Castellanos and Rojas rescue Phillies with 9th-inning jacks
Castellanos and Rojas rescue Phillies with 9th-inning jacks originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
ANAHEIM — Nick Castellanos raised his right hand high in the air and pointed toward the seats in right-center field, knowing just where the ball he launched in the top of the ninth inning Tuesday night was headed.
Castellanos' solo home run, No. 2 on the year, tied the game against Angels closer Carlos Estevez. Bryson Stott followed with a double and Johan Rojas drilled a low-and-in slider over the wall in left for a game-winning two-run shot, his first of the year.
The Phillies won, 7-5, to even the series and avoid what would have been a frustrating loss.
Trea Turner's error and Yunior Marte's ineffectiveness in the bottom of the sixth nearly cost the Phils the game.
Spencer Turnbull dazzled again but was at 98 pitches so he was pulled after 5⅓ innings when Taylor Ward singled. Brandon Drury, who is not a fast runner, grounded a ball hard right at Turner for a tailor-made 6-4-3 double play but Turner tried to work too quickly and muffed the grounder. No out was recorded on the play, and Luis Rengifo hit a go-ahead three-run homer off Marte on the very next pitch.
Marte allowed well-struck balls to Rengifo (homer), Cole Tucker (double) and Mickey Moniak (single) in the inning. He has allowed four earned runs on seven hits over his last 3⅔ innings after giving up one run on five hits in his first 9⅔ innings.
This is where the ripple effect of bullpen performance is felt. If Seranthony Dominguez wasn't scuffling, the sixth-inning relief appearance may have gone to Jeff Hoffman, the right-hander the Phillies typically use in "dirty innings" with runner(s) aboard. But with Dominguez not pitching well, Hoffman is more important as a right-handed option in the eighth or ninth innings.
Turnbull gave up just one earned run on four hits over 5⅓ innings and his ERA actually went up to 1.39. His opponents are 17-for-115 this season, hitting .148.
It could be his last for a little while. Taijuan Walker is back in the rotation, and with off-days May 2 and May 9, the Phillies don't want to utilize a six-man staff over the next 10 days because they feel it would give their pitchers too much rest between starts.
It won't be Turnbull's final start of 2024, though. It could make sense for the Phillies to shift back to a six-man rotation during their next gauntlet of games. They play 19 in 20 days from May 10-29 so perhaps Turnbull starts once or twice during that stretch. They could also skip a starter at times. They are conscious of Cristopher Sanchez' workload and don't seem to want to push him to 175 or so innings. Manager Rob Thomson said over the weekend that the Phils could piggyback Sanchez and Turnbull at times, as well.
The Phillies scored first for the ninth straight game when Kyle Schwarber tattooed a 421-foot, three-run shot in the second inning. It was his career-high eighth home run in April.
Jeff Hoffman recorded the final three outs for his second save after Jose Alvarado's scoreless eighth inning.
The Phils finish April 20-11, their most wins in franchise history in the opening month. Despite not slugging the first two weeks, they end April leading the National League with 40 home runs.
They go for the series win Wednesday at 1:10 p.m. ET with their ace, Zack Wheeler, on the mound. The Phillies face inefficient but occasionally stifling lefty Patrick Sandoval. His .193 career opponents' batting average vs. lefties means Brandon Marsh and Bryson Stott won't be in the starting lineup.
