Categories: 2022 Postgame RecapsNews

Aaron Nola, Phillies blow 4-run lead in NLCS Game 2

Aaron Nola struggled in Game 2. (John Adams/Icon Sportswire)

Final: Padres 8, Phillies 5

For the rest of their lives, Philadelphia Phillies fans will be skeptical when the team takes a 4-0 lead in Game 2 of a postseason series and one of their aces is on the mound.

In Game 2 of the 2011 NLDS, the Phillies jumped out to a 4-0 lead, only to see Cliff Lee cough up the lead to the St. Louis Cardinals while their offense went stagnant.

Just over 11 years later, the Phillies scored four runs in a second inning where everything seemed to be going their way, but they couldn’t put together any more big innings, with Aaron Nola unable to replicate the success of his first two postseason outings.

The vibes for the Phillies early on, as the kids say, were immaculate.

With Bryce Harper and Nick Castellanos already on base after singles in the top of the second inning, Alec Bohm kept the line moving with a single of his own, which brought home the first run of the game:

Jean Segura was then struck out by Blake Snell, and it appeared that Matt Vierling had flown out to Juan Soto in right field for the second out . The sun, though, had other plans:

After Soto struggled to see the ball in the sun, Jurickson Profar seemed to have trouble getting a read on a ball that Edmundo Sosa hit into left field and ultimately allowed it to drop in front of him for another run:

It only took the Padres two pitches to cut the lead in half, as Brandon Drury lined the first pitch of the bottom of the second inning over the left field wall:

Josh Bell swung at the next pitch from Nola, and delivered the same result, even if it took an entirely different path:

And while Aaron won the first battle against Austin of the game, his older brother got to him in the bottom of the fifth inning, singling in Ha-seong Kim and then scoring the tying run on a Juan Soto double:

Their father, A.J. Nola, was clearly conflicted:

Nola didn’t make it through the fifth, but Brad Hand struggled in relief. The former Padre hit Jake Cronenworth, before allowing consecutive hits from Drury and Bell, which brought home three runs:

Harper greeted Nick Martinez with a double off the right-center field wall in the top of the sixth inning, only for Castellanos, Bohm and Segura to be retired, stranding the reigning NL MVP on third base. Martinez would return for the seventh inning, setting the Phillies down in order.

A calf injury cost David Robertson a chance to be on the NLDS roster, but the Phillies determined he had progressed well enough to return for the NLCS. He entered the bottom of the seventh inning attempting to keep the deficit at three.

Manny Machado welcomed him back to the postseason with a leadoff home run, a no-doubt-about-it shot that went 424 feet:

To his credit, Rhys Hoskins responded with a leadoff home run of his own off of Robert Suárez in the top of the eighth inning:

Josh Hader had to face both Alec Bohm and Matt Vierling in the top of the ninth inning, but exorcised some demons from early June, setting Bohm, Segura and Vierling down in order to secure a Padres win.

With the series shifting back to Philadelphia for the next three games, the Phillies still find themselves in a very good situation. They took one of two in San Diego, and are heading back to a raucous Citizens Bank Park.

But just like in the NLDS, Game 2 was there for the taking. In fact, things felt early on like it could be a laugher. Instead, it ended up as a comfortable win for the Padres, who have seized momentum in the series.

Shibe Vintage Sports Starting Pitching Performance

Aaron Nola

had been unconscious dating back to the beginning of September, but the 29-year-old struggled Wednesday, allowing seven hits and six earned runs over 4 2/3 innings. Starters aren’t going to shove every outing, but when you’re spotted four runs, you need to be able to buckle down and hand a lead over a comfortable lead to your bullpen.
Blake Snell gave up four runs in a fluky second inning, but really wasn’t hit hard by the Phillies in Game 2. His final line saw him allow four runs over five innings, while striking out six batters. The former American League Cy Young Award winner managed to keep the Padres within striking distance, which is all you can ask for after getting in a hole early.

Phillies Nugget Of The Game

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