The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Tampa Bay Rays 3-1 last night, winning their 12th straight game on the road while becoming the second team this season to win a series at Tropicana Field and the first team to sweep the Rays at home. 

Cristopher Sanchez was on the mound yesterday for the Phillies and put together yet another fantastic start as the fifth arm in the starting rotation. Against the team with the best record in the American League, Sanchez pitched six innings, allowing just four hits and one earned run. He walked zero and struck out two. 

In five starts this season, Sanchez is now 0-2 with a 2.84 ERA, 22 strikeouts, and a 1.03 WHIP. 

The game was scoreless heading into the fifth inning, before Darick Hall hit his first home run of the 2023 season to right field off Rays’ pitcher Jake Diekman.

In Hall’s fourth game back after missing two months due to a sprained right thumb, Hall hit is first home run of the year which was also his first extra-base hit in a lefty-on-lefty matchup. 

Entering yesterday, Hall had just two hits in 19 at-bats with nine strikeouts against left handed pitchers.

Darick Hall Solo Home Run

The Tampa Bay Rays quickly tied the game in the bottom of the fifth inning on a solo home run from Isaac Paredes but Sanchez was able to get through the sixth with that being his only mistake of the game before handing duties over to the bullpen.

Marte, Alvarado, Kimbrel, and Strahm cruised through five innings of work before the Phillies finally broke the tie in extra innings to win the ball game. 

Phillies Bullpen vs Tampa Bay Rays

Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner – RBI Singles to Right in the 11th Inning

In the top of the 11th inning, Kyle Schwarber singled on a ground ball to right field that scored Edmundo Sosa to finally break the tie and give the Phillies a 2-1 lead. Trea Turner then gave the Phillies a much needed insurance run on an RBI single to right field to put the Phillies up 3-1.

Matt Strahm came out in the bottom of the 11th, securing the Phillies 47th win on the season and completing the sweep of the Tampa Bay Rays to give the Phillies their 12th straight win on the road.

The Phillies will now open up a three-game series against the Miami Marlins tonight, looking to tie a franchise record with 13 straight road wins that was set back in 1976. That season, the Phillies won a total of 101 games and made it to the NLCS before getting swept by the Cincinnati Reds.

At 47-39 on the season, the Phillies remain in third place in the NL East standings, 11 games behind the first place Atlanta Braves. Their last series before the All-Star break will be against the second place Miami Marlins, a team they trail by just 2.5 games in the division. 

The Phillies are 8-2 over their last 10 games and winners of three straight. They hold a half game lead over the San Francisco Giants for the final Wild Card sport in the National League. The Marlins currently hold the first Wild Card spot in the NL, again with a 2.5 game lead over the Phillies. 

Zack Wheeler will take the mound tonight against Sandy Alcantara. The Marlins’ ace went just 1-3 with a 3.16 ERA in six appearances against the Phillies in 2022. 

Shoutout to the Phillies social team. They have been on roll lately.

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