Max Kepler, Brandon Marsh go deep, Phillies bounce back to split twin bill with Padres

After a disappointing Game 1, the Phillies got back to business Wednesday night in the doubleheader nightcap with a 5-1 win over the Padres, powered by homers from Max Kepler and Brandon Marsh, and another strong outing from Cristopher Sánchez.

Mick Abel got shelled and Nick Pivetta shoved against his old team. The Phillies brushed it off and responded like a team with playoff aspirations should, by hitting, fielding, and pitching their way to a bounce-back W in Game 2 and locking up the series.

Schwarber goes yard, but Padres jump all over Mick Abel early to beat the Phillies 6-4 in first game of doubleheader

Phillies Bats Come Alive

Max Kepler entered the night without an extra-base hit in his last 50 plate appearances. He broke that drought with a two-run bomb off Dylan Cease in the 4th to give the Phillies a 2-1 lead.

Max Kepler. Ring it.

Got the Maximum height on this one pic.twitter.com/zzdbQR5D1j

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) July 2, 2025

One inning later, Brandon Marsh added some insurance with a solo shot — his first homer since May 31.

Sicko Padres fan eats cheesesteak with a fork at Citizens Bank Park

Add in an Alec Bohm RBI triple (a sentence you don’t see often) and a Nick Castellanos RBI single, and the offense did enough damage to help Sánchez coast the rest of the way.

Cristopher Sánchez Shoves

Cristopher Sánchez continues to be one of the best under-the-radar pitchers in baseball. The lefty allowed one run on five hits across seven strong innings, striking out five and navigating traffic like a seasoned ace.

He’s now posted six straight starts allowing two runs or fewer, and has gone six innings or more in 10 starts this season.

Crismas in July pic.twitter.com/YbSSOZBsLZ

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) July 3, 2025

The game-changing moment came in the fifth. With runners on second and third and just one out, Sánchez struck out Jake Cronenworth and Martin Maldonado to slam the door shut on any Padres momentum.

The game stayed 3-1, and the Phillies never looked back.

Padres – Phillies Series Notes:

The Padres may have won Game 1 behind Manny Machado’s three-RBI night and another strong start from Pivetta, but it was the Phillies who walked away with the series win.

They’ve now taken four of their last six and will head into the weekend with a little momentum. For a team still fighting to stay near the top of the NL standings while juggling injuries and a shaky bullpen, that’s all you can ask for.

What’s Next

• Phillies: LHP Jesús Luzardo (7-4, 4.06 ERA) will take the mound against the red-hot Reds and Andrew Abbott (7-1, 1.79 ERA) Friday at Citizens Bank Park.

Let’s see if the bats stay hot and Sánchez’s consistency continues to rub off on the rest of the staff. Either way, a series win over a playoff-caliber team like San Diego is a win worth holding onto.

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