Phillies' bats go cold, lose World Series to Astros in 6 games

The Phillies' magical season has come to an end. They lost to the Astros, 4-1, in Game 6 of the World Series at Minute Maid Park on Saturday night to be officially eliminated from the postseason.  

After holding a 2-1 series lead, the Phillies lost three straight games to lose the series, 4-2. 

The Phillies held a brief lead in Game 6, but their bats went cold when they needed it most. 

Kyle Schwarber's home run in the top of the sixth inning gave the Phillies a 1-0 lead, but that was the only lead they had in Game 6. 

In the bottom of the sixth inning, the Astros responded with four runs to take the lead. 

Yordan Alvarez hit a three-run shot to center field to make it 3-1. Then, Christian Vazquez hit an RBI single that allowed Alex Bregman to score to give the Astros a 4-1 lead.

Zack Wheeler pitched much better on Saturday than he did in Game 2, but the Phillies' offense wasn't able to give him much run support. He had five strikeouts, allowed three hits and one walk on 70 pitches in 5 ⅓ innings. 

The Astros' bats are starting to heat up. 

After Yordan Alvarez homered, the Astros added another insurance run. 

Christian Vazquez hit an RBI single that allowed Alex Bregman to score to give the Astros a 4-1 lead in the bottom of the sixth inning. 

The Phillies will need their offense to heat up, or their season will be over. 

Well, the Phillies' lead didn't last too long. 

Yordan Alvarez's three-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning off Jose Alvarado gave the Astros a 3-1 lead. 

Kyle Schwarber hit a solo shot in the top of the sixth inning, but the Astros responded fast. 

Now, the Astros a few more innings away from becoming champions. 

Zack Wheeler was pulled after 5 1/3 innings. He had a great performance for the Phillies in Game 6. Overall, Wheeler had five strikeouts, allowed three hits and one walk on 70 pitches. 

Phillies manager Rob Thomson replaced Wheeler with Jose Alvarado after he gave up a single to Jeremy Pena that allowed Martin Maldonado to reach third base. 

Alvarado will face Yordan Alvarex with one out in the bottom of the sixth inning with a 1-0 lead.  

When the Phillies desperately needed a run, Kyle Schwarber delivered.

In the top of the sixth inning, Schwarber hit a 395-foot home run to the right field off Framber Valdez to give the Phillies a 1-0 lead. 

It's Schwarber's third home run during the World Series.  

Through four innings, the Phillies have yet to get to Framber Valdez. He's recorded seven strikeouts and only allowed one hit. 

That hit came on a single from Alec Bohm in the top of the second. 

In the top of the fourth inning, Valdez struck out Bryce Harper and Nick Castellanos, and got Bohm to fly out to right field. 

The Astros have also not been able to crack Zack Wheeler. He's looked much better compared to his start in Game 2. 

Jeremy Pena led off the inning with a single, but Wheeler retired the next three batters. He got Yordan Alvarez to fly out, struck out Alex Bregman and forced Kyle Tucker to ground out in the bottom of the fourth.  

Framber Valdez picked up right where he left off in Game 6 of the World Series against the Phillies. 

He struck out the Phillies' top of the order -- Kyle Schwarber, Rhys Hoskins and J.T. Realmuto -- in the top of the third inning. 

So far, Valdez had five strikeouts. He was dominant in Game 2 against the Phillies. 

For the second straight inning, Zack Wheeler retired the Astros in 1-2-3 fashion .

After Alex Bregman grounded out to shortstop, Wheeler walked Kyle Tucker. 

But, he rebounded by getting Christian Vazquez to ground into a 6-4-2 double play. 

In Game 2, Zack Wheeler got shellacked early by the Astros. They had a lead after four pitches. 

But, the start of Game 6 was a different story. 

All Wheeler needed was seven pitches to get through Jose Altuve, Jeremy Pena and Yordan Alvarez to end the inning. 

The Phillies will need Wheeler's best stuff Saturday night to force a Game 7. 

The starting lineup for Game 6 was just announced. In a Tweet, the Phillies released the following lineup for Saturday night's game against the Astros:

Schwarber (LF)

Hoskins (1B)

Realmuto (C)

Harper (DH)

Castellanos (RF)

Bohm (3B)

Segura (2B)

Vierling (CF)

Sosa (SS)

Wheeler (P)

Saturday, Philadelphia sports fans are gearing up for an exciting weekend with two teams chasing championships - the Phillies and the Philadelphia Union. This is a dream scenario for Philadelphia sports fans.

If all goes well this weekend, the city will have not one, but two titles to celebrate - the MLS Cup and the World Series.

Read the entire story here.

As you head to the sports bar for the Union and/or the Phillies game on Saturday, make sure to check the weather as this weather screams more for T-shirts and shorts than sweater weather. Tammie Souza has the latest game forecast.