Friday, September 20, 2024
HomeBreaking NewsMLB playoffs: Diamondbacks pummel Phillies to force NLCS Game 7 | MLB

MLB playoffs: Diamondbacks pummel Phillies to force NLCS Game 7 | MLB

Published on

spot_img


Tommy Pham and Lourdes Gurriel Jr hit back-to-back homers and Merrill Kelly struck out eight to help the Arizona Diamondbacks force Game 7 of the NL Championship Series with a 5-1 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday night.

The Diamondbacks came ready in Game 6 to back up the bold pregame words from manager Torey Lovullo and tamed Phillies bats and the hostile home crowd.

“Getting there is really important, so we have that all-in mentality,” Lovullo said before Game 6. “We didn’t come cross-country to get our asses kicked. We came here to play our best baseball game, and our guys will be ready to go.”

The Diamondbacks came ready to go – and Kelly didn’t want to leave.

Kelly retired Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner and Bryce Harper in order in the fifth and with the Diamondbacks ahead 4-1. When Kelly retired to the dugout, Lovullo told the right-hander he was done. Kelly, who had thrown 90 pitches, appeared agitated as he gestured with his glove as if to point out he struck out Schwarber and Harper in the inning and had much more in the tank.

But four Arizona relievers combined to shut down the Phillies and stifle their rousing run of success at Citizens Bank Park.

The Phillies were held to six hits and lost at home for the first time in seven home postseason games. They dropped Games 4 and 5 to Houston in the World Series but had won 11 straight postseason home games against NL opposition.

The Phillies sent Aaron Nola to the mound – a year to the day after they beat San Diego to win the NL pennant – in the hope of making it two straight trips to the World Series.

See also  911 operator calmly walks expectant mom through a surprise at-home delivery

Nola had been lights out in every postseason start, pitching against the backdrop that the pending free agent could be down to his final games with the Phillies. He was 3-0 with a 0.96 ERA in October.

Make it 3-1. Nola allowed homers to Pham and Gurriel in almost the same spots in the left field seats, the first ones the longest-tenured Phillies player allowed all postseason.

A sign this wouldn’t be Nola’s night? Pham was benched for Game 5 because of a 1-for-13 effort in the NLCS. Back in the lineup, he quieted a crowd of 45,000 towel-waving fans.

Nola walked light-hitting Alek Thomas, who hit a tying, two-run homer in Game 4, and Evan Longoria doubled for a 3-0 lead. Longoria, who played for Tampa Bay against the Phillies in the 2008 World Series, had been 1 for 12 in the series.

The Phillies had never trailed by more than two runs in the postseason until the second inning on Monday evening.

Kelly, who allowed three solo homers in a Game 2 loss, pitched his way out of trouble in this one.

He put two runners on in the first inning before striking out slumping Alec Bohm and retiring Bryson Stott on a shallow flyout. Kelly gave up an RBI single to Brandon Marsh in the second and put two on with two outs. Kelly then got Turner to swing at three pitches out of the zone to end the threat.

Ketel Marte stretched his postseason hitting streak to 15 games with a run-scoring triple in the fifth that built a 4-1 lead and chased Nola. He added an RBI single in the seventh off Orion Kerkering.

See also  How to watch the New Orleans Saints vs. Dallas Cowboys NFL game today: Week 2 livestreaming options, more



Source link

Latest articles

Trump says 'Israel will cease to exist' if Harris elected in appeal to Jewish voters

Former President Trump warned of an apocalyptic future for Israel should he lose...

Tula Skincare Is 20% Off at Ulta 21 Days of Beauty Sale

I’m lucky that my career as a beauty editor has allowed me...

Trump rails against Jewish Americans who don’t vote for him in speech focused on antisemitism

Washington, D.C. — Former President Donald Trump criticized Jewish Americans who don't vote for...

More like this

Trump says 'Israel will cease to exist' if Harris elected in appeal to Jewish voters

Former President Trump warned of an apocalyptic future for Israel should he lose...

Tula Skincare Is 20% Off at Ulta 21 Days of Beauty Sale

I’m lucky that my career as a beauty editor has allowed me...