When the Phillies completed a three-game home sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 11, they were on top of the world. They owned what was far and away the best record in baseball and had asserted their dominance over the preseason favorite to win the National League pennant.
Little did they know that when they traveled to Los Angeles for another three games against the Dodgers 25 days later, they would have not won a single series since that triumphant statement in Philadelphia.
The Phillies dropped six straight sets entering a pivotal series against the Dodgers, and looked headed for a seventh straight series loss after falling in the series opener. But a fine start from an emerging star and some timely hitting evened the series before Kyle Schwarber registered a mind-blowing three-homer game to ensure a series victory.
Here is what stood out from a wild three-game set that just might be an NLCS preview:
One bad inning costs Aaron Nola in series opener
Nola logged six innings of work on Monday night, and five of them were pristine. But, as has happened far too often for Nola in recent years, he was doomed by one big inning in which he failed to locate his pitchers and was taken advantage of.
Entering the bottom of the third inning, Nola owned a 2-0 lead and was facing the 7-8-9 pocket of a Dodgers lineup that severely lacks depth right now due to injuries. He allowed back-to-back doubles to veteran Jason Heyward and rookie Andy Pages before Nick Ahmed reached on an infield single, Shohei Ohtani hit a sacrifice fly and Teoscar Hernández launched a two-run homer. Suddenly, the Dodgers were ahead 4-2, and they never relinquished their lead.
The outstanding seasons of Zack Wheeler, Ranger Suárez and Cristopher Sánchez have overshadowed that of Nola, who has become a model of consistency during his time in Philadelphia. But he has been quite good -- through 23 starts in 2024, the right-hander owns a 3.54 ERA and 1.10 WHIP, with opposing hitters slashing .230/.277/.404 against him.
Nola's season has still been puzzling in some ways. For instance, he has been more effective against hitters the second and third time he is facing them rather than the first time around, despite being dominant in the first inning. Take a look at these numbers, courtesy of baseball-reference, which are extremely atypical:
| First PA | Second PA | Third PA |
| .242 AVG | .228 AVG | .223 AVG |
| .296 OBP | .267 OBP | .275 OBP |
| .416 SLG | .420 SLG | .389 SLG |
Nola's numbers in 2024 are, for the most part, in line with what one has come to expect from him over the course of his career. But the path he has taken to arrive at those statistics are a bit unusual.
Cristopher Sánchez comes through with six strong innings
In a season full of wonderful stories for the Phillies, perhaps none is as joyous and uplifting as the continued ascension of Sánchez, who in 2023 went from a depth arm on his way out of the organization to a quality middle-of-the-rotation starter before blossoming into an All-Star in 2024.
Time and time again, Sánchez has given the Phillies strong outings when they have needed them most, and that was perhaps most evident Tuesday night, when the left-hander tossed six innings of one-run ball, allowing just five hits and one walk in the process.
Perhaps the most impressive -- and encouraging -- aspect of his start was the fearless nature with which he attacked Shohei Ohtani. Sánchez retired Ohtani all three times he faced the National League MVP frontrunner, twice doing so on just one pitch. Ohtani recorded two hits against Sánchez in Philadelphia last month, and the Phillies' burgeoning star responded as well as anybody could have hoped.
Ohtani stepped into the batter's box for what might have been the biggest spot of Tuesday's game, coming to the plate with two outs and two runners on base in the bottom of the seventh inning as the tying run. Lefty Matt Strahm was on the mound for the Phillies, and Strahm appears to be Phillies manager Rob Thomson's preferred option against Ohtani. Strahm peppered fastballs in and around the zone, similarly showing no fear of Ohtani's power. Finally, Strahm got Ohtani off balance by landing a slider that the two-time MVP got ahead of and lazily hit to right field to end the inning.
MORE: Checking in on the Phillies' pitching prospects
Edmundo Sosa re-enters the picture at second base
Bryson Stott has started to regain his form over the last couple of weeks, but is still a ways away from being the player Phillies fans have expected. So, Thomson has tried to incorporate Sosa in the lineup more often, frequently giving him starts at second base against left-handed pitching.
The Phillies faced future Hall of Fame southpaw Clayton Kershaw on Tuesday, and sure enough, Sosa was in the lineup over Stott.
Thomson's bet on Sosa paid off, as the spark plug infielder had a huge two-run single with two outs in the sixth inning before hitting a solo home run in the ninth to give the Phillies additional insurance. Funnily enough, though: both of those hits came against right-hander Brent Honeywell, not Kershaw or any other left-handed pitcher.
Sosa's standout performance catapulted his season-long OPS to .786; meanwhile, he has absolutely crushed left-handed pitching all season to the tune of a .289/.359/.530 slash line. If Stott does not make considerable strides between now and October, Sosa may man second base against left-handers in the postseason.
Kyle Schwarber steals the show in series finale
The Phillies' leadoff slugger has been red hot of late, and Schwarber got right back to work on Wednesday night. Schwarber gave his team a signature performance -- one which injected an immense amount of life into a group that has often looked to its foremost veteran leader to lead the way since his arrival in 2022.
He led off the game by taking Dodgers starter Gavin Stone deep for an opposite field home run, his 11th leadoff homer of the season.
With the Phillies trailing 4-1 in the fifth inning, Schwarber laced a two-run double to right field to inch his team closer. He stepped back up to the plate the following inning with the game tied and the bases loaded with two outs. He watched a wild pitch sail to the backstop and allow the Phillies to take a 5-4 lead. Then, he did this:
And just when you thought he was done... Schwarber came up in the ninth inning and launched his third home run of the night, tying his career-high with seven runs batted in.
The Phillies have plenty of players who have been clutch during their time in Philadelphia. Surely, no player on this team has collected as many big hits as Bryce Harper. But what Schwarber has done in crucial situations on a routine basis since joining the Phillies has been nothing short of phenomenal.
Most players demonstrate their ability to come through in the clutch with walk-off hits. Schwarber has his fair share of those, but his tendency to come through when the Phillies need it often shows itself in dire situations like Wednesday night: the Phillies were absolutely desperate to pull off a series victory, and there was Schwarber to personally certify that they would not head to Arizona on a somber flight. He is also the ultimate tone-setter, his 11 leadoff home runs this year are tied for a franchise record (the player he tied: himself in 2023).
When the Phillies need something -- anything -- at the plate, it is often Schwarber who gives it to them. He is hitting fewer home runs in 2024 than he did in his first two years with the Phillies, and is still putting up considerably better offensive numbers. The Phillies hope that when they look back at the 2024 season, The Schwarber Game will be a pivotal moment in their turnaround after a disastrous stretch of games.
Up next: Starting Thursday night, the Phillies will complete their lengthy road trip with a four-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Kolby Allard, Wheeler, Nola and Sánchez are the team's probable starters for the series after Taijuan Walker's return was delayed by a rainout in his minor-league rehab assignment.
MORE: Projecting the Phillies' postseason roster
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