Nick Castellanos hit a grand slam and the Philadelphia Phillies rallied for two runs in the seventh inning to defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers 8-7 on Sunday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park. The win allowed the Phillies to take two out of three games in the weekend series, handing the defending World Series champions their only two losses of the young season.
The Dodgers entered the game as slight road favorites, with most sportsbooks placing them at around -125 on the moneyline. The Phillies, backed by a strong home crowd, were listed at approximately +105. The over-under for the contest was set at 8.5 runs, a figure easily surpassed in a back-and-forth game featuring 15 total runs and multiple lead changes.
Teoscar Hernández led the Dodgers offensively with two home runs and five batted in, marking his 19th career multi-homer game. He connected for a two-run home run in the first inning and added a solo shot in the fourth off the right field foul pole, helping Los Angeles take an early lead. Hernández later tied the game in the seventh with a sacrifice fly.
Castellanos responded with a decisive swing in the third inning. Facing reliever Alex Vesia, Castellanos drove the first pitch he saw into the left-field seats for his eighth career grand slam. The home run highlighted a six-run inning for Philadelphia, which turned a 2-0 deficit into a 6-2 lead. The Dodgers chipped away with runs in the fourth and seventh innings, ultimately reclaiming the lead at 7-6 after Will Smith drove in Mookie Betts with a double off the right-field wall.
The Phillies mounted their comeback in the bottom of the seventh. Bryce Harper led off the inning with a deep line drive to center field that was misjudged by Andy Pages and resulted in a leadoff double. Bryson Stott followed with an RBI single to right field that tied the game. Moments later, Edmundo Sosa hit a ground ball to shortstop that had the potential to be a double play, but he beat the throw to first, allowing the go-ahead run to score.
Cristopher Sánchez started for Philadelphia and managed to contain a dangerous Dodgers lineup. Shohei Ohtani was held in check, finishing 0-for-4 with three strikeouts against Sánchez. The left-hander navigated through early trouble, giving the Phillies a chance to build their lead.
Orion Kerkering earned the win in relief for Philadelphia, while José Alvarado pitched a scoreless ninth inning to record his second save of the season. Blake Treinen took the loss for Los Angeles, allowing two runs in the seventh.
The Dodgers will travel to Washington to open a three-game series against the Nationals on Monday. Right-hander Dustin May, who has yet to allow a run this season, is scheduled to start. Washington will counter with left-hander MacKenzie Gore, who has a 2.64 ERA through two outings.
Philadelphia, now 7-4, will begin a three-game road series in Atlanta on Tuesday. The opening game features a high-profile pitching matchup between 2024 National League Cy Young winner Chris Sale of the Braves and runner-up Zack Wheeler of the Phillies.
