PHILADELPHIA — Kyle Schwarber hit two of Philadelphia’s three solo homers off Merrill Kelly, and the sweet-swinging Phillies pounded the Arizona Diamondbacks 10-0 on Tuesday night for a 2-0 lead in the NL Championship Series.
Trea Turner also connected and J.T. Realmuto had two hits and three RBIs as Philadelphia improved to 7-1 in the playoffs, moving closer to a second straight World Series appearance. Aaron Nola tossed three-hit ball and struck out seven in six innings.
Game 3 is Thursday at Chase Field. The Texas Rangers also hold a 2-0 lead over the Houston Astros in the ALCS headed into Wednesday’s game.
It was another loud night in Philly as Kelly was roasted after saying fans at Citizens Bank Park could not possibly be any louder than the ones he heard cheering for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic.
Not just any Classic game. The one in May when Turner hit a grand slam for the United States that lifted them into the tournament’s semifinals.
“I haven’t obviously heard this place on the field,” Kelly said ahead of Game 1, “but I would be very surprised if it trumped that (WBC) game down in Miami.”
As the kids say, challenge accepted.
Kelly, a 12-game winner this season, was voraciously booed from pregame introductions to his walk to the mound, a sort of we’ll-show-you vibe from 45,412 Phillies diehards determined to shake the ballpark again in October.
How loud?
“AC/DC concert level,” loud, Turner said before Game 2.
Phillies manager Rob Thomson said a rival coach told him last season that a playoff game in Philly was “four hours of hell,” and Turner sent a charge through the crowd when he clocked a four-seam fastball to left-center field for a 1-0 lead in the first.
Phillies fans this postseason have been registered as high as 112 decibels, per The Philadelphia Inquirer — the equivalent of standing next to a jackhammer — and Turner’s shot powered toward that mark.
Boisterous fans are great. So is the long ball. Schwarber’s homers in the third and sixth were Philadelphia’s 14th and 15th homers in the last four games as the Phillies continue to mash their way through October.
Pitching, though, remains the ultimate decider.
Nola, eligible for free agency after the World Series, has only fattened the numbers for his impending contract. The longest-tenured Phillie, Nola has won all three postseason starts and struck out 19. His ERA, 0.96.
Nola tossed seven shutout innings in the Wild Card Series against Miami and struck out nine against the Braves in the NLDS. Against Corbin Carroll, Christian Walker and the Diamondbacks, Nola again was spotless.
The Phillies flashed their leather to keep Arizona in check. Bryce Harper made a diving stab at first to get Carroll in the third. Alec Bohm made a diving snag at third and one-hopped the throw to get Gabriel Moreno in the second.
Kelly was booed off the mound when he was lifted for Joe Mantiply in the sixth and left a runner on base. Bryson Stott singled and Realmuto followed with a two-run double. After a two-out walk, Brandon Marsh added an RBI double for a 6-0 lead.
At that point, there was no use stretching Nola, not when the Phillies could save him for a start later in the series - or possibly, his next one against a team from Texas.
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