Phillies Overcome Dramatic Ninth to Outduel Pirates

Despite Jeurys Familia's best efforts, the Philadelphia Phillies hung on to an 8-7 lead in a win over Pittsburgh.

© Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

The Philadelphia Phillies have always had a flair for the dramatic, and Thursday night's 8-7 win over the Pirates was no different.

The first inning began like a shot out of a cannon for the Phillies, as back-to-back singles from Alec Bohm and Rhys Hoskins acted as the gangplank to a Darick Hall triple, the first of his career. Bohm, who has been on fire of late, extended his hitting streak to thirteen straight games. He has had an unbelievable month of July.

Nick Castellanos, who had three hits on the night, slashed a single to left field to plate Hall, and already the Phillies had swashbuckled their way to a 3-0 lead.

Another RBI single by Bohm would give the Phillies a 4-0 lead in the second, and things broke wide open when Kyle Schwarber slammed a three-run homer in the sixth. 

Your regularly scheduled Schwarbomb on this lovely evening of June 58th:
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— Inside the Phillies (@InsidePhilsFN) July 29, 2022

A Didi Gregorius RBI single would make it 8-0 in the seventh, which would put the game out of reach for Pittsburgh... or so the Phillies thought.

Zack Wheeler wasn't his sharpest on Thursday. He clearly didn't have his best fastball, and looked as if he began to tire around the seventh inning, when he allowed a two-run shot to Cal Mitchell. Wheeler saw his way out of the inning, and finished up with a solid line of seven frames, two earned runs and eight strikeouts, alongside three walks.

Here's where Phillies fans should look away, because this part is rated R (spelled “Argh” for pun purposes.)

Jeurys Familia entered with a supposedly comfortable six-run cushion, but that cushion quickly evaporated as Pittsburgh plundered Familia for five runs in the bottom of the ninth inning. It was a brutal performance from the reliever, whose roster spot was already in jeopardy. He will almost surely walk the plank in the coming days, as the Phillies are facing a 40-man roster crunch, as well as impending additions prior to the trade deadline.

Unfortunately, due to Familia's implosion, the Phillies were forced to use Seranthony Domínguez to close the game, but everything worked out in the end as the Phils pilfered a far-too-close-for-comfort win out from under the Buccos.

Philadelphia will look to continue their success on Friday, as they'll send Bailey Falter to the mound to face noted trade deadline candidate José Quintana, in what is likely to be a showcase game for the lefty.

If the Phillies can manage a strong performance in this series, it may persuade their front office to push a few more of their doubloons at the trade deadline to acquire some extra treasure.

Every win is an important one, and should all go to plan, the Phillies will aim to dominate in the remaining three games of the series.

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