The Los Angeles Dodgers moved within one victory of advancing to the National League Championship Series after a 4–3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 2 of the NL Division Series on Monday night at Citizens Bank Park. Entering the game, major sportsbooks listed Los Angeles as a slight favorite, generally around –120, with the Phillies near even money at approximately +100. Behind another elite postseason outing from Blake Snell and a tense ninth-inning defensive stand, the Dodgers secured a crucial road victory and a commanding series advantage.
Snell, a two-time Cy Young Award winner, delivered six scoreless innings, allowing only one hit and striking out nine. His dominant performance followed an equally strong outing in the opener by Los Angeles’ pitching staff. Snell walked four but repeatedly worked out of trouble, keeping Philadelphia’s top hitters silent for most of the night. Through six innings, the Phillies’ core of Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, and Bryce Harper produced just one hit in ten at-bats with five strikeouts.
The Dodgers held a narrow 1–0 lead entering the seventh inning, when they finally broke through against Philadelphia starter Jesús Luzardo. Luzardo, who threw 24 pitches in the first inning before settling into a strong rhythm, retired seventeen straight Dodgers before Teoscar Hernández opened the seventh with a single. Freddie Freeman followed with a double, forcing the Phillies to turn to reliever Orion Kerkering.
A slow roller off the bat of Kiké Hernández produced the inning’s first run, as Turner’s rushed throw home allowed Hernández to score on a sliding play at the plate. Will Smith then delivered a two-run single, extending the lead to 3–0. Shohei Ohtani added an RBI single off Matt Strahm later in the inning, marking his first hit of the series and pushing the Dodgers’ lead to 4–0.
Philadelphia, largely quiet offensively through six innings, began to show signs of life in the late innings. Max Kepler tripled in the eighth and scored on a single by Turner, cutting the deficit to 4–1. In the ninth, the Phillies mounted their strongest rally of the series. Facing reliever Blake Treinen, Nick Castellanos drove a two-run double into the gap. He slid headfirst into second base, narrowly evading a tag that brought the crowd of over forty-five thousand to its feet.
With the tying run on base, the Dodgers made a critical defensive play. Bryson Stott attempted a bunt to advance Castellanos, but third baseman Max Muncy reacted quickly and threw to shortstop Mookie Betts covering second. Betts applied a swift tag to retire Castellanos, halting the momentum. After a pinch-hit single by Harrison Bader and a fielder’s choice by Kepler, the Phillies placed runners on the corners with two outs and Turner coming to the plate.
Rookie reliever Roki Sasaki, who earned the save in Game 1, entered once again. Turner bounced a ground ball to second base, and Freeman secured the final out with a difficult backhand pick of a low throw from Tommy Edman, maintaining contact with first base as he fell backward. The defensive stop clinched the victory and handed Sasaki his second save of the postseason.
The Phillies, who went 1-for-18 with nine strikeouts through the first six innings, again found themselves frustrated after another game of missed opportunities. Manager Rob Thomson indicated he planned to speak with the team before Game 3, hoping to reset their approach with the series shifting to Los Angeles.
The Dodgers have now started the postseason 4–0 and remain one win away from reaching their seventeenth NLCS in franchise history. Teams that take a 2–0 lead in a best-of-five postseason series have advanced eighty out of ninety times. With two home games ahead, Los Angeles holds a strong advantage.
Game 3 will feature right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto for the Dodgers against Philadelphia’s Aaron Nola. Yamamoto struck out nine in his previous postseason outing, while Nola looks to extend the Phillies’ season and force the series back to Philadelphia.
