The Philadelphia Phillies opened their only series of the season against the Los Angeles Angels with a 5-3 win on Friday, then returned for Game 2 on Saturday, August 29, 2026, at 10:07 p.m. ET with a chance to take the season series.
The opener turned quickly in the Angels' favor. Los Angeles scored three runs in the first inning, and two of those came on wild pitches from Andrew Painter. But the Phillies slowly worked back into the game and got the decisive swing in the ninth inning when Edmundo Sosa hit his first career grand slam off Ben Joyce.
Jonathan Bowlan finished it by recording the final three outs for his second save. The result moved the Phillies to 75-60 and kept them in the second NL Wild Card spot, while the Angels dropped to 52-83 and carried a five-game losing streak into Game 2 after being swept by the Cleveland Guardians.
Game 2 setup
Game 2 featured Cristopher Sanchez for Philadelphia, and he entered with 16 wins, four losses and a 2.62 ERA across 168.1 innings. The Angels were set to go with Ryan Johnson, who came in at 3-7 with a 5.75 ERA in 67.1 innings. For the Phillies, the assignment was simple: follow the opener with one more win and finish off the season-series victory.
Because this was the only meeting between the teams this year, Friday's result carried added weight. The Phillies had already done the hard part by erasing an early deficit, and the chance to close out the series made Saturday's matchup more than just another late-August game.
