After two spectacular comeback wins, the Philadelphia Phillies ran out of magic in the City of Angels on Wednesday.
Game one of the series against the Los Angeles Dodgers saw the Phillies fight back and forth, ultimately securing the win in the 10th inning. That victory secured the NL East crown for the Phillies for the second year in a row.
In game two, the Phillies flipped the Hollywood script after Shohei Ohtani no-hit them over the first five innings. In the 6th, the Phillies scored six runs to retake the lead. As with any good movie, it didn't end there as the Dodgers tied things up. With extra innings looming again, backup catcher Rafael Marchan hit a 3-run homer to take the lead. That win clinched a tie-breaker against the Dodgers for postseason seeding.
Phillies struggle in series finale
On Wednesday, the Phils' offense got off to a slow start again, but this time it never woke up. Two-time Cy Young award winner Blake Snell kept the Phillies' bats silent through seven scoreless innings. His strikeout stuff was shining as he sat down 12 Phillies. It was the second time in 2025 (10 starts) that Snell pitched seven innings. His 12 strikeouts were a season high for the veteran lefty.
Snell almost didn't finish the 7th inning as Manager Dave Roberts came out to bring in Alex Vesia. Vesia had already left the bullpen and was in deep centerfield when he was told to turn back. Snell wanted the ball to face Otto Kemp after walking the previous two hitters. He was able to get Kemp swinging at a fastball on the outside edge.
Jesús Luzardo started the game for the Phillies and was solid. Through seven innings, Luzardo allowed three runs while striking out six. He didn't get much help from the home plate umpire. In the 4th inning, he had Kiké Hernández struckout looking, but he didn't get the call.
Luzardo did face Ohtani to start the 8th inning, but the imported superstar got the best of him for his 51st home run of his (soon to be MVP) season. The Dodgers added on another run against Orion Kerkering to push the score to 5-0.
The Dodgers shut out the Phillies with that as the final score. They managed just three singles by Harrison Bader, Bryson Stott and Nick Castellanos. The Phillies continue their West Coast road trip on Friday with a stop in Arizona to face the Diamondbacks.
