Final Score: Nick Castellanos 3, Braves 2
The Phillies have eight walk-off hits this season. Half of them have come off the bat of Nick Castellanos.
Castellanos, the Phillies’ Mr. Clutch this season, drove in all three runs in the Phillies’ 3-2 walk-off win against the Atlanta Braves in 11 innings. After homering against Braves reliever Grant Holmes to win the first game of the series, Castellanos hit an 1-2 pitch from Holmes up the middle for a base hit to drive in the winning run.
In the biggest series of the season, the Phillies got the job done. They took three out of four against Atlanta, increasing the lead in the National League East from five to seven games.
Braves starter Spencer Schwellenbach was in cruise control until he got to two outs in the sixth. A Trea Turner single and a pair of doubles from Bryce Harper and Castellanos tied the game at two. More importantly for the Phillies, it led to the Braves pulling the starter and going to the lefty Dylan Lee after just 82 pitches. Lee retired the next batter Bryson Stott on three pitches to prevent the tying run from scoring. The Braves bullpen then went on to retire six straight Phillies hitters.
But the Phillies bullpen was better. Orion Kerkering and Jeff Hoffman both allowed the leadoff batter to reach and retired the Braves 1-2-3 in their respective innings. Matt Strahm worked around a bases loaded jam in the ninth and Carlos Estévez stranded the ghost runner at second in the 10th and 11th.
Highlights
- Michael Harris II drove a 3-2 curveball into the first row of right-center field for a solo home run to make it 1-0 Atlanta. It was Harris’ third-career home run against Nola. Whit Merrifield beat out a double play ball an inning later to make it 2-0. Merrifield was initially called out, but the Braves challenged and replay review overturned the call.
- Things began to turn for the Phillies in the sixth against Schwellenbach. All with two outs, Turner singled, Harper hit a looper the other way for a double and Castellanos caught an 0-2 hanging slider for a two-run hustle double to tie the game. Stott struck out swinging against the lefty Lee to strand Castellanos at second.
- Strahm worked out of a serious jam in the top of the ninth to keep the game scoreless. After walking two batters for only the second time this season and loading the bases with one out, Strahm induced a pop up against Orlando Arcia and got former Phillie Luke Williams to fly out to end the inning.
Ticket IQ Next Game
- Tuesday, Sept. 3 vs. Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre
- 7:07 p.m. EST
- NBC Sports Philadelphia
- 94 WIP
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