“Anyone can come in here and they’re gonna end up losing games” - Johan Rojas makes bold statement as Phillies sweep Dodgers with ease
Philadelphia Phillies center fielder Johan Rojas made a bold statement after sweeping the Los Angeles Dodgers in their three-game series at Citizens Bank Park. The latest win came on Thursday as the home team crushed the NL West leaders 5-1.
Rojas, who went 1-for-4 with an RBI, was convinced that the Phillies are the best team in baseball right now and that they'll stop at nothing till they become World Series champions, a dream the Phillies have come close to in the last two years (via NBA Sports):
“We don’t care who’s coming, we don’t care who we’re playing, we’re just gonna beat ‘em,” Rojas said. “Anyone can come here and they’re gonna end up losing the games or the series. Same with the goal we have of the World Series, we’ll go out and win it. We’re hungry to win, that’s what we’re here for and that’s what we’re gonna do".
Phillies blow out opponent yet again, Dodgers completely outdueled by NL best
On Thursday, the Dodgers were looking to salvage some pride and avoid getting swept amid their recent slump.
However, Aaron Nola hit them hard as the pitcher tied the Dodgers offense to his grip and only allowed one run in six innings pitched. Not to mention his nine strikeouts that kept the LA hitters off balance. The only run he gave was a homer from Gavin Lux, whose hit barely made it over the left field wall for a 329-foot home run.
The trio of Shohei Ohtani, Will Smith and Freddie Freeman went 1-for-11 combined. Credit goes to the Phillies' bullpen as well, who held down the fort after Nola's exit.
On offense, the Philadelphia Phillies started the innings with a bang. Trea Turner and Brandon Marsh put their levers on for two solo blasts in back-to-back innings to start the game. A special mention goes to Johan Rojas, who made a big catch in the top of the seventh at the warning track, which could potentially have allowed some runs to get scored.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, from the leadoff spot and coming back from injury, Kyle Schwarber put the ball out of the park to put the lid on the game.
With the win, the Phillies improved to 61-32 for the season, while the Dodgers dropped to 55-39. The NL East leaders are now 6.5 games ahead with the best record in the division.