Bottom of lineup backs shutdown Walker as Phillies cruise past Orioles
Max Kepler’s and Taijuan Walker’s roles are anything but solidified in the long and short term for the Phillies, but on Tuesday night, they featured prominently, powering the way against a woefully disappointing Orioles team to take the series in Philadelphia.
The bottom of the second inning epitomized the 5-0 win. After a Nick Castellanos single, Brandon Marsh (double) and Max Kepler (homer) fueled a three-run frame that was, ultimately, more than enough.
It was the start of a strong night for the bottom part of the Phillies’ order: Marsh, Kepler and Bryson Stott each racked up two hits, total five for extra bases. (Edmundo Sosa, batting eighth, had a hat trick.)
That part of the lineup led the way again in the fourth. Kepler led things off with a double before Stott tripled him home on a ball that nearly found its way into the first row.
And that part capped off the scoring, too. Marsh went up and got a fastball in the eighth, sending it from a few inches above the strike zone to the seats in right-center, 397 feet away.
Meanwhile, Walker took the aforementioned early lead and ran with it. He fired six shutout innings on four hits, four strikeouts and no walks. It lowered his ERA to 3.53.
Jhoan Duran was warming up in the eighth and sat down once the lead stretched to five. Max Lazar put a bow on the victory. Marsh may have deprived the home crowd of a spectacle. The Phillies will gladly take it. They’re 65-48.