Philadelphia Phillies Top Atlanta Braves 7-6, Take 1-0 Lead in NLDS
The Philadelphia Phillies continued to roll on the road Tuesday afternoon, taking game one of the National League Division Series 7-6 over the Atlanta Braves. The Phillies have now won three straight road playoff games in 2022.
The Phillies went eight innings without scoring in Friday's Wild Card Series opener, before the St. Louis Cardinals' bullpen imploded, giving up six runs in the top of the ninth inning. The Phillies have yet to look back.
Tuesday, they put forth arguably their best offensive performance of 2022, hanging six runs on Braves ace Max Fried in 3.1 innings. Fried exited the game in the fourth after giving up four earned runs on eight hits and one walk.
The Phillies would score another run off relief pitcher Jesse Chavez, extending their lead to 7-1. Philadelphia scored seven runs playing old school, gritty baseball, without hitting a single home run.
Nicholas Castellanos went 3-for-5 with three RBI and made an excellent sliding catch in the ninth inning to preserve the Phillies' lead.
Phillies manager Rob Thomson went to his bullpen early, pulling starter Ranger Suarez after throwing 86 pitches through 3.1 innings. The Braves would score five runs off the Phillies bullpen, three of which came from a clutch, three-run homer from Braves first baseman Matt Olson in the ninth inning off Zach Eflin.
Olson's three-run blast made it a 7-6 game with one out in the bottom of the ninth. The next batter, William Contreras smoked a hard-hit rope into right field, and Castellanos would lay out to make one of the finest plays of his career. Had he missed it, Contreras was due for extra bases, and the Braves would have a runner in scoring position with still only one out.
Castellanos' catch would snuff the Braves' rally, limiting the damage, and the Phillies took game one 7-6.
The Phillies will need to win two more games in order to reach their first National League Championship Series since 2010. They will play the Braves at Truist Park again Wednesday afternoon, then host two games at Citizens Bank Park Friday and Saturday, if necessary.
