Phillies upset Cardinals to reach first NLDS since 2011

ST. LOUIS — The Philadelphia Phillies completed a sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals in their NL Wild Card Series on Saturday with a 2-0 victory.

Philadelphia's stars showed up in Game 2, with Aaron Nola pitching 6 2/3 shutout innings, Bryce Harper hitting a solo home run in the second and Kyle Schwarber providing an insurance run with a sacrifice fly in the fifth.

«It's a really good team over there. We had a chance to come in here and win games and we were able to do that,» Harper said after the game. «Just having the starting pitching that we do, and have the bullpen we do, it's a great group of guys and we're excited to keep this thing going.»

The win vaults Philadelphia into the NL Division Series for the first time since 2011 and ends the legendary careers of Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina.

Molina gave St. Louis a chance with his final at-bat in the ninth inning, singling off Zach Eflin with two outs. But Tommy Edman fouled out to third to end the game. Pujols finished with a pair of singles.

Nola struck out six and walked one on 101 pitches before leaving with two outs in the seventh. Jose Alvarado then retired Molina on a popup, stranding a runner on first. Seranthony Dominguez struck out MVP candidates Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado to wiggle out of a two-on, one-out jam in the eighth.

The victory also avenges the Phillies' loss to the Cardinals in the decisive game of that 2011 NLDS, highlighted by an epic pitchers' duel between Chris Carpenter and Roy Halladay.

Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak, speaking before the start of this series, called that a «fork in the road.» The Cardinals went on to win that year's World Series, leading up to Tony La Russa announcing his retirement and