Podcast Episode
#51 | Riley's Dagger Lifts Braves in Game 1, Puts Phillies on Brink
About this episode
Recorded live on YouTube moments after the final out, Josh Liddick and Austin Myers break down a 5-3 Game 1 loss to the Braves that puts the Phillies on the brink of elimination.Jesús Luzardo was the story early, working as the opener and pitching five brilliant innings just weeks removed from a shoulder injury. Alec Bohm's RBI double got the Phillies on the board early, and after the Braves took the lead off Alex McFarlane, J.T. Realmuto's two-RBI triple gave the Phillies a 3-2 lead in the seventh.That’s when the bullpen unraveled. Jhoan Duran came into the game in the seventh, getting within one out of handing off a clean ninth, but instead gave up a three-run homer to Austin Riley that proved to be the dagger.Looking ahead, the Phillies face elimination Wednesday with Cristopher Sánchez on the mound against Tyler Mahle and the Braves. The guys dig into who's actually available out of the bullpen, the lineup questions with Edmundo Sosa presumably banged up, and a grim historical stat to close it out: the Phillies have never won a postseason series after losing Game 1.Can the Phillies avoid a repeat of their recent Game 1-lead-blowing history, or is this season over on Wednesday?Follow and leave a five-star review for Catchin’ Phils: A Phillies Podcast on Spotify, Apple, Amazon, and iHeartRadio, and subscribe to Josh Liddick (Red Pinstripe Press) and Austin Myers (Phillies Perspective) on Substack to get their latest work straight to your inbox. The podcast is also streaming weekly on the Catchin' Phils YouTube channel.Follow Catchin’ Phils on Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter/X for more content.Episode timestamps:00:00 – Phillies fall in game one, on the brink of elimination01:45 – Bullpen, not the matchup, is what lost this game04:02 – Duran's line and the broadcast confusion over who's next06:19 – Jesús Luzardo's brilliant start as the opener08:32 – Why the extension made this start possible10:13 – Taking Luzardo out early and saving him for game three14:47 – Alec Bohm's RBI double gets the Phillies on the board16:15 – Alex McFarlane's high-leverage sixth inning18:23 – Second-guessing the bullpen decisions21:32 – Could Duran have been saved for a two-inning save?25:25 – Broadcast gripes and missing the local call26:38 – The plan behind bringing Duran in for the seventh28:12 – Austin Riley's history of torching the Phillies29:38 – How close Duran came to pulling it off31:35 – J.T. Realmuto's clutch triple in the seventh34:46 – Breaking down the lineup construction36:20 – Setting up game two: Sánchez vs. Mahle38:29 – Who's actually available out of the bullpen on Wednesday40:34 – Tipping the hand for a game three starter43:09 – Closing thought: the Phillies have never won a series after losing game one