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MLB playoffs: Padres come back from early deficit vs. Phillies, pour on runs to win NLCS Game 2 and even series

zach crizer · yahoo sports staff
·2 min read
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When the Padres bats get going, they really get going. After falling behind 4-0 early in Game 2, San Diego stormed back, flipping the script in a five-run fifth inning that echoed their decisive rally against the Dodgers. Austin Nola and Juan Soto doubled in runs to end Phillies starter Aaron Nola's day, and the scoring didn't stop against the bullpen. The Padres wound up with an 8-5 win to even up the NLCS as it heads to Philadelphia.

The comeback began when trade deadline additions Brandon Drury and Josh Bell each homered for San Diego in the second inning. They later contributed RBIs in that huge fifth inning.

Manny Machado also homered to complete an in-game spurt of eight unanswered Padres runs.

The barrage took starting pitcher Blake Snell off the hook for a rough second inning that was hard to blame on him. A glaring San Diego sun affected several plays, including a key fly ball Soto lost in right field. Snell was stellar outside of that frame. He finished with five innings, those four runs, six strikeouts and one walk and was credited with the win. Appearing fully back to his usual self, closer Josh Hader blew the Phillies away in the ninth to get the save.

Nola, the Phillies starter, came into the NLCS having allowed only one unearned run in October. But after the Padres onslaught — including the RBI knock by his brother — he left with six runs on his tab for the day. The initial reliever out of the bullpen, Brad Hand, failed to get an out. In all, the Phillies used six pitchers, eventually turning to regular season starter Kyle Gibson to mop it up.

[Full updated MLB playoff TV schedule]

The teams get their one off day of the series on Thursday, then play Game 3 on Friday in Philadelphia.

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