Big night from the bats helps Phillies clinch first-round bye

Final Score: Phillies 9, Cubs 6

Trea Turner, Nick Castellanos and Kody Clemens each homered, while Brandon Marsh and Bryson Stott had big hits of their own as the Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Chicago Cubs Wednesday.

The 94th win of the season for the Phillies not only earned them a series victory, but when coupled with a Milwaukee Brewers loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates, secured a first-round bye in the NL playoffs.

For Cristopher Sánchez, it was an underwhelming final performance in what’s otherwise been a tremendous regular season. He lasted 4 2/3 innings, giving up five hits and four runs, three of which were earned.

Still, it was quite the breakout year for the 27-year-old. He’ll finish the season 11-9, 3.27 ERA, 2.99 FIP, two complete games and a 4.7 WAR over 181 2/3 innings pitched. His next start will likely come in either Game 2 of Game 3 of the NLDS.

Highlights

• Turner homered in the bottom of the first inning, his 20th home run of the season. It’s the fourth time in Turner’s career that he’s hit 20 homers in a season, and second in as many years with the Phillies:

• Later in the frame, Bryson Stott split the left-center field gap, bringing Bryce Harper and Nick Castellanos home:

• Castellanos, a former Cub, extended the lead to 4-0 with an opposite-field home run in the bottom of the third inning:

• Nico Hoerner got the Cubs back within one in the top of the fourth inning with a three-run home run. Only two of those three runs were charged to Sánchez, as Stott committed an error earlier in the frame:

• Kody Clemens, getting the start at third base, hit a solo home run to center field in the home half of the fourth inning:

• Former NL MVP Cody Bellinger knocked Sánchez out of the game in the top of the fifth inning by smoking a single into left field that plated Dansby Swanson. Fortunately for the Phillies, José Ruiz escaped the inning without any further damage.

• In the bottom of the fifth inning, Brandon Marsh cleared the bases with a three-run double:

• Hoerner took Ruiz deep in the top of the sixth, giving him the first multi-home run game of his career:

• In the bottom of the seventh inning, J.T. Realmuto singled in Stott, extending the lead to 9-5 for the Phillies.

• Swanson doubled in a run off of Carlos Estévez in the bottom of the ninth inning, but the righty was ultimately able to finish things off.

Ticket IQ Next Game

• Friday, Sept. 27 vs. Nationals
• 6:45 p.m. ET
• TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia
• Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP
• Spanish Radio: WTTM 1680

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