San Diego Padres vs Philadelphia Phillies Game 4 of the NLCS: reactions and takeaways

Now just one win away from World Series, the Phillies put on a show on Saturday night against the Padres and that’s why we’re taking a look at who did what and exactly how it all went down.

Phillies go 3-1 up in the NLCS

On Saturday night, the Philadelphia Phillies defeated the San Diego Padres 10-6 in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series. With the win, the Phillies are now in the driver’s seat with a 3-1 lead over the Padres in the best-of-seven series as they prepare for Sunday’s Game 5. Should they manage to claim victory, they will be making their first appearance in a World Series since 2009. Assuming they make it there, they will face the winner of the ALCS being played out between the Houston Astros and the New York Yankees. In case you’re wondering, the Astros currently lead that series 3-0.

In terms of how the dramatic game played out, it was actually the Phillies who went behind in the early stages, with the Padres taking a 4-0 lead in the top of the very first inning. Philly apparently wasn’t having it and they responded with three quick runs of their own. To that end, both starting pitchers were removed before the second inning even began. From there things would level out for a while, before the Phillies tied the game in the fourth. Incredibly, the see-saw would continue in the fifth with the Padres retaking the lead courtesy of a Juan Soto two-run blast. Unfortunately, it was not to be for the Padres. The Phillies would rally once again and across just three innings would come from 6-4 down to 10-6 up! Rhys Hoskins announced himself - twice - with a pair of home runs and then there was Bryce Harper, who got in on the act with two RBI doubles. Not to be left out, Kyle Schwarber and JT Realmuto hit a home run each for good measure. As things stand, the Phillies are on the verge of claiming the NL pennant and a spot in the World Series, but exactly how did it all go down? Let’s take a look:

The Starters for both the Phillies & Padres had a bad night

As we mentioned above, the Padres got out to a 4-0 lead right off the bat. What’s curious about that, is the fact that Phillies starting pitcher Bailey Falter had two immediate outs to start the game. After that, however, things went downhill pretty quickly. The first Padres run came off of a Manny Machado home run and then there was a single, walk and double and that was it. 3-0 Padres and off he went. As we said above, it would be 4-0 before the inning was over. When the switch finally came, Mike Clevinger followed a similar route. The Padres starter gave up a leadoff single, which was followed by a Rhys Hoskins home run, a walk and then Bryce Harper chipped in with a double. That brought the score to 4-3 and with that Clevinger’s shift was over.

The relievers for the Phillies & Padres brought some calm

Unlike their starters, the relievers for both the Padres and Phillies brought some degree of calm to the proceedings for a while. Indeed, both were actually exceptional. First up, was of course Philadelphia’s Connor Brogdon who did allow his inherited runner to score on a hit, but after that there wouldn’t be another in the almost 3 innings that he pitched. As for San Diego’s Martinez, he was perhaps one of the standout performers of the night. Of the nine batters that he faced across three innings, not one survived. Quite frankly, one has to wonder if the Padres may have found more success had he remained in the game. Even more so, when considering that Sean Manae who came in next would go on to give up five runs in total.

What’s up with Juan Soto?

Since they acquired him just before the trade deadline in a blockbuster deal, the Padres’ Juan Soto has been flying below the radar. To that point, some Padres fans could even be heard chanting “overrated” as the game wore on. To be clear, heading into Game 4 Soto was on a batting average of .231/.302/.282 in the playoffs. There was of course his double in Game 2, but that was basically it. In Game 4, however, Soto reminded fans that he’s still among the best. See for yourself:

The Phillies stars rallied for the win

If there’s one thing that stood out in Game 4, it’s the way in which the Phillies big boys got to work when they were down. Soto’s home run only seemed to ignite the fire, as the top order went to work in the bottom of the fifth. First, it was Rhys Hoskins with his second home run on the night which tied the game at 6-6. Interestingly, Hoskins’ night was only the eighth time a player has had a multi-home game in the Phillies’ post season history. From there, Philadelphia would start to pour it on. J.T. Realmuto would walk, then score on a Bryce Harper double to give the Phillies a new lead, followed by Harper himself who would score on a curious single that bounced off second base. Now at 8-6, Kyle Schwarber’s massive hit took it to 9-6 and then not to be left out, Realmuto launched a solo home run to close it down at 10-6. Goodnight.

Now, we prepare for Sunday’s Game 5 which could in fact be the last of the series if the Padres can’t get their act together. First pitch will be at 2:37 p.m. ET so be sure to check in with us, as we’ll be bringing you the details and the updates you want!