This one stung. The Phillies offense finally came to life, taking a 5-2 lead, only for the back end of the bullpen to collapse late and lose game four, 6-5, and now the NLCS is even at two games apiece.
PHOENIX — If you believe in playoff momentum, the Diamondbacks sure seem to have seized it.
After walking the Phillies off in Game 3 of the NLCS, Arizona came back from down two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning Friday night to shock the Phillies and beat them, 6-5.
The same culprits from Game 3, Craig Kimbrel and Orion Kerkering, were responsible again for the D-backs' comeback in Game 4. Kimbrel allowed all three runs in the eighth inning for his first-ever blown save in the playoffs. Kerkering entered an inning earlier with two outs, two on and the Phillies up three. He walked the first two batters he faced, one to force in a run.
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Just like that, the NLCS is tied at two games apiece. The series has taken a sudden and drastic turn over the last 24 hours.
Earlier in the night, the Phillies overcame a slew of defensive mistakes to take a three-run lead. Kyle Schwarber homered to wake up a slumbering offense in the top of the fourth and walked to begin a rally two innings later. They took the lead on Alec Bohm's bases-loaded infield single, which third baseman Emmanuel Rivera threw into the dirt on a force-out attempt at home plate, also allowing Trea Turner to score. Turner added a sacrifice fly in the seventh to put the Phils up three and it appeared they were on their way to a 3-1 lead in the NLCS.
They asked their bullpen to cover 6⅔ innings after starter Cristopher Sanchez recorded only seven outs and a unit that has been so good for so much of the season was unable to finish the job. Jeff Hoffman, Matt Strahm and Seranthony Dominguez were effective, but Gregory Soto, Kerkering and Kimbrel were not.
Kimbrel has not been sharp lately. He's been yanking fastballs outside, falling behind hitters constantly and not getting enough nibbles on his curveball below the zone. This was the first outing all year in which he allowed three hits. In Game 3, he walked two batters and threw only half his pitches for strikes.
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"I trust these guys," manager Rob Thomson said pregame. "Has he scattered the zone at times? Sure. But if you look at our charts, everybody's had a little bit of a hiccup, but they've bounced back. So you've got to trust that."
The Phillies now need a win in Game 5 to avoid coming back home with a series deficit. They have their ace, Zack Wheeler, on the mound and they'll need him because Kimbrel, Kerkering, Hoffman and Jose Alvarado have all been used in back-to-back games in high-stress situations. Thomson does not like using a reliever three days in a row, even at this time of year. He might not have a choice on Saturday.
