Finger pushing


World Series champion Dodgers take control against Phillies headed into Game 2 of NLDS

PHILADELPHIA — The Phillies had Shohei Ohtani on the ropes on the mound and tied up at the plate, the Dodgers’ two-way star seemingly losing the air of invincibility that surrounds him.

Ohtani the ace recovered, and he did it one swing-and-a-miss at a time against a string of All-Stars in the Phillies’ lineup.

Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper all disappeared in the playoffs again in Game 1 of the NL Division Series, a combined 1-for-11 effort with six strikeouts and no RBIs in the 5-3 loss.

Game 2 is Monday at Citizens Bank Park, you know, that boisterous ballpark known for its so-called four hours of hell that is supposed to rattle the nerves of even the most steeled players.

Heck, even a three-time MVP such as Ohtani — who struck out four times Saturday night — acknowledged ahead of the game that he was a bit anxious to face the fans.

Here’s the headache for the Phillies: They have wasted home-field advantage with four losses in their last five postseason home games. So they enter Game 2 with cold bats, have lost that extra oomph that 45,000 fans usually provide and have to try to regain their playoff mojo against the reigning World Series champions and two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell.

“I don’t sense any extra pressure,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said Sunday.

He might not sense it, but the fan base does, especially with little room for error — or Matt Strahm meatballs — in the best-of-five series.

Ohtani retired 15 of the final 17 batters he faced, and Turner, Schwarber and Harper went 0 for 9 with five strikeouts against the right-hander.

From two-way sensation to two-time Cy Young postseason standout, the series won’t necessarily get easier for the Phillies.

Snell, who missed four months of his first season in Los Angeles with shoulder inflammation, struck out a season-high 12 over seven innings in a September start against the Phillies.

Snell got the ball last week in the Wild Card Series opener and struck out nine over seven strong innings. He retired his initial eight batters in his first playoff start since 2022, when he was with the San Diego Padres. Snell matched his postseason high for strikeouts in the longest postseason start of his career.

He is 5-3 with a 3.23 ERA in 13 career playoff appearances (11 starts).

“I feel good with Snell going tomorrow,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.

Here’s some more good news for the Dodgers, already the betting favorite to win the game and series, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.

Harper is 1 for 11 with a home run and two RBIs lifetime against Snell. Schwarber, the NL home run and RBI champion, is 2 for 12 with a homer and three RBIs, and Turner is a moderately better 4 for 17 with three RBIs in 20 plate appearances vs. Snell.

“Just like everything else, we’re going to be attacking it head on and we’re going to be excited to walk into the clubhouse and get back on the field and play another high, meaningful game here,” Schwarber said Saturday night. “That’s what this is about. This is never going to be easy. You’re facing the best of the best out here. It’s up to us to be able to make the adjustments and go out there and feel like we’re doing everything possible to put ourselves in position to win a baseball game.”

Jesús Luzardo (15-7, 3.92 ERA) starts Game 2 for the Phillies.

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