Late Game Heroics Fall Just Short as Phillies Drop NLDS Game 2 to Dodgers

Blake Snell throws six strong, Dodgers bullpen barely holds on to beat Phillies, extending Philadelphia's playoff losing streak to four games

Oct 6, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber (12) reacts to striking out against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the eighth inning during game two of the NLDS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies are officially one game away from elimination, falling short once again in Game 2 of the NLDS to the Los Angeles Dodgers in excruciating fashion by a score of 4-3.

Offseason acquisition Jesus Luzado was given the ball to follow up a solid 5.2 innings of work by Cristopher Sanchez in Game 1, and he delivered. Six gleaming innings highlighted by retiring 17 hitters in a row, a streak that began after getting out of a two-on, one-out jam in the first.

Jesús Luzardo gave it all for the Phillies. Absolutely gutsy performance. pic.twitter.com/gXG3wc7aby

— Pitch Profiler (@pitchprofiler) October 7, 2025

He had all of his pitches working, with his fastball consistently sitting in the upper 90s and his slider frequently fooling Dodgers hitters. On a relatively efficient pitch count, Luzardo started the seventh inning, where the issues began to pile up. A leadoff single by Teoscar Hernandez, followed by a double by Freddie Freeman, marked the end of a fantastic outing by the southpaw.

Phillies manager Rob Thomson's first move to the pen was to bring in electric righthander Orion Kerkering. After striking out 2024 postseason hero Tommy Edman on a 99 MPH fastball on the outside corner, he forced Kike Hernandez to expand the zone and hit a weak ground ball. Unfortunately for Kerkering, Trea Turner's throw was up the first base line, and JT Realmuto's tag was a split second too late.

He walked pinch-hitter Max Muncy on four pitches, got Andy Pages to pop out in foul territory, but then a first-pitch two-run single by Will Smith extended the lead to three. Matt Strahm entered the game to face likely National League MVP award recipient Shohei Ohtani, who immediately scorched a 111 MPH single through the second base gap to get the fourth run home, before getting Mookie Betts to fly out and end the inning.

The Phillies pushed their first run across in the bottom of the eighth inning, with a pinch-hit Max Kepler double driven home by a Trea Turner single. Three straight hits started the ninth inning and scored two runs, but a failed bunt and subsequent groundouts by Kepler and Turner.

Add It To the Heartbreak List

Asking any Phillies fan who's experienced the team's last three playoff collapses, the 2025 NLDS has simply been a microcosm of their postseason issues in the 2020s.

Turner's RBI single was the singular positive that Philadelphia's $709 million top three of him, Kyle Schwarber, and Bryce Harper were able to generate in the egregious Game 2 loss. The Phillies offense has become addicted to slumping in October, and they appear to have access to an endless supply.

"As an offense we have to be better."

Bryce Harper on Philly's performance in Game 1. pic.twitter.com/6demV9hpYb

— TNT Sports U.S. (@TNTSportsUS) October 5, 2025

Dodgers starter Blake Snell completely neutralized the entire offense, and the once-feared Philadelphia crowd was once again entirely taken out of the game. The offense was limited to just one hit and zero runs through six innings from the former Cy Young Award winner, looking far more like a lifeless husk than a lineup featuring six former All Stars.

The series has just been more of the same for the Phillies, as they once again find themselves on the brink of major disappointment. Their ninth-inning rally proved to be too little, too late, as rookie Roki Sasaki finished off Turner and the game.

The Phillies' final chance to extend their season will be Wednesday at 9:08 PM EST, as they travel to Los Angeles to face Japanese star and $300 million man Yoshinobu Yamamoto.