Phillies shut out Padres: 3 takeaways from NLCS Game 1
By Mark Powell
The Philadelphia Phillies defeated the San Diego Padres in Game 1 of the NLCS. Here’s everything you need to know about the Phils’ shutout victory.
Two solo home runs — that’s all it took for this Phillies team to win in San Diego. The Padres boast one of the toughest homefield advantages in the postseason, rivaled only by perhaps the Phillies themselves at Citizens Bank Ballpark. The Dodgers found out the hard way just how loud it can be at Petco Park.
Yet. Zack Wheeler, Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber were not phased.
Wheeler gave up just one hit, Harper and Schwarber hit a home run apiece and the Phillies will escape San Diego with a vital road victory, and a chance at two on Wednesday.
NLCS takeaways: Phillies starting staff can be dominant
Wheeler is the obvious Game 1 takeaway, as he gave up just one hit in seven innings, and was taken out after just 82 pitches.
While the broadcast booth was right to question manager Rob Thomson in the moment, as Wheeler clearly had plenty of gas left in the tank, the Phillies now have options as to when they want to pitch their ace next.
Should Philadelphia be forced into a situation where they need to throw their ace on short rest, Thomson can be ready and willing to do just that. Wheeler faced little stress in his seven innings of work, and threw well under 100 pitches.
The NLCS also offers very little rest time this year due to the new playoff schedule. One off day looms, but Wheeler should be well-rest to throw in Game 4 or Game 5, depending on how the series plays out.