The 2020 simulated season has been a good one for the Phillies. The simulation, using Out Of The Park Baseball 21, had the Phillies going 39-21 in the regular season. Philadelphia reclaimed its place as the NL East Champions and made the playoffs for the first time since 2011. In the NLDS, the Phillies took revenge on the St. Louis Cardinals, who knocked the Phillies out in the 2011 NLDS, by winning the series 3-2.
Phillies starting pitchers carried the team through the NLDS. As a staff, they pitched a combined 31.2 innings while allowing eight runs and striking out 37. Aaron Nola proved himself as the Phillies' ace, allowing two runs in seven innings in both Game 1 and Game 5 of the NLDS. Jake Arrieta and Spencer Howard did not allow any runs scored in their starts. Zack Wheeler was hit for four runs in his start, but made up for it with a clutch save in Game 5 to push the Phillies onward.
The Phillies will face off with the Cincinnati Reds in for National League Pennant. The Reds, 34-27, defeated the San Diego Padres in a tiebreaker match for the second NL Wild Card slot. They rode that momentum into the Wild Card game when they defeated the Atlanta Braves 2-0. Cincinnati then traveled to Los Angeles to face the 42-18 Dodgers. The Reds defeated the Dodgers 3-1, holding them to only one run in the final two games of the series.
Trevor Bauer has only allowed one run in 15 IP during the postseason, including an 8-inning shutout against the Braves. The Reds have been led offensively by Joey Votto, who batted .313 with two home runs so far in the postseason. Derek Dietrich also rejoins the Reds' offense following a two-week IL trip due to back tightness. Dietrich had a strong 2020 campaign, batting for a .319 average with a 1.043 OPS.
NLCS Game 1
After having used both Nola and Wheeler in Game 5 of the NLDS, the Phillies turned to Spencer Howard to open the NLCS. The Reds matched him against Luis Castillo, who was blown out in the Reds' only loss against the Dodgers 7-0.
After a scoreless first inning, Sir Didi Gregorius broke the ice in the NLCS, smacking a solo home run in the bottom of the second. Howard cruised through the Reds' batting order allowing only one hit in the first three innings. At the top of the fourth, he allowed Dietrich to reach on a leadoff walk. Dietrich would eventually tie the game 1-1, scoring on a single from Eugenio Suarez.
The Phillies would respond quickly, however, in the bottom half of the inning. With two outs and two runners on, Scott Kingery slapped a double into left field, scoring Andrew McCutchen and Nick Williams. Roman Quinn followed Kingery with a double of his own, scoring Kingery and giving the Phillies a 4-1 lead.
Howard only allowed one additional baserunner as he cruised through seven innings of eight-strikeout work. J.T. Realmuto scored Nick Maton on an RBI-single in the bottom of the seventh to increase the lead to 5-1. With an extra insurance run on the board, the Phillies turned to the bullpen, calling on David Robertson in the eighth. Robertson had an effective eighth inning before coming back out in the ninth. He struck out Nick Castellanos and walked Suarez before being replaced by Vince Velasquez. Vinny Velo struck out the remaining two batters, securing the Phillies' 5-1 victory in Game 1.
NLCS Game 2
Jake Arrieta and Trevor Bauer faced off in Game 2. The long ball hurt Arrieta early on as the Reds hit a two-run home run in both the first and second inning. Suarez hit the home run in the first while Christian Colon knocked his in the second. Arrieta pitched at a 4-0 deficit until the bottom of the fifth when Nick Maton batted in Scott Kingery on an RBI-single. The Phillies would fail to get any more runs across in the inning, however, leaving Arrieta with a 4-1 deficit. Arrieta pitched six innings of four-run baseball, allowing seven hits and two walks while only striking out one.
Bauer pitched into the bottom of the seventh before being taken out following a Mike Zunino walk. Zunino then advanced to third on a double before scoring on a wild pitch. Reds reliever Joel Kunel then shut down Jean Segura and Andrew McCutchen, preventing any additional runs.
Shogo Akiyama increased the Reds' lead with a solo home run in the top of the ninth, giving closer Rasiel Iglesias a 5-2 lead to work with. Iglesias struck out the side in the bottom of the ninth, tying the series at 1-1 as the series shifted to Cincinnati.
NLCS Game 3
With the series tied at 1-1, the Phillies looked to ace Aaron Nola to give the Phillies the lead in the series. Nola didn't allow a base runner until the third inning, when Christian Colon hit a lead-off single. The Reds bunted him over to second base before Derek Dietrich batted him in on an RBI single. Nola then struck out Nick Castellanos with two runners on to get out of the jam.
Nola continued to deal into the seventh inning, when he allowed a leadoff single to Mike Moustakas. Vince Velasquez came in in relief, eventually allowing Moustakas to score on an RBI single. Who hit the RBI single? Former Phil Freddy Galvis of course! Nola ended the day with two runs scored in six-plus innings pitched. He allowed six baserunners while striking out ten batters.
While Nola was good, Reds starter Tyler Mahle was better. Mahel pitched eight innings of shutout baseball, allowing four hits and one walk while striking out ten. Velasquez allowed a solo home run in the bottom of the eighth to give the Reds a 3-0 lead heading into the top of the ninth. Iglesias came in, and quickly dealt with Maton, Segura, and McCutchen. With his second consecutive save, Iglesias secured a 2-1 series advantage for the Reds.
Continued on the page below.
Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports
NLCS Game 4
Down 2-1, Zack Wheeler faced Anthony DeSclafani in Game 4. After a quiet first three innings, the Phillies began to make some noise in the top of the fourth. With two outs, Nick Williams hit a double to keep the inning alive. Scott Kingery then came up to the plate and smacked a Kinger Dinger to left field, giving the Phillies a 2-0 lead. Jean Segura added a solo home run of his own in the top of the fifth, increasing the Phillies' lead.
Wheeler had a strong showing through five innings. At the bottom of the sixth, however, his wheels popped a flat. After a leadoff single by Joey Votto, Wheeler walked Castellanos and Suarez to load the bases. The Phillies once were rumored to get Mike Moustakas in real life, moments like this were why. Moustakas smacked a grand slam to right-center field to give the Reds a 4-3 lead.
DeSclafani pitched seven strong innings as the Reds looked to Iglesias make his third consecutive save over two-innings. Jean Segura, however, had other ideas. With a 2-0 count, Segura smacked a solo home run, tying the game at 4-4. With the blown save in had, Iglesias managed to work through the ninth inning as the NLCS entered extra innings.
Both teams allowed a walk in the tenth inning, but not much else as the game entered the 11th inning. Andrew McCutchen led off for the Phillies in the top of 11th. Channeling his inner "Uncle Larry", McCutchen pummeled a 3-2 pitch for a solo home run, giving the Phillies a 5-4 lead. David Robertson pitched the final out in the tenth, and returned in the 11th, allowing a leadoff double but stranding the runner there as the Phillies won the game 5-4, tying the series at 2-2.
NLCS Game 5
With the series tied at 2-2. Howard and Castillo faced off in a Game 1 rematch. Castillo, however, would not record an out. Nick Maton hit a leadoff single off Castillo before Jean Segura moved him to third with a double. J.T. Realmuto managed a 3-2 walk to load the bases for Didi Gregorius. Gregorius batted in Maton and Segura on a line-drive double. He and Realmuto then scored on a single by Andrew McCutchen. With a 4-0 lead, Nick Williams delivered the knock-out blow, hitting a two-run home run to take Castillo out of the game.
The Reds' bullpen did not allow any runs for the remainder of the first or the second inning. Andrew McCutchen tacked on a solo home run in the top of the third to give the Phillies a 7-0 lead. In the bottom of the third, Joey Votto reached on a lead-off infield single. He would later score on a sacrifice fly from Eugenio Suarez. Tucker Barnhart and Shogo Akiyama scored in the bottom of the fourth, cutting the Phillies' lead to 7-3.
Spencer Howard pitched 6.1 innings of three-run baseball. He allowed five hits and two walks while striking out six batters. Ranger Suarez came in to finish the game, and pitched 2.2 innings of no-run baseball.
While a 7-3 lead was enough the Phillies did not stop there. In the top of the eighth, the Phillies knocked on five additional runs courtesy of a two-run home run by Roman Quinn, and a three-run home run by J.T. Realmuto. Quinn and Deivy Grullon scored two more runs in the top of the ninth. The Phillies secured a 3-2 NLCS advantage with a demanding 14-3 victory.
NLCS Game 6
Moving back to Philadelphia, the Phillies held the advantage in Game 6 of the NLCS. Arrieta and Bauer held a rematch with a World Series birth on the line. The Reds struck first as Joey Votto and Derek Dietrich reached base to start the top of the first. Sacrifice flies from Eugenio Suarez and Tucker Barnhart scored them both giving the Reds the early 2-0 lead.
In the bottom of the first, the Phillies would respond as Jean Segura reached base on a double. J.T. Realmuto then batted in Segura on a line drive single to bring the Phillies within one run. Solo home runs by Shogo Akiyama and Nick Castellanos increased the Reds' lead to 4-1 over the course of the second and third innings.
Arrieta pitched into the fifith inning when he was removed in favor of Nick Pivetta. Akiyama hit his second solo home run of the day to increase the Reds' lead to 5-1 before Pivetta finished the fifth. In the bottom of the fifth, the Phillies' offense began to get into gear as Scott Kingery scored following a leadoff double.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Phillies, the Phillies executed on a leadoff hit-by-pitch to J.T. Reamuto. Following a Didi Gregorius single, Andrew McCutchen slipped a double down the left field line to score Realmuto. Gregorius scored on a Kingery ground-out to bring the Phillies within 5-4 before Trevor Bauer was taken out of the game.
Fast forward to the bottom of the eighth, and the Phillies are down to 5-4 with only four outs to go. Nick Williams hit a two-out single, bringing Scott Kingery to the plate. Fighting from an 0-2 count, Kingery managed to get to a 3-2 count against closer Rasiel Iglesias. Kingery took Iglesias deep for Kinger Dinger, giving the Phillies the 6-5 lead.
With a one-run lead, Hector Neris came in to pitch the top of the ninth. Eight pitches later, Neris completed the save, punching the Phillies' ticket to the World Series for the first time since 2009.
Continued on the page below.
Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports
Top Performers
Scott Kingery's clutch home run in Game 6 prevented a Game 7 showdown. On the series, he batted .304/.333/.696 with two home runs and a series-leading seven RBI's.
Rookie sensation Spencer Howard took charge in the NLCS. He picked up the win in both of his starts in Game 1 and 5. In 13.1 innings, Howard allowed four runs on seven hits while striking out 14 batters. The Phillies have been careful not to overuse Howard during the season, but he has pitched as an ace this season and will be a key player moving into the World Series.
World Series Preview
The Phillies will face off against the AL Central Champion Minnesota Twins in the World Series. While the Phillies secured their playoff spot with days to spare at the end of the season, the Twins (33-28) had to defeat the Chicago White Sox in a tiebreaker game to make it to the show. They then swept the New York Yankees in the ALDS before blasting through the Houston Astros 4-1 in the ALCS.
The Twins feature a top-five offense, which has been led this postseason by Max Kepler. Kepler possesses a postseason OPS of 1.313 and has hit three home runs, scoring six runs and batting in five. The Twins' offense has averaged 6.0 runs per game during the postseason compared to the Phillies' 4.64.
While the team has excelled offensively, their pitching staff is nothing to sneeze at either. Jake Odorizzi has led the charge this postseason for the Twins, going 2-0 with a 2.30 ERA in 15.2 innings pitched. Odorizzi is joined by veteran pitchers Jose Berriors, Homer Bailey, and Michael Pineda.
Game
Phillies Starter
Season ERA
Twins Starter
Season ERA
1
Aaron Nola
4.50
Jake Odorizzi
4.16
2
Zack Wheeler
4.84
Michael Pineda
6.43
3
Spencer Howard
1.13
Homer Bailey
3.30
4
Jake Arrieta
6.03
Jose Berrios
3.64
Projected World Series Starters Games 1-4
The Phillies will be without Bryce Harper for the World Series as he continues to recover from a herniated disc. Rhys Hoskins should return from his strained hamstring after Game 2, however given his performance throughout 2020, he may only see time as a pinch hitter in the World Series. The 39-21 Phillies are a far-better team than the 81-81 2019 rendition, but will they be enough to win the World Series? Find out next time!
https://phillysportsnetwork.com/2020/07/12/phillies-sim/
New to this series? Check out the entire simulated season beginning in July.
