It looked like the Phillies were going to take another bad loss. Then came the 9th inning…
ABOVE PHOTO: San Diego Padres catcher Luis Campusano, left, tags out Philadelphia Phillies’ Nick Castellanos at home after Castellanos tried to score on a fielder’s choice by Cristian Pache during the second inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, June 18, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
By Chris Murray
For the Philadelphia Sunday SUN
For the first eight-plus innings, it looked like last night’s game between the Philadelphia Phillies and San Diego Padres was going to end in another Phillies loss.
Phillies starting pitcher Aaron Nola had given up three runs on six hits, despite a strong start. By the time Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber came to the batter’s box with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning, the Phillies were down 3-1.
Schwarber, as he often does in June, gave Phillies fans hope with a solo home run.
But by the end of the ninth inning, the Phillies had garnered their 49th win of the season, defeating the Padres by a score of 4-3. Using only nine pitches from Padres closer Robert Suarez, the Phillies hit four singles including a game-tying RBI single by second baseman Bryson Stott and an RBI ground-rule double by Nick Castellanos that scored Alec Bohm to give the Phillies the win in front of a sell-out crowd at Citizens Bank Park.
“These guys never quit. They just keep going,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “They kept staying after it. Nick with four hits tonight and another walk-off hit for him. I’m really happy for him.”
The game-winning hit by Castellanos was the culmination of an outstanding performance in which he went 4-for-5 with a run scored.
Outside of an RBI single by left fielder Brandon Marsh that scored Castellanos for the first score of the game, the Phillies were unable to get anything going offensively against San Diego starting pitcher Michael King, who finished the game with six strikes while scattering six hits in four and two-thirds of work. He threw 100 pitches.
Meanwhile, Nola was pitching well for the first five innings and appeared to be bouncing back from a lackluster performance against the Boston Red Sox in his last outing before Tuesday night. He didn’t allow a run until the sixth inning.
But in that disastrous sixth inning, Nola gave up a two-run home run to Padres catcher Luis Campusano that scored David Peralta, who had reached on a walk. San Diego increased its lead to 3-1 on an RBI single by left fielder Jurickson Profar that brought home Tyler Wade.
“I thought (Nola) was really good, especially early,” Thomson said. “His command was really good. He was pounding the zone. His breaking ball was really sharp. I’m not really sure what happened in the sixth. He lost his command a little bit. He walked the lead-off guy and the Campusano clipped him with a high fastball. I thought Nola pitched really well.”
That would be all the scoring for the Padres, because the Phillies bullpen combination of Orion Kerkering, Matt Strahm, and Jeff Hoffman did not allow a run or a hit for the rest of the game
“Our bullpen is certainly one of our strengths because we have those power arms. Guys that throw strikes and come after people and they’ve got some stuff and they can hold a team down, Thomson said. “That’s what they’ve done all year.”
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