After their Game 3 win, the Phillies are two wins away from the World Series.
The Philadelphia Phillies defeated the San Diego Padres, 4-2, on Friday night — giving them a 2-1 advantage in the National League Championship Series.
The Phillies victory was not without its share of nerve-wracking moments. The club’s offense received a much-needed early boost with a Kyle Schwarber leadoff home run against Padres starter Joe Musgrove — who has been excellent this postseason.
The Phillies put their faith in starter Ranger Suárez, and he pitched very well since his last postseason performance. Suárez threw five innings — giving up just one earned run and two hits.
The defense, however, began to show signs of weakness as the game progressed. Jean Segura dropped a routine double-play toss from Bryson Stott, while Rhys Hoskins missed a ball hit right to him. Both plays resulted in runs scored.
JIMMY CIGS pic.twitter.com/3qbMNwoeXr
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) October 22, 2022
Meanwhile, the Phillies offense produced on a few occasions, as multiple players contributed to their four runs. Alec Bohm knocked in a run, and Jean Segura knocked in two on a single — making up for his error on a routine double play ball.
The Phillies then relied on dominant relievers José Alvarado and Seranthony Domínguez to finish the game. The duo pitched three innings and struck out five Padres batters while giving up three hits.
Domínguez notably became the first Phillies closer to get a six-out save in the postseason since Tug McGraw closed the door on the 1980 World Series exactly 42 years ago from the evening.
The Phillies will take a 2-1 series lead into an energetic Philadelphia crowd on Saturday, as they prepare to start Bailey Falter — who had been a major part of the regular season rotation. The Padres will start Mike Clevinger, who can be dominant at times but has been plagued by injury throughout his career. Clevinger has a 13.50 ERA in the 2022 postseason thus far.
Manager Rob Thomson’s squad has plenty of reasons to feel optimistic. Winning Game 3 was a huge momentum shift. Now, they can try to take advantage of the most susceptible starting pitcher on the Padres rotation on Saturday.
A Game 4 win would put the Phils in a great spot to clinch a ticket to their first World Series since 2009 — as Zack Wheeler would start Game 5 in Philadelphia on Sunday.