Castellanos excels once again as Phillies beat NL Central-leading Brewers originally appeared in NBC Sports Philadelphia
The weather is warming up and so is Nick Castellanos.
After a double to give the Phillies the victory on Tuesday night, Nick Castellanos excelled once again in the series finale against the Brewers.
A two-run home run in the bottom of the fifth inning was Castellanos’ fifth hit of the month. It was also the only offense necessary to get the job done on Wednesday afternoon.
The Phillies closed out the three-game series against the Brewers with a 2-0 victory, sweeping the NL Central leaders.
This marks the eighth series victory for the Phillies and the first time the Brewers have been defeated this season.
At 44-19, the Phillies reached 25 games above .500 for the 18th time in franchise history.
That should calm the “Phillies have an easy schedule, that’s why their record is good” crowd a bit. Maybe more.
When asked about the team’s 63-game start, Castellanos’ perspective was a great glimpse into the mentality the club has shared since day one of the 2024 season.
“Coming from someone who has been on a lot of bad teams? Yes, I definitely appreciate it [being 25 games over .500]”, he said. “Winning is a lot of fun, honestly. And it solves all of an organization’s problems, there’s no doubt about that. But the realist in me knows there’s still a lot of baseball left, and it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.”
As for an overview of his performance in the series against the Brewers?
“The team’s success is much greater than my personal success,” he said. “So thanks to my teammates and how well they’ve been playing, it’s been easy to stay focused on the things that are important.
“Today was a good day. In the next game nothing is guaranteed, right? So I feel good, my work has been good, I keep a clear head and keep rolling. That’s it.”
The Phillies got another gem out of their starting pitching, with Aaron Nola going seven scoreless. He allowed just two hits, no runs, no walks and struck out five. His ERA dropped to 2.77.
Nola earned his eighth win of the season and the 98th of his career. He tied Al Orth for the ninth most wins in Phillies franchise history.
Although Nola has been sharp, the Phillies’ defense has been spectacular through six home games.
“It’s been amazing,” Nola said on defense after the win. “The guys have been studs out there – infield, outfield, behind the plate. I mean, what a run of defense. This run is incredible, especially when you have guys on that other bench that are really quick, that wreak havoc on the bases and that’s a lot of their game.”
In the third inning, Gary Sanchez lined out Bryson Stott, who made another noteworthy catch.
Cristian Pache, who started in center for Johan Rojas, made a diving run to end the fourth inning.
And Alec Bohm, who has been electric in the infield since his two-error game against the Rockies just over a week ago, threw out William Contreras at home on a fielder’s choice to keep the Brewers off the board.
“It was a great series, both on the pitching side and the defensive side,” manager Rob Thomson said. “I played great defense in all three games, so it’s good to see. You have to win games like that.”
They closed the house 5-1. With the Braves’ loss earlier today to the Red Sox, the Phillies now have an eight-game lead in the NL East.
The Phillies will have the rare two consecutive days off before the London Series against the Mets. As of now, all signs point to Ranger Suarez (9-1, 1.70 ERA) making his scheduled start on Saturday. He will face Sean Manaea (3-2, 3.63 ERA).
On Sunday, it will be Taijuan Walker (3-1, 5.73 ERA) for the Phils and Jose Quintana (1-5, 5.17 ERA) for the Mets.
Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts:
Apple Podcasts | Youtube Music | Spotify | Seamstress | Art19 | RSS | Watch on youtube
