After an incredibly disappointing 5-0 shutout loss on Thursday night, the Phillies pulled a rabbit out of their hat with a 4-3 come-from-behind victory. Aaron Nola settled in nicely after giving up a three-run shot in the first inning, and the offense chipped away in the later innings, headlined by a thrilling game-winning single from Edmundo Sosa.
Nola has struggled to show his true ace form in the first month of 2023, and the beginning of this game was no different. With two on and two out, Nola missed his spot with a fastball up, and Rockies third baseman Ryan McMahon launched it into the ivy past the center field fence to put the Phils in an early 3-0 hole. While we have in the past seen the wheels come completely off for Nola after a bad inning, he found a groove on Friday, holding the Rockies scoreless over the next 6.0 innings. Overall, he tossed 7.0 innings, allowing the three first innings runs, four hits, three walks and punched out three. It wasn’t quite the Cy Young-caliber pitcher he’s capable of being, but it was nice to see him settle down after a rough first frame.
The offense began to climb out of the hole in the fourth inning when a rare error from Ryan McMahon allowed Nick Castellanos to reach safely to lead off the inning. Brandon Marsh singled, and J.T. Realmuto was grazed on the left elbow by a pitch, loading the bases with no one out.
After Alec Bohm lined out to second base, Rockies starter Noah Davis balked, handing the Phillies their first run and putting runners on second and third with one out. Jake Cave then beat the shift with a tapper down the third base line that scored Marsh to make it a 3-2 ballgame. Edmundo Sosa just missed an opposite field home run, and Bryson Stott struck out swinging to end the threat, but the Phils were back in it.
Things went by pretty quickly until the bottom of the seventh, when Kyle Schwarber tied it up at three with an absolute missile into the right field seats. It was a vintage Schwarber homer, as he hit a laser that got out in a hurry. With the game tied, Manager Rob Thomson called upon the beleaguered Seranthony Domínguez, and he responded with a scoreless frame, walking one and needing only 12 pitches.
Realmuto set the stage for some late game heroics in the bottom of the eighth with a leadoff double against former Phillies Brad Hand, but it looked like the opportunity might be squandered after Alec Bohm popped out and pinch hitter Josh Harrison went down swinging. However, Edmundo Sosa came up clutch once again, lacing a single into shallow left field just past the glove of a diving Jurickson Profar. Sosa pumped his fist and shouted in elation as he put the Phils on top 4-3.
Sosa’s heroics didn’t stop at the plate, as he leaped to snare a scalding line drive off the bat of C.J. Cron with one out in the top of the ninth. The man who drove in the go-ahead run for the Phils kept the tying run off the bases for the Rockies, and José Alvarado locked things down with a one-two-three ninth inning.
It wasn’t the prettiest of wins for the Phillies, as they left 10 men on base and were only 2-10 with runners in scoring position on the night. It looked for a while like the offense was going to spoil a rock solid start from Aaron Nola, but thanks to Edmundo Sosa they had just enough to secure a much-needed victory.