PHILADELPHIA - The big bats of Philadelphia reigned supreme in a 9-5 victory by the Phillies over the Los Angeles Angels Saturday, July 19 at Citizen's Bank Park in Philadelphia.
The Angels jumped ahead with back-to-back home runs by Angels outfielders Taylor Ward and Jo Adell in the fourth to take the lead 2-1, before Zach Neto improved their lead 3-1 with a bases loaded single later in the inning.
Ward's home run not only put the Angels on the board, it was also the 100th of his career, becoming the 21st player in Angels history to have at least 100 career home runs with the team. Ward has been the leader of the Angels offense in 2025 and now he has the milestones to show it.
Los Angeles pitcher Yusei Kikuchi was back for the Angels in his first start since appearing the 2025 All-Star game, and Kikuchi mostly returned to form, going five innings while allowing two runs and striking out eight.
Robert Sloter - The Sporting Tribune
Taylor Ward #3 of the Los Angeles Angels celebrates a home run during a game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on July 19, 2025, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Kikuchi did start the game in trouble, however. allowing a RBI single from Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos to score Bryce Harper from third. The damage could have been worse had it not been for a double play the at-bat before that caught Phillies shortstop Trea Turner between third and home plate. Kikcuhi survived the inning with just one run allowed, but the long inning likely cut into the length of his outing.
Kikuchi exited the game with a 4-2 lead, turning the ball over to Angels reliever Sam Bachman in the sixth. Soon enough, Bachman was facing the bases loaded and Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber at the plate.
Schwarber acted accordingly and ripped a fastball at the top of the zone into the right-center field seats for a go-head grand slam to put the Phillies ahead 7-4.
Harper homered himself with a two-run shot of off Angels reliever José Fermin in the bottom of the eighth to effectively squash the Angels' comeback hopes and closed the game for an eventual 9-5 victory.
Robert Sloter - The Sporting Tribune
Bryce Harper #3 of the Philadelphia Phillies celebrates a home run during a game against the Los Angeles Angels at Citizens Bank Park on July 19, 2025, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
A lack of control was at the heart of the issue for the Angels bullpen, with Bachman and Fermin having four walks and a hit batter between them. Despite the struggles, Angels interim manager Ray Montgomery is determined to continue to challenge his young pitchers in the future.
"They're young, they're still battling through it, right, they haven't figured out who they are yet entirely," Montgomery said in a televised postgame interview. "So, we're going to keep putting them in situations like that and look for the best spots."
The Angels look to still take the series in the rubber match against the Phillies Sunday, July 20 at 10:35 am PDT.