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The Philadelphia Phillies have really come on over the last few weeks and become the great team that many expected them to be coming into the season. They have won nine games in a row to shoot up into first place in the NL East, but it hasn't always been easy or straightforward.
On Saturday night, Philly needed some late-game heroics to keep the streak going. They trailed the Athletics 6-5 heading into the ninth inning before Max Kepler whispered something to Brandon Marsh as both were about to enter the game, according to Theo DeRosa of MLB.com.
“We have an opportunity here to turn this baseball game around,” Kepler told Marsh, per DeRosa.
Kepler did just that in the top of the ninth, crushing a 400-foot home run to tie the game and send it in to extra innings.
Then, in extra innings, Marsh made a stellar defensive play out in the outfield that saved a run and set up Kyle Schwarber to come in and do what he does best. The lefty crushed a two-run double into right field in the top of the 11th inning to give the Phillies a two-run lead before crossing the plate himself on a sacrifice fly by Nick Castellanos.
Marsh and Kepler aren't exactly the type of players that you would expect to be heroes in a comeback win like this, but that is exactly what makes the Phillies so difficult to beat at the moment. Schwarber is on fire and Philly has stars like Castellanos and Bryce Harper to do damage at the top of the lineup.
However, they have also consistently gotten contributions from players like Kepler and Marsh that have helped push them over the top.
The Phillies are trying to keep that win streak going and complete a sweep of the A's on Sunday. They currently have the best record in baseball, a mark that will remain true whether they win or lose on Sunday. If they keep getting big moments from everyone on the roster, they will be difficult to beat for the remainder of the season.
