Phillies keep win streak alive with a 9-6 win over Athletics in extras

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The visitor’s dugout at Sutter Health Park, the minor league stadium that the Athletics are calling home this season, isn’t equipped with a batting tunnel.

So when Max Kepler and Brandon Marsh are preparing to pinch-hit for the Phillies, they have to leave the dugout to get their swings in by the clubhouse, which is beyond the center-field wall.

Right before they entered Saturday’s game in the seventh inning — with the Phillies trailing the A’s, 5-4, at the time — Kepler turned to Marsh.

“We have an opportunity here to turn this baseball game around,” Kepler told him.

And they both did exactly that, in what was ultimately an 11-inning, 9-6 Phillies win. They extended their win streak to nine straight games.

“A game like tonight, it just shows the character of our ballclub,” said Phillies manager Rob Thomson.

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In the ninth inning, Kepler crushed a 101.4 mph fastball from Mason Miller for a solo shot to tie the game at 6, countering a home run from Brent Rooker off Joe Ross the inning before. And in the 10th, Marsh made a spectacular throw from center field to catch the potential walk-off run sliding into home in a no-out, bases loaded situation.

“I believed in every moment of it,” Kepler said. “I was feeling good about the ball being hit to him, and I knew he was going to come through.”

Marsh’s play set up Kyle Schwarber’s game-winning heroics in the 11th inning. After Trea Turner walked, Schwarber laced a line drive to right field that scored both Turner and ghost-running Kepler.

Athletics first baseman Logan Davidson unintentionally obstructed Schwarber’s path around first base. Schwarber kept running to third, where he was thrown out, but was awarded the base due to the earlier obstruction.

“The biggest thing is just making sure that you keep going,” Schwarber said. “Got the obstruction call, and when I’m running to second I see that [third base coach Dusty Wathan] is waving Trea home. So I’m just continuing to third.”

Schwarber scored another insurance run on a sacrifice fly from Nick Castellanos, giving reliever Max Lazar some breathing room for his first major league save in the bottom of the 11th.

“Just trying to follow the guys in front of me,” Lazar said. “Knew we had some guys down, so other guys had to step up. And it was a back-and-forth game, just trying to stay locked in every second and be ready when my name’s called.”

Lazar was one of several relievers to step up. Cristopher Sánchez turned in just 4⅔ innings, the shortest outing for a Phillies starter since May 14, after struggling with his command.

The bullpen was already shorthanded, with high-leverage arms Matt Strahm and Jordan Romano both unavailable. Ross ate up two innings, allowing only one run on the Rooks homer. After Kepler tied things up, Tanner Banks pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to force extras.

Orion Kerkering, pitching for the third consecutive night, entered the game in the 10th. Two intentional walks paid off for the Phillies. After Marsh’s throw turned a potential walk-off sacrifice fly into a double play at the plate, Kerkering induced a flyout to escape the inning.

“I just love how everyone’s really putting their hand in the pot,” Marsh said. “Everyone’s doing it. Everyone’s doing their part. It‘s taken all of us these past couple of games, and that’s what it‘s going to take in the future. We know what we can do, and we just got to keep doing it.”

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The Athletics had the tying run at the plate against Lazar, but he ended the game with a strikeout.

“He’s always been a guy that really doesn’t have a heartbeat,” Thomson said. “He just goes out there and does his stuff, and he’s got good stuff.”

The Phillies clinched their third straight series win, and will look for the sweep on Sunday.