PHOENIX — Ketel Marte’s one-out, bases-loaded single in the bottom of the ninth inning drove in Pavin Smith with the winning run in the Arizona Diamondbacks’ 2-1 win over the Philadelphia Phillies Thursday afternoon in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series.
Marte, Arizona’s leadoff man with two doubles already on the day, drove an 0-1 pitch from Phillies closer Craig Kimbrel (0-1) into right center field to end the game and cut Philadelphia’s series lead to 2-1. Games 4 and 5 are scheduled for Friday and Saturday in Phoenix.
D-Backs closer Paul Sewald (1-0) got the win with a scoreless top of the ninth. Arizona’s pitchers held the Phillies to three hits.
Shut out for six innings, the Diamondbacks rallied for the tying run in the bottom of the seventh. Pinch runner Alek Thomas came home from first on Lourdes Gurriel Jr.’s double, but the Diamondbacks wasted runners at the corners with no outs and couldn’t take the lead.
Bryce Harper scored on a two-out wild pitch in the top of the seventh, giving the Phillies a 1-0 lead.
The D-Backs had another chance to go in front in the eighth after a two-out double from Gabriel Moreno. But after Christian Walker was intentionally walked, Thomas grounded out to end the inning.
Neither team could truly solve each other’s starting pitcher for five innings. Diamondbacks starter Brandon Pfaadt kept the Phillies off the scoreboard for 5 2/3 innings, after throwing 4 1/3 innings of scoreless, two-hit ball against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Division Series in his previous start.
Pfaadt struck out nine and held the Phillies to two hits before giving way to reliever Andrew Saalfrank. The plan, Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo had said before the game, was for Pfaadt to throw up to 50 pitches, but Pfaadt threw 70.
Saalfrank threw the wild pitch that allowed Harper to score.
Ranger Suarez, Philadelphia’s starter, was just as sharp. The left-hander struck out seven over 5 1/3 scoreless innings to continue his strong postseason. But after Marte led off the sixth with a double and Corbin Carroll grounded out sharply to second base, Suarez was lifted.
Jeff Hoffman came on and got the next two outs, stranding Marte at third base.
Kimbrel took the loss after the first two Diamondbacks reached base in the ninth before Gurriel was thrown out at home plate on a fielder’s choice. Then Kimbrel walked Geraldo Perdomo to set up Marte’s walkoff hit.
–Jose Romero, Field Level Media