The Philadelphia Phillies find themselves in a 0-2 hole after a narrow defeat to the Los Angeles Dodgers last night in Game 2 of the National League Division Series.
Starting pitching was the story of the night, with Blake Snell tossing six scoreless innings and striking out nine for Los Angeles. Jesús Luzardo matched him nearly pitch for pitch, throwing six shutout frames of his own before allowing two runs in the seventh.
After surrendering a single to Mookie Betts in the first inning, Luzardo retired 17 consecutive batters before giving up back-to-back hits in the seventh. That stretch marked the second-longest streak of consecutive batters retired in Phillies postseason history, trailing only Roy Halladay’s 21 straight against the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 1 of the 2011 NLDS.
Despite a late rally fueled by Nick Castellanos’ two-run single, the Phillies fell short, 4-3, leaving the bases loaded in the ninth inning. Former starter Roki Sasaki, now serving as the Dodgers’ closer, earned his second straight save.
Philadelphia now faces elimination, needing three consecutive wins to advance to the National League Championship Series.
For the Phillies to stay alive, their stars will have to step up. The top three hitters — Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper — are a combined 2-for-21 through the first two games. The bullpen must also tighten up, having allowed five of the Dodgers’ nine runs in the series.
The series shifts to Dodger Stadium on Wednesday, where the Phillies will look to keep their season alive.