PHILLIES LOSE NLDS GAME ONE TO DODGERS 5-3

BY ROCK HOFFMAN

Teoscar Hernandez hit a three-run home run in the seventh inning to put the Los Angeles Dodgers ahead on their way to a 5-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies in Saturday night’s National League Division Series game one at Citizens Bank Park.

CRISTOPHER SANCHEZ FACING SHOHEI OHTANI DURING GAME ONE OF THE NLDS.

Trailing 3-2 in the seventh, the Dodgers got the first two batters on before the Phillies brought in Matt Strahm to relieve David Robertson. Strahm - facing the top of LA’s lineup which was 0-for-9 with six strikeouts to that point against Phillies starter Cristopher Sánchez - struck out Shohei Ohtani then got Mookie Betts to pop to Alec Bohm but his second pitch to Hernandez was a belt high fastball, on the outer third of the plate that the Dodgers’ right fielder took the opposite way and deposited the ball two or three rows deep in the seats in right-center field.

“I watched videos,” Hernandez said, “He likes to go up in the strike zone.  I think that's when he's stronger. My first three at-bats, I chased a lot of down [pitches]. I’m not trying to do overswinging or anything like that.  Maybe a hit.  Try to bring in one run to tie the game. But he left it over the strike zone.”

The Phils threatened in the eighth when they loaded the bases with two outs, but Edmundo Sosa’s deep fly to center ended the scoring chance. 

The Phils struck first when they scored three runs in the second inning. Alec Bohm drew a leadoff walk; he took second on Brandon Marsh’s single to center field. Both scored when J.T. Realmuto hit one to the gap in right-center field that made it to the wall. Realmuto landed on third and came home on a sacrifice fly by Harrison Bader. For the remainder of his time on the mound, Ohtani allowed just two additional baserunners – with one out in the fifth, the Phillies had two on but Trea Turner lined out and Kyle Schwarber fell victim to a nasty curveball, becoming the seventh of nine batters Ohtani would strikeout.

In the Dodgers’ sixth, with two out, Freddie Freeman walked, Tommy Edman then singled. Next, Kiké Hernández – the final hitter Sánchez faced – doubled to the left field corner, and it was 3-2.

The Phillies’ top three hitters were as bad as the Dodgers’ trio. Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, and Bryce Harper were 0-for-9 with five punchouts, but Turner and Harper did get on when they loaded the bases in the eighth.

“Ohtani was good tonight,” said Phillies manager Rob Thomson.  “He really was. You tip your cap and move on.”

Moving on is Game 2 on Monday, with the Phillies’ Jesús Luzardo facing Blake Snell.

“It's a tough loss,” Thomson said. “We've got to shake it off and come out here on Monday and get after it again. It's a shorter series.  It's not a seven-game series.  We've got to put it behind us. These guys are pretty good at that.”