Phillies blow out Diamondbacks 10-0 to take 2-0 lead in NLCS

Game 3 is Thursday at Chase Field.

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Wednesday, October 18, 2023
Phillies blow out Diamondbacks 10-0 to take 2-0 lead in NLCS
Phillies blow out Diamondbacks 10-0 to take 2-0 lead in NLCS

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Kyle Schwarber hit two of Philadelphia's three solo homers off Merrill Kelly, and the sweet-swinging Phillies pounded the Arizona Diamondbacks 10-0 on Tuesday night for a 2-0 lead in the NL Championship Series.

Trea Turner also connected and J.T. Realmuto had two hits and three RBIs as Philadelphia improved to 7-1 in the playoffs, moving closer to a second straight World Series appearance. Aaron Nola tossed three-hit ball and struck out seven in six innings.

Kyle Schwarber celebrates his home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the third inning in Game 2 of the baseball NLCS in Philadelphia, Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023.
(AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Game 3 is Thursday at Chase Field. The Texas Rangers also hold a 2-0 lead over the Houston Astros in the ALCS headed into Wednesday's game.

It was another loud night in Philly as Kelly was roasted after saying fans at Citizens Bank Park could not possibly be any louder than the ones he heard cheering for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic.

Not just any Classic game. The one in May when Turner hit a grand slam for the United States that lifted them into the tournament's semifinals.

"I haven't obviously heard this place on the field," Kelly said ahead of Game 1, "but I would be very surprised if it trumped that (WBC) game down in Miami."

As the kids say, challenge accepted.

Trea Turner hits a home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning in Game 2 of the baseball NL Championship Series in Philadelphia, Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023.
(AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Kelly, a 12-game winner this season, was voraciously booed from pregame introductions to his walk to the mound, a sort of we'll-show-you vibe from 45,412 Phillies diehards determined to shake the ballpark again in October.

How loud?

"AC/DC concert level," loud, Turner said before Game 2.

Phillies manager Rob Thomson said a rival coach told him last season that a playoff game in Philly was "four hours of hell," and Turner sent a charge through the crowd when he clocked a four-seam fastball to left-center field for a 1-0 lead in the first.

Phillies fans this postseason have been registered as high as 112 decibels, per The Philadelphia Inquirer -- the equivalent of standing next to a jackhammer -- and Turner's shot powered toward that mark.

Boisterous fans are great. So is the long ball. Schwarber's homers in the third and sixth were Philadelphia's 14th and 15th homers in the last four games as the Phillies continue to mash their way through October.

Pitching, though, remains the ultimate decider.

Nola, eligible for free agency after the World Series, has only fattened the numbers for his impending contract. The longest-tenured Phillie, Nola has won all three postseason starts and struck out 19. His ERA, 0.96.

Nola tossed seven shutout innings in the Wild Card Series against Miami and struck out nine against the Braves in the NLDS. Against Corbin Carroll, Christian Walker and the Diamondbacks, Nola again was spotless.

The Phillies flashed their leather to keep Arizona in check. Bryce Harper made a diving stab at first to get Carroll in the third. Alec Bohm made a diving snag at third and one-hopped the throw to get Gabriel Moreno in the second.

Kelly was booed off the mound when he was lifted for Joe Mantiply in the sixth and left a runner on base. Bryson Stott singled and Realmuto followed with a two-run double. After a two-out walk, Brandon Marsh added an RBI double for a 6-0 lead.

At that point, there was no use stretching Nola, not when the Phillies could save him for a start later in the series - or possibly, his next one against a team from Texas.

BROAD STREET BOMBERS

The Phillies have four individual multihomer games this postseason, tying the 2009 Phillies and 2002 Angels for the most by a team in a postseason.

Schwarber, who hit six for the Phillies in last season's playoffs, has 18 career in the postseason. Only six players are ahead of him in MLB history.

Schwarber had the crowd standing in anticipation of a third homer in the seventh but he walked.

The Phillies beat the Braves 10-2 in Game 3 of the NLDS, marking the second time in franchise history (2009) they have scored 10 runs in multiple games in a single postseason.

OUT OF SORTS

The Diamondbacks are headed home all out of sorts. Stott popped one up 17 feet from the plate in the seventh that three fielders looked at and let drop for a single. He scored on a sacrifice fly for a 10-0 lead.

UP NEXT

The Diamondbacks will throw rookie right-hander Brandon Pfaadt (3-9, 5.72 ERA) in Game 3 while the Phillies start left-hander Ranger Suárez (4-6, 4.18 ERA; 1-0 postseason).

FULL SCHEDULE

  • Game 1: Phillies host Diamondbacks at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia on Monday, Oct. 16 at 8:07 p.m. EST (Phillies win 5-3)
  • Game 2: Phillies host Diamondbacks at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia on Tuesday, Oct. 17 at 8:07 p.m. EST (Phillies win 10-0)
  • Game 3: Diamondbacks host Phillies at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona on Thursday, Oct. 19 at 5:07 p.m. EST
  • Game 4: Diamondbacks host Phillies at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona on Friday, Oct. 20 at 8:07 p.m. EST
  • Game 5: Diamondbacks host Phillies at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona on Saturday, Oct. 21 at 8:07 p.m. EST (if necessary)
  • Game 6: Phillies host Diamondbacks at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia on Monday, Oct. 23 at 5:07 p.m. EST (if necessary)
  • Game 7: Phillies host Diamondbacks at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia on Tuesday, Oct. 24 at 8:07 p.m. EST (if necessary)

HIGHLIGHTS FROM GAME 2

10:37 p.m. -- Castellanos hit sacrifice fly to left, Stott scored. Phillies lead 10-0

10:35 p.m. -- Realmuto singled to left, Bohm scored, Stott to third. Phillies lead 9-0

10:29 p.m. -- Bohm doubled to center, Harper scored and Schwarber scored. Phillies lead 8-0

10:08 p.m. -- Marsh doubled to left, Realmuto scored, Castellanos to third. Phillies lead 6-0

10:06 p.m. -- Realmuto doubled to center, Stott scored and Turner scored. Phillies lead 5-0

9:49 p.m. -- Kyle Schwarber hits his 2nd homer of the night. Phillies lead 3-0

9:02 p.m. -- Phillies set postseason home run record

8:54 p.m. -- Kyle Schwarber hits solo homer. Phillies lead 2-0

8:20 p.m. -- Trea Turner hits a solo homer. Phillies lead 1-0

8:00 p.m. -- Ceremonial first pitches thrown by 1980 World Series champion and NLCS MVP Manny Trillo and 1983 NL champion and NLCS MVP Gary "Sarge" Matthews.

4:01 p.m. -- Lineup released

3:31 p.m. -- Players arrive at the ballpark

The Associated Press contributed to this post.