended Sanchez’s night.
Even after that swing, the Phillies weren’t done. Kyle Swarber and Harper answered with back-to-back monster home runs to right field, flipping the momentum back in Philadelphia’s direction.
Then Bohm delivered the final punch in extra innings. With two outs in the top of the 10th, he went the other way for a solo homer that gave the Phillies the edge they needed.
Andrew Painter finished it off out of the bullpen, throwing three scoreless innings to close the door.
Game 3 of the NL Wild Card Round is next, with everything likely on the table for both teams.
In Other News...
Andrew Painter Just Changed The Phillies Biggest Playoff Fear
When the Phillies needed a steady arm in the biggest pressure spot of their Wild Card Series, Don Mattingly turned to rookie Andrew Painter in relief during extra innings of Game 2 against the Braves. Painter responded with three scoreless innings, and the Phillies rode that effort to a 4-3 win that sent them on to the next round, a result that did more than just keep their October alive.
Painters outing also offered something Philadelphia has been searching for this postseason: a little more confidence in the back end of games. Along the way, several key pitch calls went his way after challenges were overturned, adding to the sense that the night kept bending toward the Phillies, even before the final out was recorded. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Have One Power Threat To Watch In Winner Take All Game
The Phillies and Braves are headed into a winner-take-all Game 3 in the wild card round, and the home run swings that have already shaped the series are part of the backdrop. Both lineups have shown they can change the game in a hurry, and with a trip to the NLDS on the line, any mistake in the strike zone could carry a lot more weight than usual.
For Philadelphia, Kyle Schwarber remains the obvious middle-of-the-order threat to watch, while Atlantas Drake Baldwin has also emerged as a name to keep on the radar based on recent power production. The pitching matchup has not been announced yet, which only adds to the uncertainty, but it also means the kind of one-swing impact both clubs have already shown is still very much in play. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Fans Have One Big Reason To Watch Phillies In Game 3
The Phillies have turned this series into exactly the sort of October test they wanted after winning their final regular-season game just to get here. Alec Bohm and Bryce Harper have already supplied important power and timely production, and Philadelphia has found enough offense to keep pace with Atlanta as the NL Wild Card Series has tightened into a bullpen-heavy chess match.
Game 3 now shifts the spotlight to Aaron Nola, with the Phillies leaning on him to stabilize the night while the relief corps waits behind him, including Alex McFarlane and Jhoan Duran. Atlanta is expected to go with an opener and then piece together the rest with relievers who have already been used in the series, which leaves this one feeling like the kind of matchup where every inning can change the tenor of the whole night. [Read more 🡒]