Aug 1, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies first base Otto Kemp (4) reacts to his RBI double during the eighth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Everywhere you turn for news about the Phillies, you are going to read about Jhoan Duran.
How the game played out on Friday, ending in a 5-4 win over the Detroit Tigers is almost secondary to the exciting new closer the Phillies have on the roster.
Duran threw four pitches. None of them fastballs. All of them for strikes. He got three outs. It was really impressive and deserving of all the coverage.
Here at On Pattison, Tim was tasked with telling you all about that.
Meanwhile, I'm here to talk about a few things that happened before Duran made his first light show entry as a Phillie.
(For the record, for anyone in at the Phillies reading this. Get a message to the game presentation folks. If you know Duran is coming into the game, you got to start the Undertaker bell tone sooner. Literally as soon as the third out from the previous inning is recorded. To hell with the end of inning music - just get right to the show. Duran should not be running onto the field with the lights still on. You get a pass because it was the first time, but that entrance needs to be precise come October. You're welcome for the constructive criticism.)
The first of two very important Nick Castellanos at bats occurred to lead off the seventh inning against Detroit starter Jack Flaherty.
To this point, Flaherty had been pitching a gem. He had allowed only one hit - a double by Edmundo Sosa that was millimeters away from being a solo homer.
Flaherty had struck out Castellanos in his first two at bats and was going for the hat trick.
It looked like Flaherty was going to do just that, getting Castellanos to chase a fastball off the plate and a knuckle curve in the dirt to run the count 0-2.
Getting down 0-2 is never good for a batter, especially Castellanos. Entering this at bat, Castellanos was 9-for-97 (.093) this season after getting down 0-2.
He fouled off the next pitch then laid off a pair of knuckle curves that were out of the zone before ripping a 2-2 slider to left field for a single.
Nick Castellanos single!! pic.twitter.com/bxFhp1S7gU
It was an important at bat. It led to a three-run rally to tie the game. However, he'd have an even more important at bat an inning later.
After the Phillies had fallen behind again in the top of the eighth and with one out, Castellanos again got behind 0-2, this time to Brenan Hanifee.
Remember, this was a guy who was 9-for-97 this season after 0-2 counts before the seventh inning.
Wouldn't you know, Castellanos laid off three straight sinkers out of the zone before fouling one off and then ripping one into left field for another single.
These two at bats were the spark for a pair of rallies for the Phillies. He bore down in spots he is almost an automatic out and delivered, not once, but twice. The Phillies are going to need a lot more of that, not just from Castellanos, but from throughout the lineup.
Everyone though when Kemp hit two homers in the same game against the Yankees in New York and then made a diving defensive play at third base last weekend that that would be the "Otto Kemp game."
But he keeps finding himself in important spots and keeps on delivering.
In the seventh, he fisted a cutter into shallow right field, to bring the tying run to the plate. In the eighth, he ripped a game-tying double down the left field line.
Otto Kemp brings the @Phillies level AGAIN! pic.twitter.com/gL5o85lvqH
Oh, did I mention, he didn't even start this game?
Kemp's at bat in the seventh inning was pinch hitting for Brandon Marsh. Rob Thomson said that he will employ two true platoons in centerfield and left field for at least six games and then reassess.
So, he started his two lefties - Marsh and Max Kepler on Friday. And in the seventh, when there was a lefty reliever brought into the game by Detroit, Thomson turned to Kemp and newest Phillies outfielder Harrison Bader.
Kemp got a hit, Bader walked. For one night, it worked.
The Phillies second baseman has struggled mightily this season, but ever since he had a baby boy last week, he's looked a lot better.
On Friday, he will only be 1-for-1 with two RBIs in the box score, but all four plate appearances he had were productive.
Two walks, a sacrifice fly, and he hustled down the line to beat out an infield single on the play that drove in the game winning run.
He's now 8-25 (.320) over his last eight games since his son was born with five walks and five RBIs. Not bad for a No. 9 hitter. Maybe he's finally coming back around after a about 10 weeks of looking lost.
Trea Turner has been scuffling. He was 0-for-3 Friday against Flaherty going into his at bat in the seventh inning. That was just a microcosm as he has really been going through it for awhile.
Going back to July 6, Turner was 19-for-83 (.229) going into his at bat in the seventh.
But he did something against reliever Will Vest that he hasn't been doing of late - took a fastball on the outer half and drove it the other way.
That cut the lead to 3-2.
It was those kinds of hits that got Turner up above .300 just before the All-Star break and allowed him to build the NL lead in hits. He should get back to it more regularly.. It's obviously a strength.
Harper got tossed in the seventh inning for arguing whether he swung the bat or not with third base umpire Vic Carapazza on an appeal of a 3-2 pitch.
Bryce Harper was ejected after arguing this check swing. Did he go?
(Via @welcomeMLB)
pic.twitter.com/6YSdI3KViv
Harper probably swung. Carapazza was seen trying to look around Turner, who was the runner on third, and although he might not have had the best view of the swing or check swing, he rung up Harper any way - and then sent him to the showers early.
Harper admitted he shouldn't have argued to the point of getting tossed considering it was a tie game and there was a solid chance he would have to bat again in the game.
Still, it's weak sauce that Carapazza ran him from the game. Grow a pair, listen to the 30-second carping, and move on with the game. You can change the outcome of the game in more ways than one by booting Harper.
Both Harper and Carapazza need to be better.
This had nothing to do with the game, but it's worth noting.
Both Aaron Nola and Joe Ross began rehab assignments in Triple-A on Friday. Nola pitched three innings for Lehigh Valley. He allowed three hits and a walk and struck out three. He did not allow a run.
Ross pitched one scoreless inning allowing one hit. He struck out two.
Both are probably about two weeks away from returning.
