Phillies, Jesús Luzardo and Los Angeles Dodgers
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Nobody out in the ninth, down by one after a two-run double by Nick Castellanos — with a dramatic replay review upholding his safe call at second — and the Phillies sent lefty Bryson Stott to the
Fans cheer as Philadelphia Phillies' Nick Castellanos stands on second base after hitting a double to score Alec Bohm and J.T Realmuto during the ninth inning in Game 2 of baseball's National League Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Monday, Oct. 6, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum) AP
The defending World Series champs can reach their 17th National League Championship Series with a Game 3 win Wednesday in Los Angeles.
The Phillies know there will be widespread changes if they cannot do the improbable and win the next three against the defending champions.
They were moments that the Phillies’ front office would dream of: Big players in big spots with a chance for big postseason ramifications. And both times, the Phillies’ stars came up small.
Philadelphia is struggling with a lack of big swings and little things, and it is costing it dearly against the defending champion Dodgers.
Lack of offense was a big reason they lost playoff series to the New York Mets (2024), Arizona Diamondbacks (2023) and Houston Astros (2022) in their last three postseason runs. If they can’t complete a miracle comeback and beat the Dodgers three straight, it will be the main culprit again.