Advertisement

ALCS, NLCS: D-backs tie NLCS vs. Phillies with Game 4 victory; Astros take wild Game 5 vs. Rangers; scores, highlights, news, live tracker

It was a back-and-forth affair with the benches clearing before the Astros prevailed again in Arlington. Then the Diamondbacks stunned the Phillies and tied the NLCS.

Yahoo Sports Staff
·4 min read
72

On Friday in Phoenix, the Arizona Diamondbacks tied the NLCS 2-2 with a Game 4 thriller against the Philadelphia Phillies.

After trailing by three runs late, the D-backs capped an eighth-inning rally with Gabriel Moreno's go-ahead single. That helped them secure the 6-5 win in thrilling fashion.

Things began with left-hander Cristopher Sánchez on the mound for Philadelphia, opposed by Joe Mantiply, though the Diamondbacks moved to their bullpen after the first. In the bottom of the second, the D-backs took an early 1-0 lead on an error, a walk and a single.

The D-backs posted another run in the third, and then Kyle Schwarber responded with his 19th career postseason homer to cut the deficit to 2-1 in the fourth.

A double from Brandon Marsh tied it up the next inning.

Three walks and an error started off the sixth, and the Phillies capitalized, taking the lead.

They tacked on another with a triple and a sac fly in the seventh. 5-2 Phillies.

In the seventh, the Diamondbacks walked in a run. And in the eighth, Alek Thomas hit a two-run homer off Craig Kimbrel to tie the game.

After a single and a hit by pitch, the Phillies went to a new pitcher, closer Jose Alvarado. It didn't matter. The D-backs took the lead on the Moreno single.

The Phillies threatened in the ninth, but closer Paul Sewald closed the door and sealed the victory. The NLCS is tied.

The D-Backs' victory was the second comeback of the day, and the one in Arlington, Texas might have been even wilder.

Houston seemed to have the momentum after tying the best-of-seven ALCS 2-2 Thursday in Arlington by jumping on the Rangers early and keeping the pressure on for a 10-3 win. They had outscored the Rangers 57-18 (+39) in their past five games in Arlington. That run differential is the best in MLB history throughout five road games by any team against a 90-win opponent, per ESPN Stats & Info.

The Astros tacked on another with a first-inning home run from Alex Bregman in Game 5:

The Rangers' Nathaniel Lowe matched him a few innings later, tying the game in the fifth.

But with a defensive bobble from Corey Seager in the sixth, the Astros were back on top:

Then, with a big swing from Adolis Garcia, the Rangers took the lead, marking the first time in this series that the home team has been ahead.

Chaos broke out in the eighth, when Garcia was hit by a pitch and immediately took it up with Astros catcher Martin Maldonado. The benches cleared, and Garcia, reliever Bryan Abreu and Astros manager Dusty Baker were all ejected.

Then, after a lengthy delay for Rangers reliever Jose Leclerc, Jose Altuve changed the game with his 26th career postseason home run in the top of the ninth. 5-4 Astros.

The Rangers threatened with two on and zero out in the ninth, but they couldn't squeeze across a run, and with that, they lost all three home games to fall behind 3-2 in the ALCS.

See below for more news, scores and updates from NLCS Game 4 and ALCS Game 5 on Friday.