Castellanos, Phillies do in Braves again
Nick Castellanos became the first player to hit multiple homers in consecutive postseason games, sending the Philadelphia Phillies to a 3-1 victory in Game 4 of their NL Division Series that knocked 104-win Atlanta out of the playoffs for the second straight year.
Matt Strahm struck out pinchhitter Vaughn Grissom with runners at the corners to clinch the series and set up an all-wild card NLCS with the Arizona Diamondbacks, making their first trip since 2007. Game 1 is Monday in Philadelphia.
Trea Turner singled twice, doubled, and hit a solo homer in the fifth for a 2-1 lead as the Phillies make another run at the franchise’s first World Series title since 2008. But the night belonged to Castellanos, the All-Star right fielder whose production tailed off in the second half only to rally with his son in the front row for the postseason.
A night after he hit two homers in Game 3, Castellanos did it again. His second chased Braves starter and 20-game winner Spencer Strider, the 415-foot moonshot in the sixth making it 3-1.
Bryce Harper gave the Phillies a scare when he clutched his surgically repaired right elbow after a collision with Matt Olson in the eighth inning. The two-time NL MVP stayed in the game in the ninth, and said Olson “just hit my funny bone.”
The teams with the five best regular-season records — the Braves, Baltimore (101 wins), Dodgers (100), Tampa Bay (99), and Milwaukee (92) — all failed to reach the LCS.
Optimism on Scherzer
Bruce Bochy said he was really encouraged by how Max Scherzer threw during an off-day session, though the Texas Rangers’ manager wasn’t ready to declare that the three-time Cy Young Award winner will pitch in the American League Championship Series against Houston. Scherzer, a tradedeadline acquisition from the New York Mets, hasn’t pitched since Sept. 12 because of a muscle strain in his shoulder . . . Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro announced Ross Atkins will return as general manager next season but acknowledged “the goal is to play deeper into October. I think at one point playing meaningful games in September was probably enough. That’s not enough anymore.” . . . With a good deal of caution, general manager Mike Elias indicated that yes, the Baltimore Orioles would like to pursue contract extensions for some of their top young players. “We are very focused on keeping this organization as successful and healthy as possible, within the constraints of reality,” Elias said two days after Texas swept the Orioles out of the Division Series. The Orioles ranked 29th in payroll this season.