PHOENIX — Rob Thomson Wednesday shared with the media praise for closer Craig Kimbrel, an All-Star whom the manager said has “really had a really good year for us, probably better than expected, to tell you the truth.”
The other shoe has dropped on that assessment.
For the second straight day, Kimbrel let a game get away. And for a second straight day, the Phillies heavily taxed their bullpen only to see it go for naught in a 6-5 loss to Arizona in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series Friday.
Kimbrel gave up three runs in the bottom of the eighth. The big blow was pinch-hitter Alek Thomas’ two-run shot to right-center to tie the game at five. But Kimbrel followed by putting the next two batters on via a walk and hit by pitch, which led Gabriel Moreno to single to center off Jose Alvarado to chase home Ketel Marte with the winning run.
Paul Sewald gave up a 2-out double to Kyle Schwarber in the ninth. But he struck out Trea Turner to end the game.
Sewald was pitcher No. 16 on the day in what became a bullpen game for both sides. It was a baseball eternity since Joe Mantiply and Cristopher Sanchez had started the mess, in which the Phillies trailed 2-0, led 5-2 and ultimately are left to have to fight through a best-of-3.
The Phillies looked stuck in the mud, having sent the minimum to the plate over the first three innings. But Schwarber, one swing after Ryne Nelson broke his bat on a foul ball, led off the fourth with a 409-foot home run to right, breaking a tie with Reggie Jackson for the most postseason home runs in history by a lefty with 19.
It also broke open the dam, the Phillies scoring in four straight innings after one run in their first 13 innings in an offensive desert.
Brandon Marsh tied the game in the fifth with an RBI double to score J.T. Realmuto, off lefty Andrew Saalfrank.
Saalfrank walked the bases loaded to start the sixth. Two would score when Alec Bohm pounded a grounder just over the bag at third and Emmanuel Rivera short-hopped Moreno at the plate to allow a second run to score. Ryan Thompson, who allowed yesterday’s run with a wild pitch, got out of the jam with a strikeout and a groundout.
Johan Rojas, who had been 3-for-35 in the playoffs, roped a triple inside the bag at first with one out in the seventh. He never picked up Dusty Wathan’s stop sign and barely made it into third ahead the throw. It paid off when the D-backs walked Schwarber and Turner lined a sac fly to left to make it 5-2.
It wouldn’t be enough. Seranthony Dominguez pitched around a walk and a hit in the sixth. He got the first out of the seventh before getting lifted.
Gregory Soto allowed a single and a walk, only a Turner dive for a forceout at second preventing a run from scoring. In came Orion Kerkering, who responded to Thursday’s rough outing by walking the first two he faced, including Christian Walker to force home a run. But he got Pavin Smith, who was 3-for-3 in the series, to bounce out harmlessly to Bryce Harper at first to leave it at 5-3.
Kimbrel started the eighth by giving up a double to Lourdes Gurriel. After Evan Longoria flied out, Thomas bashed one into the pool in right-center.
The second inning was a portrait of defensive contrasts. In the top half, Gurriel leapt at the wall to glove a shot by Realmuto that wasn’t going to get out but was going to get the catcher extra bases.
The bottom half started with an error from Bohm at third, throwing wide of first to allow Walker to reach. Sanchez, perhaps losing track of the outs, snared a Gurriel grounder but took his time to first instead of trying to get the lead runner at second with one out.
That allowed Walker to get to third on a passed ball by Realmuto and score on Rivera’s single to center.
Sanchez, who hadn’t pitched in the postseason, was done after 11 batters faced. He let Marte reach on a broken-bat single to short with one out in the third. Marte made it to third on a wild pitch and a Corbin Carroll groundout. Jeff Hoffman entered and jammed Moreno. But the 73.3 spitter off the handle of his bat sailed past Harper at first to chase home a run.
Source: Berkshire mont