Phillies rally to take Game 2 of doubleheader, series from Padres
Jul 2, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Brandon Marsh (16) celebrates with outfielder Max Kepler (17) after hitting a home run against the San Diego Padres during the fifth inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images Christopher Sanchez allowed a run and five hits over seven innings and Max Kepler and Brandon Marsh homered in the host Philadelphia Phillies' 5-1 win over the San Diego Padres to split a day-night doubleheader on Wednesday.
The Padres won Game 1, 6-4, as Manny Machado drove in three runs. Kyle Schwarber homered for the Phillies, who took two of three in the series.
Kepler was 2-for-4 in Game 2.
Sanchez (7-2) got 13 ground-ball outs, didn't walk a batter and struck out five. It was his fourth consecutive game with at least six innings pitched and no walks.
The Padres had runners on first and second with one out in the fifth, but Sanchez struck out Jake Cronenworth and Martin Maldonado, both swinging, to get out of it.
San Diego starter Dylan Cease (3-8) gave up four runs on eight hits in six innings, didn't walk a batter and struck out four in picking up the loss.
Kepler's two-run homer in the fourth gave the Phillies a 2-1 lead. His towering drive down the right-field line and into the lower-deck stands came on Cease's 2-2 slider for Kepler's 10th home run.
Philadelphia added two more in the fifth to make it 4-1 on Marsh's lead-off home run and Nick Castellano's two-out run-scoring single. Marsh drove a 1-0 pitch over the centerfield fence for his third home run and Castellanos poked a looper into right-centerfield.
Alec Bohm tripled in a run in the seventh.
San Diego took a 1-0 lead in the fourth on Jackson Merrill's RBI single. It scored Fernando Tatis Jr., who led off with an infield single, stole second on an attempted pickoff and continued to third on a throwing error by first baseman Otto Kemp.
Philadelphia threatened in the second as back-to-back singles by Max Kepler and Kemp created a first and third with one opportunity, But Cease got Bryson Stott on a pop out to short and Rafael Marchan on a groundout to first to escape the jam.
--Field Level Media
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