On Sunday Night Baseball, the Phillies showed how they can win it all.
As Jhoan Duran fired one last 102 mph seed by Detroit left field Riley Green to finish off Sunday night’s scintillating 2-0 win over the Tigers, the path to a Phillies World Series victory seemed as clear as the beautiful summer night on which they played.
Cristopher Sanchez twirling eight shutout innings and needing just 84 pitches to do it.
The Phils’ new unhittable closer, Duran, throwing over 100 mph with an untouchable “splinker” that defies explanation, reducing games to just eight innings of competitive baseball.
A big bopper hitting a dinger, this time Kyle Schwarber’s titanic rocket to dead center field on an 0-2 fastball up around his chest.
A little small ball in the early innings to convert a runner from third with no outs.
Sterling defensive plays by Edmundo Sosa (not the one in the 9th where he almost threw the ball away), and Bryson Stott.
As the Mandalorians say, “This is the way.”
Every Phillies fan would feel better about things if the team was a slugging machine like the Chicago Cubs. For whatever reason, watching a deep lineup smash balls all over the park during the regular season makes it seem more plausible that they can win the whole thing, as opposed to a pitching-first group that sometimes struggles to know which end of the bat to hold.
And hey, we’re a bit scarred. We’ve watched during the three previous trips to the playoffs as a red-hot Phillies offense suddenly went cold at the wrong time. Like a faucet, all those dingers that led the 2022 Phillies to the Fall Classic shut off in Games 4-6. The NLCS against the Diamondbacks was a party in Games 1 and 2 before the chase parade in Games 3-7. Last year’s NLDS loss to the Mets saw a non-existent offense for every game but Game 2.
We know the lineup runs hot and cold and, this year, the power numbers haven’t been there, although they have been trending up since the All Star break.
- 1st half: .404 SLG (T-13), 102 HRs (18), .148 ISO (15)
- 2nd half: .463 SLG (6), 27 HRs (T-3, 28 leads MLB), .220 ISO (3)
This is great news and, even though it may not feel like it, the Phils are showing they are still dangerous with the long ball.
That’s what you want in the postseason. Great starting pitching. Great bullpen work. Homers.
That’s how you win playoff games.
Last night, Sanchez was as dialed in as he’s ever been. Had the Jhoan Duran Show not been available to Rob Thomson, it’s exceedingly likely Sanchez would have been the guy in the 9th inning to finish off the shutout. But no one wanted to deprive the fans of the team’s newest toy, a lock-down 9th inning flamethrower that shortens virtually ever game by an inning.
With Zack Wheeler and Cristopher Sanchez fronting a playoff rotation, the Phils have an advantage that other teams do not. They have two starters who can face a lineup a third time through the order without worrying they will fall apart. We saw Sanchez befuddle a right-handed heavy lineup that has tortured most left-handers this season, and despite a sluggish last few starts, Wheeler has proven he can do the same. Ranger Suarez and Aaron Nola are battle tested and have the ability to shut down any lineup at any time.
Orion Kerkering and Matt Strahm will occupy the 7th and 8th innings of most playoff games, a role more suited to their talents, and when the Phillies need help earlier, some combination of David Robertson, Jesus Luzardo, and Tanner Banks will be called on to record significant outs. Who knows, maybe even Jordan Romano will work himself into the equation, but don’t hold your breath. There is less certainty with that group than Duran, and things will not go perfectly. But Duran allows everyone to settle into roles, which one hopes will make a difference.
Historically, pitching-rich teams like the Phillies do better in the playoffs than offense-first units. It is why every team who made a major deal at the deadline prioritized pitching. The Phils even displayed solid glovework on Sunday night, something that the addition of Harrison Bader should help with, too.
And one can’t forget the electric Citizens Bank crowd, who was as into every pitch of this three-game series over the weekend as any has ever been for an early August interleague battle.
If the Phils win it all this season, this will likely be the formula.