The Philadelphia Phillies crushed the Arizona Diamondbacks 10-0 in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series on Tuesday, staking out a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. The Phillies are now two wins away from defeating the Diamondbacks and claiming their second consecutive NL pennant.
Right-hander Aaron Nola continued his excellent postseason, blanking the Diamondbacks over six innings of work. The Phillies' offensive onslaught, meanwhile, saw Kyle Schwarber launch two home runs and Trea Turner add his own as Philadelphia's lineup produced back-to-back four-run innings in the sixth and seventh to completely break the game open.
The series will take off Wednesday for travel purposes before shifting to Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona for Games 3 through 5 (if necessary). Here are four other things to know about the Phillies' Game 2 victory.
1. Schwarber, Turner continue homer fest
The Phillies broke the game wide open in the sixth and seventh innings. Before then, Game 2 was a tightly contested affair that hinged on a pair of home runs by Kyle Schwarber and one from Trea Turner. Let's roll that beautiful home-run footage:
Schwarber, for his part, moved into a tie for the second most career home runs in LCS history with his performance on Tuesday, surpassing Bernie Williams, Jose Altuve, and George Brett, among others. Here's a look at the top three:
1. Manny Ramirez: 13
T2. Kyle Schwarber: 10
T2. Albert Pujols: 10
Schwarber's second home run tied him with Reggie Jackson for the most ever hit in the postseason by a left-handed batter, with 18. Schwarber, to be fair, has benefitted from playing in an era with more playoff games in general. Those home runs, plus the ones the Phillies had hit in their previous three contests, established a new all-time MLB postseason record for most launched by a single team over a four-game stretch.
This is the second time the Phillies have scored 10 or more runs in a game this postseason. They also plated 10 in Game 3 of their NL Division Series victory versus the Atlanta Braves.
2. Nola dazzles, again
Aaron Nola had an uneven regular season. In 32 starts, he posted a 4.46 ERA (96 ERA+) and a 4.49 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He's been golden for the Phillies so far this postseason. In his first two starts -- one against the Braves, the other against the Marlins -- he surrendered a combined two runs on nine hits and two walks versus 12 strikeouts over the course of 12 2/3 innings.
Nola kept the good times rolling on Tuesday. In six innings, he gave up three hits and no walks. He struck out seven of the 22 batters he faced. Nola generated a game-high 11 swinging strikes, including five on his changeup and three on his signature knuckle curve.
Nola has now allowed just two runs over 18 2/3 postseason innings while amassing a 19-to-2 strikeout-to-walk ratio. That'll play.
3. How important is a 2-0 lead?
Logic dictates that the team with a two-game advantage in a best-of-seven series is working from a position of strength. Sure enough, history backs up that assertion.
According to the website WhoWins, MLB teams to take such a lead in a best-of-seven series have then won said series more than 84% of the time. Just 14 of the 89 teams to fall behind 2-0, meanwhile, have been able to recover and win the series.
Perhaps the D-backs will prove to be the 15th. For now, though, it's fair to write the odds are very, very much in favor of another trip to the World Series
What's next?
As noted above, the two sides will reconvene on Thursday after using Wednesday to travel to Arizona. Game 3 will feature Phillies left-hander Ranger Suárez (4-6, 4.18 ERA) squaring off against D-backs rookie righty Brandon Pfaadt (3-9, 5.72 ERA). First pitch is set for 5:07 p.m. ET.