Phillies 8, Dodgers 7: Pitchers walk 11, which ends up sinking Dodgers in back-and-forth affair

Chad Moriyama 04/06/2025 Game Recaps 12 Comments

While the game time was far too early for me, the Dodgers were ready and jumped out to an early lead, but things went awry once the rain started falling. Tyler Glasnow lost control completely and was knocked out … basically by mud, but the Dodger bats chipped away at the lead until they took the lead themselves late. Unfortunately, a defensive miscue and too many walks being cashed in ended up being their undoing, as the pen faltered late in an 8-7 loss to the Phillies.

First series loss of the season.

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Phillies starter Cristopher Sanchez started ideally, striking out Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts, looking in complete control. But this lineup can generate offense in a hurry, which they proved when Tommy Edman singled and Teoscar Hernandez followed that by visiting the right-field stands for a two-run homer (third) and a 2-0 lead.

He did rebound effectively, getting an eight-pitch 2nd and striking out two in the 3rd. That bought some time.

At least initially, Glasnow looked quite sharp, giving up just a walk in the 1st and an infield single in the 2nd. However, once the 3rd came around, the rain had started coming down and the dirt turned into mud, and Glasnow seemed to be really bothered by it. Not sure I’ve ever seen somebody so rattled by … dirt and water.

He walked three batters in a row — though he was squeezed on two of the walks that went to 3-2 counts — then Bryce Harper flared a single to left for a bloop single and a run, which was followed by a wild pitch to tie the game at 2-2. Glasnow then issued another walk, his fourth of the inning, to reload the bases.

That was enough for Dave Roberts, who saw his newly-healthy pitcher coming undone in wet conditions: 2 IP, 2 H, 5 R, 5 BB, 2 K, 60 Pitches.

Why five runs? Well because Alex Vesia entered and gave up a grand slam to Nick Castellanos on the first pitch to make it 6-2 Phillies. He also gave up a single and threw a wild pitch, but managed to get through the 3rd.

To their credit, the Dodgers immediately tried to rally back against Sanchez in the 4th, with Teoscar again going oppo for a homer, his fourth of the year and cutting the deficit to 6-3.

They also managed a hit-by-pitch and walk, but couldn’t push anything else across in that inning. What that did do is get Teoscar up to the plate quicker again, as Mookie reached on an infield single in the 5th, and with two outs Teoscar doubled down the line in left to make the advantage just 6-4 Phillies as they continued to chip away.

Sanchez also got two outs in the 6th before handing things off to the pen, with Jose Ruiz getting the final out.

The man who allowed the Dodgers to slowly make a comeback is Jack Dreyer, who entered in the 4th and went six up and six down on 19 pitches to get them through the 5th.

Dave decided to push him for innings, and he got a strikeout in the 6th that made it his first time over two innings since August 2023. However, that was too much for him, as he then issued back-to-back walks and that was it for him. Kirby Yates entered and tried to help the rookie out for the work he did, and got off to a bad start with a wild pitch, but he then settled down and notched a strikeout and groundout to end the threat and keep the score at 6-4 Phillies.

That work was rewarded immediately in the 7th when Jordan Romano entered for the Phillies, as he allowed an Andy Pages single, walked Shohei, and then Mookie ripped a double into the left-center field gap to plate Pages, make it 6-5, and put a pair in scoring position.

Orion Kerkering ended Romano’s nightmare, but after a shallow flyout didn’t advance anybody, Teoscar got his fifth RBI of the game with a sac fly, and Will Smith came up with a huge two-out double to give the Dodgers a 7-6 lead.

That didn’t last long, as Blake Treinen entered for the 7th and Pages brutally misplayed a ball in center for a double.

A walk followed to put two on, and after a flyout, Bryson Stott fisted a single to right to tie the game and corner the runners.

Edmundo Sosa then grounded a ball sharply at Max Muncy, who tried to turn two with it, but the throw from Edman required a pick and Sosa beat it out, allowing the run to score and giving the Phillies an 8-7 lead.

Things looked like they’d get out of hand when Luis Garcia struggled in the 8th for the Dodgers, walking three batters himself to load the bases with just one out, but he got out of it thanks to a great defensive play by Enrique Hernandez at first for a double play.

To close things out for the Phillies was Matt Strahm in the 8th, who got a clean frame. Jose Alvarado got the 9th, getting the top of the order in order without drama.

And that was all she wrote.

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9-2 on the season now, as they suffer their first series loss.

The Dodgers will now travel to D.C. for a three-game set against the Nationals starting at 12:45 PM HT/3:45 PM PT/6:45 PM ET. It’ll be Dustin May looking to build on his impressive debut against rising star MacKenzie Gore.

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