Atlanta erases 4-run deficit to draw even with Philadelphia in NLDS

After being held hitless into the sixth inning, Atlanta rallied for an improbable 5-4 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on two-run homers by Travis d'Arnaud and Austin Riley and a game-ending double play for the ages to even the NL Division Series at one win apiece Monday night.

D'Arnaud, who started at catcher over slumping Sean Murphy, gave Atlanta hope with his shot into the left-field seats in the seventh, cutting Philadelphia's lead to 4-3.

It was Atlanta's first extra-base hit of the series.

Riley provided the second, driving a 3-2 pitch from Jeff Hoffman (0-1) into the Phillies bullpen with two outs in the eighth to put Atlanta ahead for the first time in the best-of-five series. Ronald Acuna Jr. scored ahead of Riley after being plunked on the left arm by Hoffman's first pitch coming in from the bullpen.

It ended in equally stunning fashion. With Bryce Harper aboard, Nick Castellanos drove one to the fence in deep right-centre, only to be robbed on a great leaping catch by Michael Harris II.

Harper had rounded second base when Harris made the catch. He backtracked desperately, and the throw back to the infield skidded past second baseman Ozzie Albies. But Riley alertly backed up the play and zipped a throw to first that completed the double play.

Just like that, the series was all tied up. Game 3 is Wednesday at Philadelphia.

A.J. Minter (1-0) earned the win and Raisel Iglesias claimed his first save of this postseason.

With Zack Wheeler dominating a lineup that led the majors in runs and tied a big league record with 307 homers, the Phillies built a 4-0 lead. J.T. Realmuto hit a two-run drive in the third off Max Fried, sandwiched between Alec Bohm's run-scoring single and Bryson Stott's sacrifice fly.

Acuna was holding up at third, but he took off for home when the throw back to the infield ricocheted off Trea Turner's glove for the shortstop's second error of the night.

Wheeler fanned the side in each of the first two innings, with Atlanta making contact on just 12 of 26 strikes. Matt Olson was the lone baserunner, reaching when Turner bobbled a routine grounder to shortstop.

Through the first four innings, the home team didn't even get one of the infield — unless you count the Hammer, Brush, Paint Can and Drill racing around the warning track as part of the Home Depot Tool Race.

Atlanta was shut out 3-0 in Game 1 and started the series with 14 straight scoreless innings — its longest drought of the season — before finally breaking through with an assist from Turner's glove.

Fried, who went on the injured list late in the season with a recurring blister issue, laboured through four innings. He surrendered three runs and six hits and was lucky to leave the game trailing only 3-0.

Bryson Stott grounded out with the bases loaded to end the first, and the Phillies stranded two more runners in the fourth.

In all, the Phillies left 11 runners on base.

Diamondbacks go up 2-0 on Dodgers

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and the surprising Arizona Diamondbacks made quick work of another Dodgers starter, beating Los Angeles 4-2 on Monday night behind Zac Gallen for a 2-0 lead in their NL Division Series.

The young Diamondbacks, who earned the final National League wild card despite losing their last four regular-season games, improved to 4-0 in these playoffs — all on the road against division winners.

They'll try for a stunning sweep of the 100-win Dodgers when the best-of-five series shifts to Arizona for Game 3 on Wednesday.

Gallen allowed two runs over 5 1/3 innings for his second win of the postseason. Gurriel laced an RBI single to cap a three-run first, and the Diamondbacks chased rookie starter Bobby Miller in the second — two days after Los Angeles ace Clayton Kershaw was tagged for six runs while getting only one out during Arizona's 11-2 rout in Game 1.

Gurriel added a solo homer in the sixth to make it 4-1.