Immediate Observations: Bryce Harper, Nick Castellanos and Bryson Stott save the Phillies’ season

All the Phillies had to do was break the seal.

And they did so brilliantly on Sunday, as two monster home runs and a late triple tied the NLDS at 1-1 and gave the Phillies a 7-6 come-from-behind victory.

After blowing a two-run lead in the ninth inning, the Phillies drew two walks and Nick Castellanos tied the game.

Castellanos was harassed in the infield as a party broke out at Citizens Bank Park. It was his third game-changing hit in a rollercoaster game in South Philly, one that will long be remembered as the Phillies are back in business after a lifeless loss in Game 1.

The Mets were the feel-good story in baseball (or at least one of them this October) and finally hit a (red) brick wall in the form of the Phillies’ woke offense. All right, we’re heading to Queens on I-95. Here’s a look at the good, the bad and the ugly from a storybook win in Game 2:

The good

• Bryce Harper’s baseball bat holds the weight of an entire city. And in the sixth inning, he unleashed an aura of bliss and relief with one hit:

The offense was in disarray, but hits can be contagious — and Nick Castellanos captured what Harper experienced seconds later: new life for a game, a series and a season after two long balls when the Phillies and Mets were suddenly tied at 3 per man and the dynamic had changed significantly.

There is something unique about baseball that makes it rightfully worthy of the romanticism the sport receives from its die-hard and long-time fans. In other sports such as basketball or football, there are certainly changes in dynamics or extremely effective plays. But they are often expected or extremely situational. Baseball can turn in the blink of an eye, and that was the case Sunday in South Philly.

• Speaking of Casty, the Phils got another big hit from the streaky outfielder when a single in the eighth moved Harper (after a walk) from first to third. Then the birthday boy hit a two-RBI triple to give the Phillies their first lead in 16 innings:

These are the big plays the Phillies have made routinely over the last three games. The insurance company came up with a weakly hit JT Realmuto grounder Vientos couldn’t break through, scoring Stott and giving Philly a 6-4 lead.

• It was a difficult decision for manager Rob Thomson whether to go with typical Game 2 starter Aaron Nola or regular-season phenom Cris Sánchez, whose home-away splits made a compelling case that he should start at Citizens Bank Park (a 2.21 ERA and a 7-3 record in 17 home starts) – the third-best home season for a starter in the ballpark’s history.

After three innings in which Sánchez looked like he was on cruise control, a single off Francisco Lindor and a two-run blast from red-hot youngster Mark Vientos quickly put him in his place and once again put the Phillies in an awkward position.

Everything was fine in the end, as the Phillies All-Star had five solid innings and, interestingly, was removed from the game after 88 pitches. He received zero run support. It’s really hard to say much about Thomson’s choice as he would sign up for two permitted runs any day of the week.

Sánchez wasn’t making his career postseason debut when he started Sunday – in fact, he has one under his belt from last season. The hurler pitched two and one third innings against the Diamondbacks in Phoenix last October in what was essentially an opening role. He allowed two runs, which ultimately led to a 6-4 loss in the NLCS (which would tie that series at two games apiece).

• Nice to get a taste of three straight home playoff losses from the Delaware Valley (dating back to Games 6 and 7 of the NLCS last year).

The evil

• We’ll skip complaining about MLB’s postseason format and how the Phillies’ second-best 162-game record in the majors was nearly wiped out last week with the “reward” of five days off. But obviously the rust had some weight. The Phillies only had three hits before Harper’s home run and the bullpen, well…

• After five pretty good innings, Thomson lifted the ball Sánchez for Jose Ruiz, who gave up three hits, but worst of all a home run against Pete Alonso that put the Phils further behind 3-0.

Later, after the Phillies tied it, Brandon Nimmo hit another ace reliever Orion Kirkering deep to give the Mets the lead again, 4-3. Make the eight runs Phillies relievers have allowed so far in this series. Is it up to the coach or do the players have to perform?

The Phillies had a very strong bullpen this season with four reliable killer relievers – Strahm, Kerkering, Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estevez. Three of those four failed to shut out the Mets, and if the Phillies want a series win, they can’t do it without clean innings from those four arms. Strahm was the worst offender, following up his ugly Game 1 with a game-winning home run in Game 2 against Vientos.

• Trea Turner had two stolen bases in the first inning and Johan Rojas had one in the third inning – the extremely aggressive base run is a sign of how much pressure the Phillies are applying, as there have been few baserunners up to this point in the postseason. Bryson Stott was the Phillies’ third baserunner in Game 4 and was caught trying to steal third.

• Alec Bohm was on the bench to start Game 2 after going 0-for-4 in Game 1. He was called for a pinch hit and left on a pitch. Edmundo Sosa made a mistake and replaced him in third place. What will Thomson do in third place on Tuesday?

The ugly

• The bullpen aces giving up clutch hits and home runs to the Mets will be the story of this series if the Phillies fail in it.

Take a look:

• They really should call it “Philly Cheer” — when fans ironically and sarcastically applaud and cheer for a player, like when Nick Castellanos hit and missed two atrocious pitches in a row while batting during his fourth inning before making a throw in the dirt.

The boos were in full swing for much of Sunday’s game, replacing the loud, high-decibel roar that characterized South Philadelphia’s previous two playoff runs. The Phils’ flat offense and desperate approach at the plate didn’t sit well with the 46,000 loyal fans in the stands. They let players know when they’re playing well… and when they’re not.

• During Kyle Schwarber’s third inning, he made a flyout to right on a line drive that came close to a game-winning home run, Johan Rojas got some practice. After a single, the speedy centerfielder threw caution to the wind as he rounded second base on the Schwarber fly out, took the breaks and retreated to first base after recording the out, and then did it again when A throwing error allowed him to take second base. He would later steal third place.

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