Phillies’ Duran gives up late homer to Braves in first wild card game – NBC Sports Philadelphia
ATLANTA – All along, you feared the bullpen would be the Phillies’ weakness in the postseason.
But this guy?
Jhoan Duran?
No.
Yes.
Duran, pitching in his second inning of work, allowed a three-run homer to Austin Riley with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning as the Atlanta Braves came back from a one-run deficit to beat the Phils, 5-3, in Game 1 of the National League Wild Card Series at Truist Park Tuesday afternoon. Game 2 will take place Wednesday afternoon.
Since 2022, the team that won the first game of the best-of-three Wild Card Series has won the series 15 out of 16 times.
Cristopher Sanchez will be on the mound in Game 2 and the Phils have their work cut out for them.
The Phils were four outs from winning before Riley hit a first-pitch fastball to right. Duran got the first two outs of the inning before Michael Harris III reached on an infield base hit and Duran hit Ozzie Albies in the foot with a pitch.
JT Realmuto, after a final month in which he hit .113, gave the Phillies a 3-2 lead with a two-run, two-out triple in the top of the seventh.
Don Mattingly wasn’t taking any chances with the lead. He went to Duran, his All-Star closer, in the bottom of the inning. Duran got three outs in that frame, but couldn’t finish the eighth.
Three years in a row now, the Phillies bullpen has blown a late lead in the first game of a playoff series. The Phillies lost the previous two series.
Jesus Luzardo, starting for the first time in 22 days, scored an important run for his team with five one-run innings.
He showed no real rust from the layoff, necessitated by left shoulder inflammation. He allowed just three hits and one walk while striking out six. His fastball peaked at 98.2 mph.
Luzardo pitched with a 1-0 lead as the Phillies settled Sale for a first inning. Kyle Schwarber walked and came in to score on Alec Bohm’s two-out double to center. Bohm threw a 2-2 fastball that came out of the strike zone and registered 100 mph.
The Braves tied the game at 1-1 in the second half on a two-out ground ball hit up the middle by Mike Yastrzemski.
Coming into the series, there was some intrigue about how Mattingly would use his bullpen. He struck out Luzardo after five innings and 77 pitches and went to rookie right-hander Alex McFarlane. In just his 20sth In a championship game, McFarlane gave up an opposite-field one-out single to Michael Harris III and a booming RBI triple to Albies. Hitting from the left side, Albies nearly hit a 99 mph fastball over the center field wall. Derek Hill made a valiant effort against the wall but couldn’t catch the ball and Harris III scored from the first to break the tie.
The Phillies came back and took the lead on Realmuto’s big hit in the seventh.
More to come…
Gn headline
