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Quick Observations After Phillies Fight Back for Game 2 NLDS Win

Luke Arcaini

By Luke Arcaini

Published:

Oct 6, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos (8) congratulates first base Bryce Harper (3) after hitting a home-run in the sixth inning against the New York Mets during game two of the NLDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

What a baseball game. Nick Castellanos walks it off after a nail-biting Game 2.

Signs of Game 1 showed up early in the Sunday afternoon matchup. The bats were off, the chase rate was up, and the vibes were down.

Cristopher Sanchez allowed a 2-run homer to Pete Alonso early, but I really like how he looked in his first high-leverage postseason start. He settled in. He got out of jams. He didn’t let the moment get to him.

After 5 innings of putrid at-bats, Trea Turner ripped a single in the 6th. Bryce Harper came to the plate and had his first big moment of the 2024 playoffs, followed right behind by Casty:

Orion Kerkering looked good. Unfortunately, it was just one bad pitch that blew his inning. The stuff was there vs. Lindor and Vientos, but he left one over the plate for a Brandon Nimmo go-ahead homer.

I loved what I saw from Carlos Estevez. The slider was on and the fastball had a ton of bite. The vibes around Estevez were a little iffy coming into October, but I think today was a massive game for the veteran.

The 8th inning was one of the best innings of the entire Phillies season. Following a Trea Turner strikeout, the Phils offense went on a spur…

  1. Bryce Harper walk
  2. Nick Castellanos single
  3. Bryson Stott two-rune triple
  4. JT Realmuto RBI on a fielder’s choice

At this point you’d think the game is over. Mark Vientos had other plans. His second homer of the day came off of Matt Strahm, tying the game at 6-6.

Trea Turner walked, Bryce Harper waked, and Nick Castellanos won it on a hanger. What an outstanding baseball game.

Quick Takeaways

  • Strahm is iffy right now…bad timing. He gets so deep in counts and is having trouble putting guys away. It was obviously better than Game 1, but it’s still not encouraging.
  • Bryson Stott is a winner. You can look at his stats, and even his playoff stats, over the last two years, but it seems like he just always gets the big hit.
  • Even if it’s 1 out…that’s a big out for Jeff Hoffman’s confidence.
  • Castellanos is the game changer. I’ve talked about this multiple times already. He is absolutely the X-factor in this series. If he is productive at the plate, this team wins. It’s as simple as that.

Kinkead: gotta ask Topper why Estevez came out after eight pitches. Strahm has been great all year long, and you’d normally trust him and Hoffman with any situation, but it seemed strange to go to him considering how good Estevez looked

Luke Arcaini
Luke Arcaini

Luke Arcaini writes about the Phillies for Crossing Broad, covers the Phillies for FOX Sports The Gambler, and co-hosts "Phillies Digest" on YouTube. The wave is the worst thing in all of sports. Contact: lukearcaini8@gmail.com

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