Blake Snell delivered a masterclass on the mound, striking out nine over six shutout innings of one-hit ball to lead the Los Angeles Dodgers to a tense 4-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 2 of the NL Division Series on Monday night.
Shohei Ohtani finally broke through with his first hit of the series – an RBI single in a four-run seventh inning – helping the Dodgers build a 4-1 lead that nearly slipped away in the ninth.
The Dodgers held off a late push from the Phillies
The Phillies roared back behind Nick Castellanos, who doubled in two runs off Blake Treinen, sending Citizens Bank Park into a frenzy. But relievers Alex Vesia and Roki Sasaki slammed the door shut. Sasaki retired Trea Turner on a grounder to second for his second save of the series, sealing the Dodgers’ 2-0 series lead.
Freddie Freeman made a game-saving defensive play, stretching to scoop up a wild throw from Tommy Edman while keeping his toe on the bag – a highlight that preserved Los Angeles’ narrow win.
With the victory, the World Series champion Dodgers are one win away from reaching their 17th National League Championship Series. They’ll have the chance to clinch the series in Game 3 at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday night.
Snell, a two-time Cy Young Award winner, was unhittable for most of the night. On the 15th anniversary of Roy Halladay’s postseason no-hitter, Snell carried one into the fifth before Edmundo Sosa broke it up with a single. He walked four but kept the Phillies’ big bats – Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, and Trea Turner – to just one hit in ten at-bats.
The decisive moment came in the seventh inning. Jesús Luzardo had retired 17 straight Dodgers before Teoscar Hernández led off with a single and Freeman doubled. After a costly throwing error from Turner, Will Smith lined a two-run single, and Ohtani capped the rally with an RBI hit off reliever Matt Strahm.
Despite battling injuries all season – with players spending 2,585 days combined on the injured list – the Dodgers look healthy and dangerous at the right time. History is on their side: teams leading 2-0 in a best-of-five postseason series have gone on to win 80 of 90 times, including 54 sweeps.
The Phillies’ offense remains stuck in neutral, going 1-for-18 with nine strikeouts through six innings.
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