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It Ain’t Over: 13 Observations After an Offensive Explosion and Game 3 Phillies Victory
By Luke Arcaini
Published:
The Phillies offense exploded on Wednesday night to save their season, piling on Clayton Kershaw late in the game for an 8-2 victory.
Here are 13 observations from Wednesday night’s win:
1: Was that a bit from Rob Thomson? Bunting Trea Turner in the first at-bat of the night? Don’t love that play call!
2: Brandon Marsh shouldn’t have dove for that ball in center. Maybe he thought he had a chance from his angle, but he didn’t. Instead of a single for Mookie Betts, it turned into a triple with 1 out in the 1st.
3: That was a massive get-out from Aaron Nola. He froze Will Smith on a sick knuckle-curve to get out of the jam unharmed. Nola, coming into Wednesday’s Game 3, had a 7.94 ERA in the 1st inning in 2025.
4: Nola did his job. He struck out three batters and got through the order one time, allowing no runs and just one hit. The plan was one time through the order for Nola, then Ranger Suarez, and the Phillies veteran made it happen.
5: You just can’t make this stuff up. Rob Thomson goes to Suarez, which was the right move, and he allowed a solo homer after he threw a meatball middle/middle on his first pitch of the night. 1-0 Dodgers.
6: Oh my god, Kyle Schwarber. That ball left the stadium!
7: Maybe, just maybe, that was the spark the Phillies needed. The Phillies proceeded with a Bryce Harper single, an Alec Bohm single that lead to an error and a free base for Harper, followed by a sac fly from Brandon Marsh. JT Realmuto followed that with a ground-rule double. This team has FINALLY started to hit the baseball.
8: Just a really big missed opportunity for the Phillies in the top of the 5th. Two singles from Bryson Stott and Trea Turner, followed by two bad at-bats from Schwarber and Harper. The Dodgers intentionally walked Bohm to get Marsh to the plate against a lefty. Marsh was dealt an automatic strike for not being in the box in time, and went down on two pitches. Phillies had 2-on, no outs, and couldn’t extend the lead.
9: The Dodgers elected to go to Kershaw for the top of the Phillies order in the 7th. The Phillies had the advantage, with all three of Turner, Schwarber, and Harper having seen Kershaw a bunch. Both Turner and Schwarber have a career .400+ average against him. Turner ripped a single and Schwarber walked, then it got sloppy. Harper ripped a liner but the runners couldn’t tag. Kershaw threw a ball in the dirt, Trea broke for 3rd, stopped, and Schwarber got picked off of first. That just can’t happen. The Phillies, once again, strand two-on, and no outs.
10: Suarez, you absolute dawg. Was it close? Yeah. If Ohtani’s flyout in the 7th had one more foot, was it out? Probably. But it wasn’t. The Nola and Suarez plan worked to perfection. I know he hasn’t given fans a lot to get excited about, but shoutout to Thomson for that one.
11: Realmuto has been hitting a ton of balls hard. It’s about time he’s seen a positive result. He crushes one to left-center to extend the Phillies lead to 4-1!
12: This baseball team. I know you hated them for the last week. But man, they don’t give up. An offensive explosion in the 8th off of Clayton Kershaw, including a 2-run single from Turner and the second Schwarbomb of the night bring it to an 8-1 lead.
13: I keep going back to think about how perfect Thomson handled his pitching staff tonight. He started Nola, and he dealt. He went to Suarez in a clean third inning, and other than a homer on the first pitch of his night, Suarez absolutely dominated. Thomson decided to stick with Ranger in the 7th for the final out against Ohtani, and it paid off. What a night from Thomson and this pitching staff.
That’s why you can’t give up on this Phillies team. I know they’re frustrating, especially on offense. But they’ve proved time and time again this year that they can overcome adversity. Injuries to Trea Turner, Aaron Nola, Zack Wheeler, and more. Losing a top reliever for PEDs. Cold streaks, failed signings, and so much more. They’ve battled through it all. This series isn’t over. This team has the heart.
Game 4 on Thursday at 6:08 EST. Cristopher Sanchez vs. Tyler Glasnow, another must-win. If they do? Game 5, do or die, at Citizens Bank Park on Saturday.
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