The Phillies are on the verge of doing something they haven’t done since April 2014 — win a series at Dodger Stadium.
The Phils have put themselves in that position by taking the first two of a four-game series in Los Angeles. They beat the Dodgers, 12-10, in 10 innings on Friday night to improve their record on their current trip to 4-1. They took two of three in Seattle before traveling to Los Angeles.
Offense has been a key during the trip. The Phils are averaging 7.6 runs through the first five games and they’ve hit 10 homers. They play two more in Dodger Stadium before an off day Monday and the start of a three-game series against San Diego at home on Tuesday.
The Phillies are 0-5-1 in their last six series at Dodger Stadium, dating to 2015.
Ranger Suarez will get the ball Saturday night against Dodgers lefty Julio Urias.
Saturday night’s game will be Bryce Harper’s last on the trip. He will have a PRP injection on his injured right elbow Sunday and that will keep him out of the lineup likely until Wednesday.
Harper will be missed. He has swung a hot bat since the injury forced him to move to the designated hitter spot on April 17. He had three more hits — two doubles and a homer — Friday night. He leads the Phillies with eight homers and the majors with 22 extra-base hits.
The Dodgers scratched scheduled starter Clayton Kershaw with back issues before Friday night’s game, but his replacement, Walker Buehler, was no gimme as he entered the contest at 4-1 with a 1.96 ERA.
The Phillies got Buehler for nine hits and five runs in five innings. Rookie Bryson Stott, playing shortstop in place of the injured Didi Gregorius, drove in three runs with a pair of hits in the first four innings.
Starter Kyle Gibson (six runs in 3 2/3 innings) was not sharp and the bullpen continued to be an adventure for the Phillies. With Seranthony Dominguez and Corey Knebel down because of workload concerns, manager Joe Girardi tried to have Jeurys Familia close out a two-run lead in the ninth. I have allowed a game-tying, two-run homer to Justin Turner to send the game into extra innings.
Nick Castellanos drove in two of his three runs on the night with a double in the 10th and he stole third and scored on a throwing error to put the Phils up, 12-9, in the 10th.
Rookie right-hander Francisco Morales was thrown into the fire in his second big-league appearance. He fought command issues and three walks but induced a huge double-play ball from Mookie Betts on his way to his first big-league save.
The Phillies’ West Coast hot streak has left them at 16-17 and vaulted them into second place in the NL East, 5½ games behind the division-leading Mets.
A win Saturday night would put the Phils at .500 for the first time since they ended April at 11-11.
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