The Philadelphia Phillies looked to clean the slate after blowing a four-run lead in the series-opening loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday night. Saturday afternoon's contest did not start out great for Philly, but the Phillies sluggers did just enough to secure a 4-3 win over the Diamondbacks.
Kyle Schwarber blasted a three-run home run in the fourth inning to flip the scoreboard at Citizens Bank Park in favor of the home squad, 3-2. Bryce Harper stepped up next and powered a ball over the short fence in centerfield for a 4-2 lead. Once the lead was in hand, five Phillies relievers (Tim Mayza, Orion Kerkering, Jose Alvarado, Brad Keller, and Jhoan Duran) held down the fort as Philadelphia cruised to the slim one-run victory over Arizona to even up the three-game series.
Phillies starter Taijuan Walker took the ball for Philly but struggled in the first inning as he has done for much of the early 2025–26 season. Walker allowed a lead-off home run to Ketel Marte on the third pitch of the afternoon to put Philadelphia behind 1-0 early. Adrian Del Castillo singled to center field, scoring Corbin Carroll from second base to provide a 2-0 advantage for the road squad. The 33-year-old right-hander settled into the ballgame, allowing four hits and two runs over five innings of action.
Diamondbacks starter Brandon Pfaadt did not face the same early issues as Walker. The 27-year-old righty did not allow his first hit of the ballgame until the third inning. Unfortunately for Arizona, that hit led to runners on base when Schwarber waltzed to home plate to smack his game-changing trot around the bases. Pfaadt exited the game after allowing four runs on five hits over six innings.
Arizona struck late against Keller and threatened to tie the ballgame in the eighth inning. The Phillies reliever walked Geraldo Perdomo before back-to-back singles from Del Castillo and Jose Fernandez sliced Philadelphia’s lead in half at 4-3. Keller hunkered down to strike out Nolan Arenado and get out of the jam with a lead intact. Jhoan Duran entered for the ninth inning and secured his fifth save of the 2025-26 campaign with a 1-2-3 inning against the bottom of Arizona's lineup.
The Phillies wrap up the series against the Diamondbacks tomorrow afternoon at Citizens Bank Park, with a 1:35 pm first pitch. It should be a fun day at the ballpark as the organization celebrates the Phillie Phanatic’s birthday, which usually comes with some guests and surprises. All Phillies fans 14 and under will receive a birthday present (a Colonial Phanatic Bobble) from the Phillies for celebrating the Phanatic’s special day.
