PHILADELPHIA — Nick Castellanos has a method of placing issues, so it’s no shock that he captured the vibes this week at Residents Financial institution Park.
“It positively seems like October is across the nook,” he stated.
Castellanos hit a game-tying two-out, two-run double to left-center discipline within the sixth inning and a two-out walk-off single to heart within the eleventh to beat Atlanta, 3-2, on Sunday evening at Residents Financial institution Park. The Phillies received three of 4 within the collection to take a seven-game lead over the Braves within the Nationwide League East with 25 video games to play.
“We nonetheless must solidify our spot the place we need to be for October,” Castellanos stated. “We had a profitable collection. No query it was massive, however there’s nonetheless a number of baseball left earlier than the playoffs.”
The maths is within the Phillies’ favor to win their first division title since 2011. Even when they play a sport underneath .500 the remainder of the season, they’d end 93-69. The Braves would want to complete 19-6 (.760) to tie them, which might give Atlanta the division as a result of it holds the head-to-head tiebreaker by profitable the season collection.
However the Braves haven’t had a greater 25-game stretch than after they went 18-7 at the start of the yr after they had been at full power. And the Phillies don’t have any plans to play underneath .500 the remainder of the best way.
“We’ve obtained to maintain going,” supervisor Rob Thomson stated. “I’ve seen it previously the place you could have an enormous collection and there’s a letdown. You may’t let down. You’ve obtained to maintain going. You’ve obtained to maintain combating.”
These two groups might meet once more in October. It could be enjoyable. Atlanta has received the previous six NL East titles, but it surely misplaced to Philadelphia in every of the previous two postseasons.
Don’t suppose the Braves would love just a little October revenge?
Don’t suppose the Phils would benefit from the alternative to win three consecutive postseason collection towards their division rivals?
“We’re simply two actually good baseball groups, proper?” Castellanos stated.
He got here up massive once more on Sunday.
Braves rookie Spencer Schwellenbach broke the bats of three consecutive Phillies within the fourth and fifth innings, together with Castellanos within the fourth. It seemed to be extra of the identical from the right-hander, who had dominated the Phils by means of 17 2/3 innings over three begins, permitting solely three runs, when he entered the sixth inning on Sunday.
However then Schwellenbach allowed a two-out single to Trea Turner and a bloop double to Bryce Harper to place runners on second and third. He shortly obtained 0-2 on Castellanos.
Coming into Sunday, Castellanos had batted .145 (9-for-62) with 27 strikeouts and a .334 OPS in 0-2 counts this season. The typical MLB hitter has hit .150 with a .382 OPS.
Schwellenbach tried to throw Castellanos a slider down and away. As an alternative, he badly missed his spot. He threw it up and into the strike zone as an alternative.
Castellanos took benefit. He hit the ball to left-center to attain Turner and Harper to tie the sport.
Braves nearer Raisel Iglesias struck out a jumpy and aggressive Castellanos on three pitches within the ninth. The slugger stated he wasn’t going to make that very same mistake once more.
He obtained one other alternative within the eleventh.
Grant Holmes, who allowed Castellanos’ homer on Thursday, obtained forward of him 0-2. However he threw him a 1-2 fastball down the center of the plate.
“It makes me need to have two strikes extra usually,” Castellanos stated, smiling.
Carlos Estévez pitched two excellent innings within the tenth and eleventh with the automated runner on second base. He struck out Whit Merrifield swinging on a 97.9 mph fastball to finish the highest of the eleventh, stranding the go-ahead runner on third.
Estévez stated he beloved the environment this weekend. He has pitched solely one-third of an inning in his postseason profession. He ought to get one other style this October.
Possibly he’ll see the Braves once more.
“We do not get chilly toes, that is what it appears like,” Estévez stated in regards to the Phillies-Braves rivalry. “That is a very good factor to have a bunch of men like this that may go towards anybody on the opposite facet and compete like that. I actually like that.”
