Castellanos shines again as Phillies sweep NL Central-leading Brewers originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The weather is warming up and so is Nick Castellanos.
After a game-winning double for the Phillies on Tuesday night, Nick Castellanos had a strong performance once again in the series finale against the Brewers.
A two-run homer in the bottom of the fifth inning was Castellanos’ fifth hit of the month. It was also the only infraction needed to get the job done Wednesday afternoon.
The Phillies concluded the three-game series against the Brewers with a 2-0 victory, sweeping the NL Central leaders.
This is the eighth series sweep for the Phillies and the first time the Brewers have been swept this season.
At 44-19, the Phillies have reached 25 games over .500 for the 18th time in franchise history.
That should calm some of the “Phillies have an easy schedule, so their record is good” crowd. Maybe more.
When asked about the team’s start to 63 games, Castellanos’ perspective was an optimal view of the mentality the clubhouse has shared since Day 1 of the 2024 season.
“Coming from someone who’s been on a lot of bad teams? Yeah, I can definitely appreciate (being 25 games over .500),” he said. “Honestly, winning is a lot of fun. And it solves all of an organization’s problems, there’s no doubt about that. But the realist in me knows there’s a lot of baseball left, and it’s not about how you start, it’s about how you finish.”
As for a summary 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. For the next game, nothing is really guaranteed, right? So I feel good, my work has been good, I keep a clear head and keep rolling. That’s all.”
The Phillies got another gem from their starting pitching, with Aaron Nola scoring seven runs. He allowed only two hits, no runs, no walks and struck out five. His ERA has now fallen to 2.77.
Nola earned his eighth victory of the season and the 98th of his career. He has tied Al Orth for ninth most wins in Phillies franchise history.
While Nola has been alert, the Phillies’ defense has been spectacular during the six-game homestand.
“It’s been unbelievable,” Nola said of the defense after the win. “The guys have been great: in the infield, in the outfield, behind the plate. I mean, what a defensive series. This series is pretty amazing, especially when you have guys in that other dugout that are really fast, that wreak havoc on the bases and that’s a big part of his game.
In the third inning, Gary Sánchez lined a liner to Bryson Stott, who made another noteworthy catch.
Cristian Pache, who started in center for Johan Rojas, made a diving catch to end the fourth inning.
And Alec Bohm, who has been electric in the infield since his two-error game against the Rockies a little over a week ago, pulled William Contreras at home on a fielder’s choice play to keep the Brewers off the board.
“It was just a great series, from the pitching side and the defensive side,” manager Rob Thomson said. “I played great defense all three games, so it’s good to see. You have to win games like that.”
They finish the home stay 5-1. With a Braves loss today against the Red Sox, the Phillies are now eight games up in the NL East.
The Phillies will have two consecutive off days before their London Series against the Mets. As of now, all signs point to Ranger Suárez (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 Phillies and José Quintana (1-5, 5.17 ERA) for the Mets.
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