PHILADELPHIA – An incredible postseason journey continues for the Arizona Diamondbacks, who forced Game 7 of the National League Championship Series on Tuesday after defeating the Philadelphia Phillies 5-1 in Game 6 on Monday.
Diamondbacks starter Merrill Kelly was brilliant, setting the tone for the visitors as he allowed just one run in five innings. In the process, he helped calm the usually rowdy Philadelphia crowd.
“I think this is the first time they’ve sat out a playoff game,” closer Paul Seewald said after the game. “It’s just a testament to how we started this game.”
After Kelly struck out two in the first inning – no small task against the Phillies in this series – the Diamondbacks scored three runs in the top of the second inning. Struggling designated hitter Tommy Pham got the ball rolling by hitting a solo shot over Phillies starter Aaron Nola just days after being benched in Game 5. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. did the same moments later.
“I’m already pretty self-motivated but this helped,” Pham said of the benching. “It felt tremendous.”
Arizona added another run in that inning on an Evan Longoria RBI double as Nola had no hits to start the game.
Phillies manager Rob Thomson said, “It was a little weird because at first he comes out and he really executed everything.”
Nola lasted only 4⅓ innings, giving up four runs on six hits and two walks. His counterpart lasted just five innings and was stunned when manager Torey Lovullo struck out Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper on bad curveballs that were part of a simple 1-2-3 inning.
Kelly used a full range of pitches during his 5-inning outing. Fastball up, sinker away, curve and slider down. The Phillies couldn’t get any information on him, which made it even more curious when he was pulled after 90 pitches. He and Lovullo had a lively discussion in the dugout afterward.
“What I can share about it is that he was banging the table to get back there and was shocked that I was going to remove him from the game,” Lovullo said. “But we had another brief conversation, and I explained to him why I was doing it, and he slowly started to understand.”
Kelly said: “I think partly why I was upset right there was because I was kind of caught off guard by it. I just went to their top three, punched out two of them. Ninety pitches through five. , I’m thinking I’m definitely going back for six. When I came in and saw his hand out to shake, it shocked me more than anything else.”
A parade of relievers, starting with sidearm righty Ryan Thompson, shut down the Phillies for the rest of the game, allowing no contention for Lovullo.
The focus now turns to Game 7, and the Phillies are trying to maintain a positive attitude after losing at home for the first time this season.
“It’s going to be exciting,” Schwarber said. “This is what you play for. Obviously, it sucks. You wish you had gotten it done today, of course. But it’s an exciting thing and we’re embracing it.”
So are the Diamondbacks, who continue to surprise the baseball world. It’s something they’re embracing.
“We deserve this moment,” Lovullo said. “We’re going to play a Game 7, and Game 7 to me, it’s like all hands on deck, anything is possible. Game 7s are Game 7s for a reason.”
Jack Gallen, the starter for Games 1 and 5, said he would be ready out of the bullpen for Arizona if needed. Rookie Brandon Pfadt will start the game, becoming the seventh rookie in the wild-card era to do so.
“I think being in position to start Game 7, I think it’s going to be huge,” Pfadt said before the Game 6 win. “Especially as a rookie. I think I’ll give it my all, give my all to the team and try to win tomorrow.”
Pfadt said it was a little different preparing for a game he wasn’t sure would be played, but he tried to treat it like any other start. This definitely won’t happen. Like Gallen, Phillies starter Zack Wheeler also could be available out of the bullpen for Games 1 and 5.
“I would think so,” Thomson said. “It’s going to be all hands on deck.”
Philadelphia will send lefty Ranger Suarez to the mound to start the game. Both he and Pfadt performed well in Game 3, and the Diamondbacks won 2–1.
“It’s going to be fun to try everyone’s best and make the best of what we’ve got tomorrow [Tuesday],” Schwarber said. “That’s all we’ve got, tomorrow is.”
A loss would be devastating for Philadelphia as the Phillies were heavy favorites to return to the World Series after losing in both division series to the Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves, the top seed in the NL. But the Diamondbacks have proven resilient – especially after losing the first two games of this series.
Now they are in the field to win it.
“We are very excited,” Pham said.
“We’ve put ourselves in a dead end position,” Longoria said. “Go out there and win the World Series.”