Blake Snell delivered six shutout innings and the Los Angeles Dodgers held off a late rally by the Philadelphia Phillies to secure a 4-3 victory Monday night at Citizens Bank Park, taking a 2-0 lead in the National League Division Series.
Oddsmakers had the Dodgers as narrow -120 moneyline favorites entering Game 2, with the Phillies listed at even odds (+100). The over/under was set at 8 runs, and the teams combined for 7, finishing just under the total.
Snell, a two-time Cy Young Award winner, allowed one hit and struck out nine in one of his most dominant postseason performances. The left-hander worked through traffic with four walks but never allowed a runner past first base through six innings, leaving with a 3-0 lead after throwing 99 pitches. His only hit allowed came in the fifth inning on a two-out single by Edmundo Sosa. The outing extended a stretch of postseason dominance for Los Angeles pitching, as the Dodgers improved to 4-0 in the playoffs.
Offensively, the Dodgers broke a scoreless tie in the seventh inning against Phillies starter Jesús Luzardo, who matched Snell through the early innings before faltering late. Luzardo had retired 17 straight batters after throwing 24 pitches in the first, but Teoscar Hernández opened the seventh with a single, and Freddie Freeman followed with a double. Kiké Hernández then hit a slow roller to shortstop, and Trea Turner’s rushed throw home sailed high, allowing Hernández to slide in safely with the game’s first run.
Will Smith followed with a two-run single to left, pushing the lead to 3-0. Shohei Ohtani added a run-scoring single off reliever Matt Strahm for his first series hit, giving Los Angeles a 4-0 advantage. Ohtani had struck out four times in the series opener and again in his first at-bat Monday, but rebounded with a key RBI in the late innings.
Freeman’s defense proved just as vital as his bat. In the bottom of the ninth, with the tying run on base, Phillies batting champion Trea Turner hit a grounder to second, forcing Tommy Edman into a low throw. Freeman dropped to his knees to make the backhand scoop, keeping his right foot on the bag to record the final out as he rolled onto his back holding the ball. The play preserved Roki Sasaki’s second series save and completed a tense finish after the Dodgers’ bullpen nearly surrendered the lead.
The Phillies mounted their rally against reliever Blake Treinen, who allowed a leadoff single before Nick Castellanos doubled home two runs. With Castellanos representing the tying run at second, Bryson Stott bunted, and third baseman Max Muncy made a quick throw to shortstop Mookie Betts covering second for the tag. Sasaki then entered and retired Turner to end the game.
Phillies manager Rob Thomson said after the loss that his team needed to “carry the fight” from the late innings into Game 3, which will take place Wednesday night in Los Angeles. The Phillies will start right-hander Aaron Nola, while the Dodgers will counter with Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who struck out nine in his previous playoff start.
The Dodgers, now one win away from advancing to their 17th National League Championship Series, have won 80 of 90 postseason series in which they’ve taken a 2-0 lead.