The Dodgers and Phillies is a battle for a bye in the National League, but it’s also something of a playoff preview, and boy did the two teams deliver today. The Phillies got the early lead, but the Dodgers came right back to take a lead of their own into the later innings, where both teams went back and forth. Eventually it got to extras, where the Phillies were able to manufacture a run and the Dodgers couldn’t, resulting in a 6-5 loss.
One of those losses that suck, but in the end you just get beat sometimes.
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Starting for the Dodgers was Anthony Banda serving as an Opener, which had a dual purpose of getting a lefty against the Phillies two star lefty sluggers and also getting Emmet Sheehan used to a potential playoff pen role.
Well, the Opener part of the equation didn’t go so well. The opposite as intended, in fact. Banda got a strikeout against righty Harrison Bader, then gave up a Kyle Schwarber homer to put the Phillies up 1-0, and issued a walk to Bryce Harper.
U up? pic.twitter.com/0fsO2tFHjk
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) September 16, 2025
That was the end of his night, as Emmet Sheehan replaced him, and that part of the equation worked out considerably better. He started his outing by getting a strikeout and groundout to end the 1st.
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On the other side was another playoff-quality starter in Ranger Suarez, and he started allowing just a single through the first two innings. The 3rd started better when Andy Pages led off with a double, then Chuckie Robinson sac bunted him to third. Shohei Ohtani then walked, and Mookie tied the game with a sac fly. 1-1.
¡Mookie de sacrificio para empatar el juego! pic.twitter.com/17WsmQIQIZ
— Los Dodgers (@LosDodgers) September 16, 2025
After a scoreless 4th, they took a lead to start the 5th with Max Muncy‘s 18th homer to make it 2-1.
Mad Max! pic.twitter.com/Dh1cCP272n
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 16, 2025
Pages followed with another double, then Robinson tried to bunt again, but Suarez threw Pages out at third. That ended up working out alright, as Shohei got pitches to hit and doubled to put a pair in scoring position. Mookie then hit another sac fly to extend the lead to 3-1.
After a Shohei double sets the table, Mookie’s second sac fly adds a run to the lead. pic.twitter.com/g0NEg0AKRl
— Chad Moriyama (@ChadMoriyama) September 16, 2025
They did get another RISP in the 6th with a one-out single and walk but couldn’t add on. That would become a problem in short order.
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Back to Sheehan, who after the 1st mostly cruised going forward. He gave up a two-out walk in the 2nd, a lead-off walk in the 3rd, and a lead-off walk in the 6th, but literally nothing else over those five innings.
Sheehan started the 7th, but gave up a ground-rule double to start and that was the end of the road for him at 94 pitches: 5.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 7 K, 94 Pitches.
Jack Dreyer entered with two lefties coming up, but didn’t do his job. After getting a groundout to start, he gave up a single to Bryson Stott to drive in a run, and then gave up a two-run homer to Weston Wilson. The Phillies took a 4-3 lead in the 7th just like that.
WAYYY OUT WES pic.twitter.com/rb6iK9oupj
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) September 16, 2025
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In their half of the 7th, the Dodgers did come right back against their pen, as Mookie hit his 19th of the year to tie the game at 4-4.
There’s your NL Player of the Week! pic.twitter.com/pKjWJZFzvL
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 16, 2025
No matter, as the Phillies struck right back. Alex Vesia entered for the 8th, and immediately gave up a homer to Bryce Harper to give the Phillies a 5-4 lead.
BRYCE IN HIS VEINS pic.twitter.com/AYKrI7n3DQ
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) September 16, 2025
Brutal sequence, but hard to complain about anything but the performance of the relievers. Dave Roberts used his best guys in good situations and they simply didn’t execute today.
Tanner Scott followed in the 9th by getting another 1-2-3 inning, so that’s a plus.
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Back to the Dodgers, now chasing again, they were quiet in the 8th, and looked like they had an uphill battle in the 9th against Jhoan Duran. Fortunately, Andy Pages exists and got his third extra-base hit of the night on an 0-2 curve — the first hit given up on the pitch since July 27 — and it tied the game at 5-5 due to being his 25th homer of the year.
ANDY KNEW. pic.twitter.com/fBRh3M0nJB
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 16, 2025
Later on, with two down, Shohei drew a walk and stole second against Duran, but Mookie flew out to end that threat.
BONUS BASEBALL!
Blake Treinen took over in the 10th, getting the first out in Schwarber on a infield pop and then intentionally walking Harper. However, a double steal put a pair in scoring position, and a sac fly from J.T. Realmuto plated the go-ahead run to make it 6-5.
BACK IN FRONT! pic.twitter.com/QNO4cQzfoH
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) September 16, 2025
Now facing David Robertson, Ben Rortvedt started by trying to bunt and failing twice, getting bailed out on a pop foul being dropped by Realmuto. He ended up moving the runner to third on a chopper up the middle, they intentionally walked Freddie Freeman to corner things up, and Alex Call walked on a 3-2 count to load the bases up. Unfortunately, Miguel Rojas couldn’t come through as he popped it up, so Max Muncy came up as their last gasp, but grounded out to first to end the game.
Tough ending, but I dunno, one of those that happens when playing a good team instead of one that makes me rage about sloppy play.
— Chad Moriyama (@chadmoriyama.bsky.social) September 15, 2025 at 7:13 PM
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The series resume tomorrow at the same time on national television on TBS and SNLA at 4:10 PM HT/7:10 PM PT/10:10 PM ET. It’ll be Shohei Ohtani on the bump against Cristopher Sanchez.
