Padres use big fifth inning to beat Phillies, tie series

SAN DIEGO -- Brandon Drury hit a two-run, two-out, tiebreaking single and Josh Bell followed with a RBI single in the Padres' five-run fifth inning Wednesday afternoon as San Diego rallied from a four-run deficit to defeat visiting Philadelphia, 8-5, and even the best-of-seven National League Championship Series at a win apiece. Drury and Bell earlier hit homers on back-to-back, second-inning pitches from Phillies starter Aaron Nola (2-1) to put the Padres on the board after Philadelphia took a 4-0 lead in the top of the second off Padres' starter Blake Snell (2-0). The series resumes in Philadelphia Thursday. Ha-Seong Kim singled to open the Padres' fifth and scored from first when Padres' catcher Austin Nola singled to right-center off his brother, making the score 4-3. After Jurickson Profar singled to move the tying run to third, Juan Soto doubled into the right field corner to tie the game. Aaron Nola struck out Manny Machado, but was replaced by the left-handed Brad Hand to face the left-handed Jake Cronenworth, who had struck out twice earlier. Cronenworth was hit by a pitch to load the bases for Drury singled to center off Hand. Bell then pulled his single past first baseman Rhys Hoskins to make the score 7-4. It was the Padres' second five-run inning in their last three post-season games. Machado extended the lead to 8-4 with a lead-off homer against Phillies reliever David Robertson in the seventh. Hoskins countered with a homer off Robert Suarez leading off the eighth. Nick Martinez followed Snell with two scoreless innings. Suarez worked the eighth and Josh Hader picked up his fourth save of the postseason, striking out the side in a perfect ninth. The Phillies took advantage of three Padres' defensive miscues, three opposite-field hits and a broken-bat single to score the game's first four runs in the second off Blake Snell. Bryce Harper opened the inning with a soft, line-drive single to center over the leap of shortstop Kim. Nick Castellanos then dropped an opposite-field, bloop single behind first with Harper stopping at second. Alec Bohm drove in Harper with the game's first run on an opposite-field single to right, reaching second when right fielder Soto threw high to third in an unsuccessful attempt to throw out Castellanos. Matt Vierling then hit a drive to right that Soto lost in the sun. Castellanos scored on the double, but Bohm had to stop at third. Edmundo Sosa followed with a broken-bat liner to left that fell in front of a tentative Profar, scoring Bohm. Vierling scored when Kyle Schwarber hit a sharp grounder to first baseman, who potentially had a play at home. But the ball rolled behind Drury, who recovered in time to get the out at first. Snell retired 11 of the last 12 hitters he faced. Aaron Nola had retired nine straight until facing Kim to open the decisive fifth. --By Bill Center, Field Level Media