The Arizona Diamondbacks couldn't mount the full comeback at home as they ended up dropping Game 5 of the NL Championship Series against the Philadelphia Phillies. The Dbacks were dominated throughout the game in a near shutout effort by the away team that saw the Phillies win 6-1.
The Diamondbacks had crawled their way back into the series with two wins from tightly contested games. They won on consecutive nights by a one-run margin after some late mishaps from the Phillies bullpen. They were looking to have a similar result in Game 5 but that wasn't to be.
The Phillies batting lineup who have been in hot form with a postseason home run-hitting spree like no other, came back to form on Saturday. Three protagonists of the lineup - Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber and J.T. Realmuto - had solo shots of their own. Starter Zack Wheeler pitched seven shutout innings for them as they were able to hold a resilient Dbacks lineup at bay.
Only Alek Thomas had a home run to show for himself as he went yard in consecutive games for Arizona. Their starter, Zac Gallen, earned the loss on the night as he earned four runs on six hits over a six-innings stretch.
Diamondbacks fans were certainly bemused as they feel their team will crumble under the pressure of winning two consecutive games back in Philadelphia from here. They took to X, formerly Twitter, to voice their opinions.
Diamondbacks 'lucky' narrative to spring up again
Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo had hit out at critics for calling them 'lucky' to be part of the NL Championship Series after their win in Game 4. Analysts from around the world felt that they were not a match for the much-fancied Phillies side that blew them away in the first two games.
The Dbacks were able to shut them out after leveling the series but after another dominating performance by their opponents, the narrative is likely to show up.