Not four. Not five. Just three.
These days, that seems to be the magic number.
For the better part of two weeks, the Phillies have operated with almost no margin for error. Their offense continues to search for consistency, their lineup continues to leave innings unfinished, and yet they keep finding ways to win because their pitching staff refuses to let games get away.
Tuesday's 3-2 victory over the Padres at Citizens Bank Park was the latest example.
The difference was one Bryce Harper swing, one heads-up defensive play by Alec Bohm, and another airtight performance from a pitching staff that has become the club's lifeline.
The Phillies improved to 31-29 despite scoring three runs or fewer for the ninth time in their last 12 games.
"We've got to score more runs," Harper acknowledged afterward.
No argument there.
The Phillies fell behind in the third inning when Gavin Sheets turned around an Aaron Nola fastball and deposited it into the right-field seats for a two-run homer. At the time, it felt dangerous. The Phillies entered the night having scored more than four runs only once since May 18, and a two-run deficit has often felt much larger than that.
But Harper changed the equation one inning later.
After Trea Turner opened the fourth with a single, Randy Vásquez tried to sneak a 3-1 sweeper over the outer half of the plate. Harper didn't miss it.
The ball rocketed toward the left-center-field seats, soaring beyond the 374-foot marker and tying the game at 2-2.
It was Harper's 14th home run of the season and the 377th of his career, moving him past Hall of Famer Carlton Fisk on baseball's all-time home run list. Matt Williams and Paul Goldschmidt sit next at 378.
For a Phillies offense struggling to manufacture runs, Harper's swing felt enormous.
The game remained tied until the sixth.
Harper again started the rally, drawing a leadoff walk against Jeremiah Estrada. Brandon Marsh followed with his fourth hit of the night, putting runners at first and second with nobody out.
Bohm then hit a sharp ground ball that resulted in a double play. Under different circumstances, it might have been viewed as a missed opportunity.
Instead, it became the winning run.
Harper crossed the plate before the inning ended, giving Philadelphia a 3-2 lead it would never relinquish.
Nola made sure of that.
The veteran right-hander wasn't overpowering, but he was efficient and in command. Outside of the Sheets home run, he gave the Padres very little. Nola worked five innings, allowed four hits, struck out eight, and did not issue a walk.
It marked the third consecutive start in which Nola failed to walk a batter, a reflection of the command that has quietly returned after a rocky start to his season.
From there, the bullpen handled the rest.
José Alvarado, Orion Kerkering, Brad Keller, and Jhoan Duran combined for four scoreless innings. Duran was particularly dominant, striking out the side in a perfect ninth inning for his 13th save.
Before he got the ball, however, Bohm delivered perhaps the night's most overlooked play.
Fernando Tatis Jr. singled with two outs in the eighth and was dancing off first base when Miguel Andujar hit a slow chopper toward third. Bohm fielded the ball and pump-faked a throw across the diamond. Tatis bit.
Moments later, the Padres' star found himself trapped in a rundown that ended the inning and erased a potential scoring threat.
The Phillies have won five of their last seven games, but the formula has become increasingly obvious.
Their starting pitching has been exceptional.
Their bullpen has stabilized.
Their offense remains a work in progress.
Since May 18, no National League contender has asked its pitchers to carry a heavier burden. The Phillies have scored four runs or fewer in 12 consecutive games, forcing them into a nightly collection of one-run and two-run contests.
Tuesday was another one.
For now, they're surviving them.
And with Cristopher Sánchez scheduled to take his franchise-record streak of 44⅔ consecutive scoreless innings into Wednesday's series finale, the Phillies will again ask their pitching staff to shoulder the load.
It has become their identity.
Whether it remains sustainable is a question that still hangs over the season.
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