After a gritty Game 1 win, the Angels came into Game 2 looking to build momentum, and for a moment, it looked like they might. The Halos broke through in the second, with Jo Adell knocking a two-out single and advancing on a walk from Moncada. Adell then singled again in the 4th, capping a breakout frame that saw the Angels erupt for three runs on six hits. Neto, Rengifo, Wade Jr., d’Arnaud, Moncada, Adell, and Ward all contributed to the rally, with back-to-back home runs from Adell and Ward giving the Angels a 4–1 lead and some breathing room.
Yusei Kikuchi gave up a run in the 1st on a Castellanos RBI single, but stayed composed through the 3rd and 4th. However, the 5th and 6th innings turned into a nightmare. After giving up a run in the 5th on a Turner single, Kikuchi and the bullpen collapsed in the 6th. With two runners on, Schwarber crushed a three-run homer to tie and flip the game, followed by a sac fly and a pair of singles that suddenly made it a 7–4 Phillies lead.
Despite the rocky inning, there were some bright spots: Moncada launched a solo homer in the top of the 6th, his second long ball in two nights, continuing his hot stretch at the plate. Schanuel and Neto both had multi-hit efforts, and d’Arnaud looked more comfortable behind the plate, even if he struggled with runners in scoring position.
Unfortunately, the Phillies’ bullpen clamped down from the 5th inning onward, allowing just two hits across the middle frames. The Angels’ offense couldn’t recapture the rhythm of the 4th inning and were held scoreless the rest of the way. What began as a promising night turned into a frustrating one, with the Angels letting a 4–1 lead slip away and giving the Phillies new life in the series.
The Angels did have a window in the 7th after Ward doubled in a run and Schanuel singled, bringing the go-ahead run to the plate with two outs. But back-to-back strikeouts from Trout and Neto ended the threat. The final two innings passed quietly, Marsh, Sosa, and Kemp went down in order in the bottom of the 7th, and the Angels couldn’t muster anything off Tanner Banks in the 8th.
The Phillies added a dagger in the bottom of the 8th with a Bryce Harper blast to center, a two-run homer that extended Philadelphia’s lead to 9–5 and sucked the last bit of momentum out of the Angels’ dugout. Although the bullpen kept it close afterward, the Halos went quietly in the 9th with a pair of strikeouts and a pop-out, sealing the loss in a game that once looked firmly in their grasp.
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