Let’s turn two: Phillies 4, Cardinals 1

Thanks in part to five double plays, the Phillies top the Cardinals

What a difference a good night’s sleep makes. After a late night on Thursday seemed to cause them to sleepwalk through Friday night’s game, the Phillies played much better on Saturday afternoon. Specifically, the defense was on point, as they turned five double plays, helping them emerge with a 4-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals.

Coming off Friday’s shutout, the Phillies got on the board early on Saturday, when Nick Castellanos’ first inning double put them out in front 2-0.

The offense went quiet for a bit after that, but fortunately the defense did not. Cristopher Sanchez got the ball for the Phillies, and while he didn’t seem to have his best stuff, it didn’t matter because the defense erased baserunners just as soon as they got on.

A leadoff walk in the first? No problem, just dial up a 6-4-3 ball to the next batter. One out single in the second? Let’s go 4-6-3 this time and take care of that. In the third inning, the Cardinals loaded the bases with three singles, but a nifty 4-6-3 number ended that threat.

The “4” in that equation also helped add to the Phillies’ lead. Bryson Stott hit an RBI double in the fifth to put the Phillies up 3-0.

Naturally, he went on to turn yet another double play in the bottom of the inning.

The Cardinals stopped hitting into double plays long enough to score a run in the sixth, but that was the extent of their scoring on the day. Trea Turner added an insurance run on an RBI single in the seventh, but it wasn’t really needed. Sanchez pitched into the seventh inning, and then Orion Kerkering, Jordan Romano – aided by the fifth and final double play of the day – and Jose Alvarado closed things out without too much difficulty.

After two straight losses, the Phillies needed a win, and sometimes you need your defense to lead the way. Preferably, they’ll limit the number of baserunners allowed in the future and won’t need quite as many double plays. But for one day at least, it was nice to see the gloves come through.