SAN DIEGO: Maybe winning the Eastern National League isn’t the only way for the Phillies to reach the playoffs.
After entering the series opener against the Padres on Friday night, four games behind the Braves for the division lead, the Phillies maintained their position in the standings, while also gaining ground in the race for second place in the National League Wild Card.
With the help of MVP candidate Bryce Harper’s strong two-run homer and some of the keys to the bullring, Philadelphia is four games away from San Diego and Cincinnati for this second Wild Card spot, thanks to a 4-3 win at Petco Park.
While the Phillies have an alternate path to the postseason, their focus remains the division title.
“Obviously, we’re chasing the Braves and we haven’t played well in the last week, so for us it’s very important,” Phillies manager Joe Girardi said of the win Friday. “We’re focused on our division. I think that’s what we’re focusing on right now, and the Braves are still winning and we have to match them … We’ve lost three sets in a row. You’ll get the first game tonight, it’s very important.”
After JT Realmuto doubled home to Jean Segura in the third inning for the first run of the game, Harper threw his 23rd day of the season, 430 feet into the right field seats. Harper’s two-run homer was just the second a left-handed batsman has hit with Padres left-hander Blake Snell this season.
The Phillies also received insurance from Andrew McCutchen in the eighth inning, when their double took home Segura, who drew his third walk of the night.
“You need your stars to play like stars, and that’s exactly what they’ve done tonight,” Girardi said.
After Moore left, Neris threw 1 goalless draw. Neris’ key moment came in the sixth inning, when he induced a ground clearance against Tommy Pham to leave the bases loaded and retain a one-shot lead.
Behind Neris, Bradley threw another 1 2/3 inning and made four, but struggled with his command in the eighth inning as he loaded the bases with two outings and walked two batters before being replaced. by Kennedy.
Kennedy, acquired on July 30 in a trade with the Rangers, hit Fernando Tatis Jr. in the head with a fast ball to force in a run, but closer he continued to hit Manny Machado basking in a 94 mph fast ball to limit damage to a throw.
“You know, you can take him to easier situations, I guess,” Girardi said. “It simply came to our notice then. I [Kennedy] he also did a great job. All these guys [did] because they had baserunners [on] and they had to make some throws at some important moments to keep them from scoring, and that’s exactly what they did. “
Kennedy returned at the end of the ninth and completed a four-stop, his twentieth stop of the season.
Kennedy said the win was important to keep the Phillies in the playoff hunt after they came out on a 2-7 stretch. The Fathers, meanwhile, have lost eight again.
“We all heard it,” Kennedy said. “Both teams are fighting, and we’re all trying to compete in the playoffs and someone has to win. It could be us too.
“It was a great victory. Our whole corridor increased. [Moore] thrown well, [Héctor] thrown well. … Archie stepped up. We all had great outings at the right time and, hopefully, we do this series a couple of times. ”