Dave Roberts described it as an easy decision. 

If only it hadn’t come with such disastrous consequences.

In the middle of the fifth inning Tuesday night, Shohei Ohtani returned to the Dodgers' dugout after a clean inning of work on the mound. Waiting for him at the top step was manager Dave Roberts, wanting to ask how he felt after only his second five-inning start of the season.

With any other pitcher, what happened next would have been simple.

Over his five innings against the Philadelphia Phillies, Ohtani had not given up a hit. He had thrown only 68 pitches. And he was flashing the kind of dominance that would have made a no-hitter feel like a real possibility.

With any other pitcher, Roberts would have extended the leash.

Ohtani, however, is not like any other pitcher.

He is a two-way star, coming off a second career Tommy John surgery, who has been managed with kid gloves and bubblewrap in his return to pitching duties this year. He started his comeback by pitching one inning, then two, then so on until he built up to five. Weeks ago, the team — in consultation with team doctors, Ohtani’s agent and the reigning MVP himself — decided to avoid pushing him past the five-inning mark until at least October.

His health, both on the bump and at the plate, remains the priority.

Thus, while Ohtani told Roberts he still felt good, Roberts said he never had any thought of sending him out for the sixth. His question, he later explained, was only to ascertain information for future decision-making over Ohtani’s workload. As far as Tuesday was concerned? 

“He wasn’t gonna go back out,” Roberts said.

By not sending Ohtani back out, of course, the Dodgers rolled the dice with their ever-faulty bullpen. And in one of the group’s worst performances this year, they yielded nine runs over the next four innings in a gut-punch of a 9-6 defeat.

“We’ve been very steadfast in every situation as far as innings for [Ohtani’s] usage — from one inning to two innings to three to four to five. We haven’t deviated from that,” Roberts said.

“I was trying to get his pulse for going forward, where he’s at, continuing to go to the sixth inning. And he says, ‘Feel OK.’ So that was good. But I’m not gonna have a plan for five innings, and then he pitches well and say, ‘Hey, now you’re gonna go six innings.’ He’s too important. And if something happens, then that’s on me for changing it, and we haven’t done that all year.”

Read more:Plaschke: Dodgers are blowing their bye, and hopes for deep playoff run, thanks to familiar issue

After pulling Ohtani with a four-run lead, the Dodgers watched their relief corps melt down in predictable, reminiscent fashion. Justin Wrobleski gave up five consecutive hits with one out in the sixth, including a three-run home run to Brandon Marsh that broke open the inning. Edgardo Henriquez made matters worse, replacing Wrobleski — amid a chorus of boos directed at Roberts — later in the inning only to give up another long ball to Max Kepler.

By the time it was over, the Phillies had scored six runs to take the lead. And though the Dodgers would battle back to tie the score in the eighth, the bullpen faltered again in the ninth, when Blake Treinen gave up a decisive three-run, two-out home run to Rafael Marchán in the Phillies' eventual 9-6 win.

For the five innings Tuesday, Ohtani displayed utter dominance against the only team to have already clinched a division title.

His fastball was playing up, eclipsing 100 mph seven times and topping out at 101.7 mph. His secondary stuff was electric, a mix of sliders and sweepers and curveballs and splitters that kept the Phillies off balance and able to make only benign contact.

After a two-out walk to Bryce Harper in the first inning, Ohtani retired the final 13 he faced. He got only six total whiffs, but was more pitch-efficient because of it, with his 68 throws coming in 19 shy of his previous season-high (he threw 87 pitches in his only other full five-inning start on Aug. 27).

That’s why, once Ohtani raced back toward the dugout to transition from pitcher to hitter in the middle of the fifth, his removal wasn’t a foregone conclusion. Why, after Roberts conversed with Ohtani from the top step, he found first baseman Freddie Freeman laughing at him back on the bench, sensing the stressfulness of his manager’s decision (which represented the ninth time in Roberts’ Dodgers tenure he had pulled a pitcher from a no-hitter in the fifth inning or later).

By that point, of course, the game shouldn’t have been in danger either way.

The Dodgers had scored three runs in the second inning on home runs from Alex Call and Kiké Hernández. They added another in the fourth off Phillies left-hander Cristopher Sánchez, handing the Cy Young contender just his fourth start this season of more than three earned runs.

But then, a bullpen that had been burned repeatedly in recent weeks (including in a 10-inning loss in the opening game of this series Monday night) played with fire again.

Wrobleski, a rookie left-hander who had been one of the Dodgers’ better relievers of late, had Rafael Marchán break up the no-no with a one-out single, Harrison Bader and Kyle Schwarber to load the bases with two more hits after that, Harper to gap a double that brought two runs across, and Marsh to go deep on a hanging 0-2 slider for a go-ahead three-run shot.

Henriquez, another rookie who had been sharp in limited action this year, yielded another home run to Kepler two batters later.

Just like that, it was 6-4 Phillies.

Ohtani helped the Dodgers get back in the game with his bat. In the eighth, he clobbered a leadoff home run deep to right field for his 50th long ball of the season, making him just the sixth player in MLB history with consecutive 50-homer campaigns.

The Dodgers kept the rally going after that, loading the bases for Call to hit a tying sacrifice fly.

Read more:Dodgers Dugout: The 10 best relief pitchers in Dodgers history

Alas, the Dodgers' bullpen did what it does best once more in the ninth, coming unglued at the worst possible moment.

After getting two quick outs to start the inning, Treinen gave up a double to Weston Wilson (the No. 7 hitter who entered with a .202 average). He fell behind 3-and-0 to Bryson Stott (the No. 8 hitter) to trigger an intentional walk. Then, in a 3-and-1 count to Marchán (the No. 9 hitter and backup catcher for the Phillies), he served up an inside cutter that Marchán pulled down the line, getting just enough behind it to send it bouncing off the top of the short right-field wall.

Nine painful runs, in four miserable innings of Dodgers relief.

Another loss, that wasted Ohtani’s no-hit (but short-lived) masterpiece.

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

At the business end of the season, the business of winning trumps all else. Egos, conventional wisdom, and tradition all must bow at the altar of the bottom line: Win or spend the long offseason contemplating the what-ifs. For the Mets, the game plan for Tuesday night’s game against the San Diego Padres was to start Clay Holmes, piggybackSean Manaea after, and then... go from there.

Unlike so many best-laid plans of the 2025 season, this one didn’t go awry as Holmes delivered four innings of two-run ball and Manaea followed with five innings of one-run ball in New York's 8-3 win.

“Thought it was great,” Holmes said. “We got a win, bullpen didn’t have to pitch, so always a good day. Offense showed up earthly and really took the pressure off of us, and we could just go and throw strikes and let the defense play. It was nice to just be able to cover the game, the both of us.” 

The Mets' offense putting up a five-run first inning, including four runs with two outs, provided a big boost for the starter after he posted a 1-2-3 first inning, allowing him to pound the strike zone with conviction.

“Sinker felt good,” Holmes said. “For me, it was just kinda attacking and filling the strike zone up. I gave up the two homers on the four-seam and the cutter, probably my fifth and sixth pitches, but it was where the game was. 

“I knew it was gonna be a piggyback situation, but you just never really know what that entails. So, once we got up, I was just being super aggressive and attacking and seeing how far I could go, really, until Mendy wanted to make the switch.”

Holmes came out after just four innings and 53 pitches, surrendering a pair of solo home runs, but that was less a reflection on the righty’s performance than the Padres lineup featuring a handful of lefty hitters they wanted Manaea to attack.

“We knew we wanted to play the matchups as much as possible,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “So if you’re trying to extend Clay [into the fifth], you’re looking at Clay facing three lefties in a row and then you get Manaea facing righties for the first time. Yeah, I was aggressive there, but I thought I needed to give those guys good matchups there.”

Holmes said he wasn’t aware of any “set plan” that he would be coming out after a certain batter. 

“I was pitching until they said no, and I didn’t really know when that was,” he said. “I prepared as a normal start and basically was just going after the hitters as I would as if [it were a normal start], kinda letting them make those decisions.”

Mendoza added that when Holmes struck out Jackson Merrill swinging to end the fourth with a runner on base, that was going to be his last hitter, and if the inning continued, Manaea would have entered with two on and two out.  

Manaea, who made 27 relief appearances back in 2023 and one piggyback start earlier this year, leaned on that experience to be ready when his number was called.

“Being adaptable is a huge asset for situations like this, and I lean on that,” he said. “It felt normal, like a normal routine, just took that and ran with it.”

Of course, he didn’t think he was going to pitch as long as he did – five innings and 73 pitches – but: “Whatever it takes to help this team win.”

The plan is for the duo to piggyback on Sunday against the Nationals, but there could be a tweak in the order of appearance

“We still gotta talk about whether we wanna go the same way,” Mendoza said, raising the possibility the roles might be reversed. “Because of the lineups, looking at the Nationals and some of their lefties at the top, we gotta have those discussions, but that’s the plan.”

For Holmes, he’s good with either role, as the mantra stays the same.

“We all want to win, and I think we all believe in each other,” he said about piggybacking after Manaea or vice versa next time around. “Really, I think it’s just the mentality of, whatever it takes, we’re willing to do. It may take some creativity, it may take some things that doesn't seem normal, I guess… I think the bottom line is we all want to win and whatever that takes at this point, I think we’re willing to do whatever.” 

The win keeps the Mets in position for a National League Wild Card spot, and gives them two consecutive wins after a tough weekend series against Texas.

“It’s nice to get things rolling back in the way that we want to and the way we know we’re capable of,” Holmes said. “But at the same time, we know there’s still a lot of work to be done. We gotta take it a game at a time, and each day is a new day, and bring what you have that day. 

“These last couple weeks, every day’s gotta be earned, and we know that.”

Manaea to keep fighting

Mendoza said he has noticed a difference in the left-hander, carrying over from his last start in Philadelphia, and that it was “good to see him out there and have that type of performance.”

“The aggressiveness, competing in the strike zone, his ability to elevate the fastball,” the manager said. “But I think there’s just conviction there with every pitch he makes. Expanding when he needs to, staying on the attack, there’s a lot to like there.”

The lefty entered the night with a 5.76 ERA and 1.240 WHIP over his first 50 innings of the year, surrendering 32 runs on 52 hits despite posting 64 strikeouts to 10 walks. 

Manaea pinpointed his performance on Tuesday, the lone blemish a solo home run, to good fastball execution with some good sliders “for the most part” and came out of his outing feeling good.

"We all believe in him and what he can do," Holmes said. "And he's gonna be a big part of what we do down the stretch tonight. It was huge tonight to see him go out there and pound the strike zone and get the results that we believe he can."

This was longer than the lefty managed to go in six of his 11 outings since his season began out of the bullpen the day before the All-Star break. And that had been the story for Manaea this year: Pitching pretty well through the early innings and then seemingly out of nowhere hitting a wall around the fourth.

“We saw a pretty effective guy out of the gate and then he just ran out of gas, but today, we saw a guy I feel like he got better as the game went,” Mendoza said. “Mechanics, him feeling a lot better physically, and now he’s getting results.”

“Backed myself into a corner and had to start punching my way out,” the lefty said of his rough year. “ And I’ve kinda taken that mindset. I think that was a continuation of that last start.”

The frustration had been easy to spot.

“I think Sean’s frustrated,” president of baseball operations David Stearnssaid before Tuesday’s game. “I think we’re frustrated that we haven’t been able to get him over the hump. There are reasons I think that we can pinpoint. His fastball is a very effective pitch, but we gotta get up in the zone a little bit more than perhaps he has been able to thus far this year. Probably slightly different pitch mix...

“We’re gonna need Sean over these next 12 games, we’re gonna need Sean into the playoffs, hopefully… We’ve seen flashes of a really good pitcher, and it’s our job to help get there a little bit more consistently.”

The pair of good outings won’t be enough to see the southpaw drop his hands. 

“Feels good, but I can’t let my guard down. I think that’s probably how I got in this situation in the first place,” he said. “Still got work to do, and it’s coming down to crunch time. Feel good, I’m just gonna keep doing that.”

The Yankees offense put up 10 runs on 16 hits, but had to hold on to a 10-9 win over the Twins on Tuesday night in Minnesota.

New York got out to a 10-1 lead, but starter Cam Schlittler and the low-leverage arms in the bullpen struggled to hold the Twins lineup down. 

Here are the takeaways....

-After mustering just two hits in Monday's series opener, the Yankees' offense woke up from its slumber in the first inning. Back-to-back singles from Trent Grisham and Aaron Judge got the Yankees going before Cody Bellinger followed a fly out from Ben Rice with a single to drive in Grisham. Giancarlo Stanton nearly missed a three-run shot, but his long fly ball allowed Judge to score on the sac fly. 

In the second, Austin Wells followed Anthony Volpe's double with a double of his own -- barely missing a homer. Grisham did not miss a homer, hitting a two-run shot over the right field wall in the next at-bat, to put the Yankees up 5-1. Stanton tacked on a run with a two-out single, scoring Judge.

Three more runs were scored in the third inning on three hits and two sac flies. Unfortunately, the Yankees would not score another run, and could not get insurance runs across when they had opportunities late.

-Schlittler did not give the Yankees a lockdown inning after they scored two in the first. After getting the first two outs, he walked two straight batters before Royce Lewis smoked a single off the glove of a diving Ryan McMahon. But Schlittler would settle down, retiring 11 straight batters at one point, but it fell apart for the youngster in the fifth. Schlittler allowed three runs on three walks and two hits, including a two-run shot to James Outman. 

Schlittler went just 4.2 innings (89 pitches/49 strikes), allowing four runs on three hits and five walks while striking out six batters.

-The bullpen wasn't much better. Ryan Yarbrough came in to start the sixth and was battered around for four runs but Mark Leiter Jr. settled down the Twins lineup, picking up five big outs, but almost gave up the tying run when Trevor Larnach launched a long fly ball that Judge caught at the wall. 

Devin Williams pitched a perfect eighth and David Bednar got the final three outs but allowed a solo shot to have the Yankees sweat this one out. 

Here's how the Yankees bullpen pitched:

• Fernando Cruz: 0.1 IP 
• Yarbrough: 0.1 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 1 K
• Leiter Jr.: 1.2 IP, 1 H
• Williams: 1.0 IP, 2 K
• Bednar: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 K

-Volpe, starting in his first game in a week, was solid at the plate. He went 2-for-4 with a double, two runs, a walk and an RBI. He also made a nifty play in the field.

Game MVP: Mark Leiter Jr.

The middle reliever settled down the bullpen to get the game to Williams and Bednar

Highlights

GRISH. pic.twitter.com/p2lKtY1FGn

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) September 17, 2025

The Yankees are raking in Minnesota 💪 pic.twitter.com/4DqfJlcpc7

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) September 17, 2025

What's next

The Yankees and Twins complete their series on Wednesday evening. First pitch is set for 7:40 p.m.

Luis Gil (4-1, 2.83 ERA) will take the mound and will go up against Taj Bradley (6-7, 4.88 ERA).

The Mets scored five runs in the first inning and never looked back as they smacked four home runs in an 8-3 win over the San Diego Padres on Tuesday night at Citi Field.

New York piggybacked Sean Manaea off Clay Holmes successfully combined to go all nine innings, allowing the three runs (all on solo home runs) on seven hits and one walk with six strikeouts.

The Mets improved to 78-73 (47-29 at home). San Diego fell to 82-69 on the year.

Here are some takeaways...

- The Mets wasted no time jumping on Michael King in the bottom of the first:Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto, and Pete Alonso all singled to center to load the bases. Brandon Nimmo poked a single the other way to plate a run, and San Diego pitching coach Ruben Niebla was out for a visit after 11 pitches. 

After Mark Vientos bounced into a 1-2-3 twin killing, Jeff McNeil came through with a two-run double that just stayed fair down the first base line, yanking a first pitch slider that floated over the plate, snapping an 0-for-11 skid. Brett Baty made it 5-0 when he clobbered a 3-1 fastball for a two-run home run to right. The 93 mph King heater on the inner-half went off the facade of the second deck, traveling 416 feet (108.2 mph off the bat) for Baty's 17th on the year.

- King’s bad day continued in the second: Lindor got a sinker up and over the plate and crushed it off the facade of the second deck in right for a solo homer (382 feet, 104 mph). It was his first dinger of the month, giving him 27 on the year and 78 batted in.  

With two down, Alonso got a sinker down and in and demolished it to the second deck in left field (430 feet, 113 mph). The slugger now has 35 homers and 118  RBI on the season.

- Cedric Mullins drilled a down-in-the-zone changeup into the Mets' bullpen (388 feet) for a leadoff shot in the fourth to end King’s night. Lefty Kyle Hart came in from the Padres ‘pen and struck out five of the first six batters he faced. After the Mullins homer, the Mets came up hitless against San Diego's relievers with only a pair of walks and a hit-by-pitch over the next five frames.

-  Holmes needed 10 pitches for a 1-2-3 first, including a strikeout of Luis Arraez, who entered the night about the hardest guy to strikeout with just 20 in 627 plate appearances this season (3.19 percent). Pitching with a five-run lead, Holmes issued a leadoff walk before getting a 6-4-3 double play, with a very close call at first base going the Mets’ way. That proved big as a red-hot Jackson Merrill launched the very next pitch 431 feet to center for a solo shot.

Holmes had a six-run lead to work with in the third, but left a fatball over the plate to Jake Cronenworth, who clocked it for a 411-foot homer to just right of center. The righty threw a hanging sweeper to Manny Machado to start the fourth, but the slugger got under the ball for a flyout to left. Holmes allowed a two-out double to Ramon Laureano, but kept San Diego off the board, getting Merril swinging.  

That closed the book on Holmes: 4.0 innings, two runs on three hits and a walk with two strikeouts on 52 pitches (34 strikes).

- With Holmes at 39 pitches and one out in the fourth inning, Manaea was seen getting loose in the bullpen. Before the game, manager Carlos Mendoza said the left-hander would get into the game regardless of how well Holmes was pitching.

And Manea got the call for the top of the fifth with the Mets ahead 8-2 and got lefty Ryan O’Hearn swinging to start a run of five straight retired before Machado looped a single the other way with two out in the sixth. The lefty then retired the next five, including getting two broken-bat comebackers in the seventh. The streak ended with one out in the eighth when Freddy Fermin drove a solo home run 327 feet to left, as a 1-0 sweeper stayed over the plate. 

Manaea surrendered a two-out double in the ninth, as he closed the door with five innings of one-run ball with four hits and four strikeouts on 71 pitches (52 strikes).

- The Mets had a scare in the bottom of the eighth inning when Francisco Alvarez was drilled by a 99 mph sinker on the left arm and had to exit the game. He was back in the dugout and on the field for the postgame celebration, however, sporting a big smile and an even bigger ice pack on the back of his arm.

- Lindor (as well as Soto and Edwin Diaz) wore No. 21 in honor of Roberto Clemente Day. And the shortstop wasn’t the only member of his family to star as his wife, Katia, played the national anthem on the violin.  

Game MVP: Clay Holmes and Sean Manaea

It was a group project, and everyone did their part with the starters combining well and the bats pounding out plenty of run support.

Highlights

Four straight hits to start the game for the Mets!

They snag an early lead! pic.twitter.com/U7eR7meqIK

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 16, 2025

First pitch swinging from Jeff McNeil gives the Mets a 3-0 first inning lead! pic.twitter.com/3muW49Tu5c

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 16, 2025

BATY BOMB!

The Mets have scored 5 first inning runs! pic.twitter.com/j2ldWuvlrm

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 16, 2025

You knew Francisco was going yard after Katia's National Anthem!

6-1 Mets! pic.twitter.com/kxYg9ovy0K

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 16, 2025

"The Mets are just teeing off!"

Pete Alonso joins in on the fun with a home run! pic.twitter.com/hJ58FbBZ49

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 16, 2025

What's next

The two sides are back in action on Wednesday night for a 7:10 p.m. first pitch.

Left-hander David Peterson (3.77 ERA, 1.324 WHIP with 148 strikeouts in 162.1 innings) takes the ball for his 29th start of the year. The visitors are sending out righty Nick Pivetta (2.73 ERA, 0.951 WHIP with 180 strikeouts in 171.1 innings) for his 30th start.

Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez exited Tuesday's series opener against the San Diego Padres after being hit by a pitch late in the game.

Alvarez came up with the Mets having an 8-3 lead in the eighth inning. With two outs, Alvarez took a 99.8 mph fastball to the left arm. It's unclear where exactly Alvarez was hit, but it was above the elbow, perhaps in the triceps area. The Mets backstop took a knee and held his arm in pain as manager Carlos Mendoza and the staff tended to Alvarez.

Alvarez walked to first base before being lifted for Hayden Senger.

Alvarez is already playing with a torn UCL and a fractured finger that has put him on the IL two separate times this season.

This story is still developing...

Francisco Alvarez is hit in the arm by a 100 MPH fastball from Bradgley Rodriguez

The Mets' dugout is not pleased pic.twitter.com/Es3yNLT47c

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 17, 2025

Phillies erupt for 6-run inning, collect another series win over Dodgers originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

LOS ANGELES – There certainly was a built-in excuse for the Phillies’ play against the Dodgers on Tuesday, a day after they clinched their second consecutive National League East title. After all, there were candles lit in the clubhouse before the game to try and help smother the smell of many celebratory beers and cigars.

If there were any lingering cobwebs from the previous night’s fun, no one around the Phillies was going to admit as much, and maybe being no-hit in the first five innings was just a coincidence. Or perhaps the better reasoning was that Shohei Ohtani was on the mound.

Excuses weren’t needed as the Phillies, again, came back from an early deficit and defeated the Dodgers, 9-6. Backup catcher Rafael Marchan blasted a three-run home run with two outs in the ninth inning for the thrilling win. The Phillies improved to 91-61, their first time being 30 games over .500 this season.

“He had good at-bats all night,” said manager Rob Thomson of Marchan. “He’s done a great job for us all year. He plays once every fifth day, once every sixth day and as prepared as he is not only behind the plate but offensively, too. He’s just done a fabulous job. Really has.”

When Ohtani was removed after his five innings, either the espresso that was so popular in the clubhouse before the game kicked in or this resilient bunch just showed their true colors of late as they erupted for six runs in the sixth to take a 6-4 lead.

“We thought that he was pretty good,” Thomson deadpanned about Ohtani. “Seeing the shapes of his pitches, just seeing it live, it should help a little bit (should there be a playoff meeting).”

The long ball hurt Phillies starter Cristopher Sanchez early as the Dodgers plated three in the second inning on a solo home run by Alex Call and then a two-run shot by Kike Hernandez. They added another run in the fourth on singles by Tommy Edman and Andy Pages before a sacrifice fly by Hernandez.

Sanchez, whom manager Thomson said would be his Game 1 playoff starter, wasn’t at his sharpest but typical of everyone on the team lately, battled through.

“I feel great for him,” said Sanchez of Marchan. “He’s a tremendous catcher. The only thing is he’s backing up J.T. right now, but he’s a tremendous catcher. I’m just really happy that he’s showing out for the team.

“I felt good today. I was attacking the hitters and I was throwing strikes. The only bad thing about it was maybe they got me with a couple of pitches that I left in the zone, but I felt good overall and we got the win, which is the most important thing.”

Marchan broke the no-hit seal for the Phillies in the sixth and then the flood gates opened. Harrison Bader and Kyle Schwarber followed with singles to load the bases off Dodgers reliever Justin Wrobleski. Bryce Harper then doubled, scoring two, before Brandon Marsh obliterated a slider into the right-center seats for a 5-4 lead. Edgardo Henriquez replaced Wrobleski and gave up a home run to Max Kepler down the rightfield line as the Phillies batted around in the inning.

With a two-run lead and having already thrown 89 pitches, Thomson sent Sanchez out for the seventh inning in what could be his last normal workload before the playoffs. He easily shut down the Dodgers in that frame and finished his night with 102 pitches, 75 of them strikes and allowed seven hits, four earned runs and struck out six to improve to 14-5 on the year.

“He’s going to have one more start, maybe two,” said Thomson of Sanchez. “Our pen was a little bit light today, so we pushed him a little bit further than we normally do. In the sixth he was really good and he was 96, 97 in the seventh. The one thing early in the game, everything seemed to be leaking back to the middle of the plate on right-handed hitters and they had some pretty good swings. He grinded and he did a great job.”

Ohtani led off the eighth with a home run to right off David Robertson that completely left the stadium. Teoscar Hernandez chased Robertson after he doubled. Tanner Banks then gave up a walk to Freddie Freeman and a single to Tommy Edman to load the bases. Alex Call hit a sacrifice fly to left to tie the game.

In the ninth, Weston Wilson laced a two-out double to left off Blake Treinen. Bryson Stott was then intentionally walked before Marchan smashed a 3-1 pitch just over the short fence and into the Phillies bullpen for the deciding runs.

“We knew if we could keep the score close (against Ohtani) then we’d have a chance,” said Marchan. “I was excited. I’ll just try to enjoy it as much as I can, but the way that we are winning is more important. I know he was trying to be around the strike zone and I just wanted him to come to me and give me the best chance to put my best swing. I hit the ball well. I was ready for that.”

Jhoan Duran pitched the ninth and picked up his 31st save of the season.

The Phillies remain 1.5 games behind Milwaukee for the top seed in the National League as the Brewers beat the Angels Monday. Philadelphia also expanded their lead over the Dodgers to 6.5 for the second seed. The top two seeds receive byes in the postseason.

“They’ve been huge because they’ve been great games,” said Thomson of the two wins against the Dodgers. “Fell behind tonight 4-0 and it kind of looked like we were dead in the water. All of the sudden we have that big sixth inning, Marsh home run and Kepler home run and in the ninth it all started with two outs. Just a really good team win.”

The Phillies now own the tiebreaker against the Dodgers so would have home field advantage should the two meet in the playoffs.

“It’s huge,” Thomson said. “It doesn’t matter what team it is I think we play better at home than we do on the road and I think a lot of it has to do with our fan base and everybody is comfortable at home. Getting home field advantage is crucial.”

Not only are the wins happening often for the Phillies, they are also happening in extremely enjoyable ways for them.

“I was ready to run on the field like we were in the bottom of the ninth,” said Marsh of Marchan’s home run. “It was a whole lot of fun. Really good at-bat, weight off the back foot. It was a professional at-bat and we needed it. Big time.”