Phillies Cling Onto Win After Late Dodgers Rally

The Philadelphia Phillies hung on to win after a late rally by the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Kade Kistner | May 13, 2022

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

The Philadelphia Phillies continued their West Coast trip as they faced off against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first game of four. It also marked the return of Zack Wheeler from the COVID-19 injured list, and he looked great on the mound.

Wheeler pitched well early by allowing just one run in the third inning. He did run into trouble in the fifth before he was pulled with Brad Hand coming on in relief. He pitched 5.1 innings while allowing three runs and striking out seven. It was an encouraging sign for the Phillies' rotation.

Meanwhile, Philadelphia's lineup continued to produce, maintaining a trend that began when they arrived in Seattle on Monday. Reigning NL MVP Bryce Harper got the scoring started in the first inning with a solo shot to right field.

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His small UCL tear has kept him from playing the field, but not from mashing baseballs.

In fact, the Phillies lineup was perhaps the most productive it has been in a holistic sense this season. The only player not to record a hit was Nick Castellanos, who has been red hot to start the season.

Of course, it wouldn't be Phillies baseball if some late drama were not to unfold. Despite dominate performances by Wheeler, Hand, and Seranthony Domínguez, José Alvarado nearly extinguished the win.

Alvarado was brought on in the eighth in relief in hopes he could put the Dodgers down in order. Instead, his control was nonexistent and he allowed four earned runs while recording just one out. His performance brought Los Angeles level with Philadelphia at 7-7.

Perhaps the most mind-boggling part of it all was the fact that manager Joe Girardi took so long to get someone else warmed up in bullpen to replace Alvarado despite a full tailspin in the eighth.

Luckily, Andrew Bellatti was able to stop the Dodgers rally in the eighth prior to them taking the lead.

Finally, in what seemed to be a doomed night for the Phils, a shimmer of hope came through. The Phillies loaded the bases and a wild pitch scored Odubel Herrera. Then Harper came through with a sacrifice fly that scored Rhys Hoskins to make it 9-7.

Corey Knebel came on in relief in the bottom of the ninth and earned the save. Of course that outing was filled with drama as he gave up a hit and issued two walks, but he eventually came through to secure the win.

The Phillies are slated to take on Los Angeles in the second game of the series with first pitch scheduled for 10:10 p.m. on Friday night.

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Published May 13, 2022

KADE KISTNER

Kade Kistner is the publisher and beat writer for Sports Illustrated's Inside the Phillies. An alumnus of Tulane University, Kade graduated in 2017 with a degree in Latin American Studies and a minor in Spanish. Upon graduation, Kade commissioned into the United States Navy and attended Naval Flight School in Pensacola, Fl. He served as a Naval Aviator and was stationed in Jacksonville, Fl. During his time in school and the Navy, Kade began covering the MLB and NFL with USA Today, SB Nation, and Sports Illustrated. Kade covered the New Orleans Saints, Texas Rangers, and numerous other teams within the Sports Illustrated network before launching Inside the Phillies, Inside the Astros, and Inside the Cubs. You can follow him on Twitter at @KadeKistner, or if you have any questions or comments he can be reached via email at kwkistner@gmail.com.