ST. LOUIS -- Aaron Nola pitched four-hit ball into the seventh inning, Bryce Harper's home run gave Philadelphia an early lead, and the Phillies held off the St. Louis Cardinals 2-0 on Saturday night to sweep their National League wild-card series.
Nola struck out six and walked one on 101 pitches before leaving with two outs in the seventh. Jose Alvarado then retired Yadier Molina on a popup, stranding a runner on first. Seranthony Dominguez struck out Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado to wiggle out of a two-on, one-out jam in the eighth.
Goldschmidt and Arenado, two of the leading contenders for NL MVP, went a combined 1 for 15 in the series with no RBI and six strikeouts.
The Cardinals made one finally charge off Zach Eflin in the ninth, getting consecutive two-out singles from Corey Dickerson and Molina. But the starter-turned-closer responded by getting Tommy Edman to foul out to end the game, giving the Phillies their first postseason series win since topping Cincinnati in the 2010 divisional round.
They'll face a familiar foe, the NL East champion Braves, when their division series begins Tuesday night in Atlanta.
Miles Mikolas allowed two runs and two hits for St Louis before leaving with two outs in the fifth. Albert Pujols had a pair of singles, including one in the eighth in what was likely the final at-bat of his career.
The sellout crowd of 48,515, the third-largest in Busch Stadium history, was at its flag-waving throatiest trying to keep the dream season of Pujols, Molina and the rest of the Cardinals alive. Instead, their fans watched the NL Central champions go down with a whimper, losing in the first round of the playoffs for the third consecutive year.
"It's a tough one, when you know it's Yadi's last year and Albert's last year," Cardinals Manager Oliver Marmol said. "There's just extra motivation to deliver for them, and do something special, and allow that story to end with a championship."
'It's obviously disappointing," Marmol said, "but it's where we're at."
Harper, who was hitless in the opener, staked the Phillies to the lead when a 76 mph curveball left his bat at 111.6 mph on the first pitch of the second inning. The ball sliced through the cold October breeze and landed 435 feet away.
The way pitchers have dominated the wild-card round, it figured Harper's one mighty swing might be the difference.
"We know in the postseason, the pitching is great. That's why all these teams are in the postseason, us included," Goldschmidt said. "You know there's going to be some tight games that come down to one pitch or one play."
Philadelphia Phillies' Bryce Harper (3) reacts after hitting a solo home run during the second inning in Game 2 of a National League wild-card baseball playoff series against the St. Louis Cardinals, Saturday, Oct. 8, 2022, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Scott Kane)
Philadelphia Phillies' Bryce Harper reacts after hitting a solo home run during the second inning in Game 2 of a National League wild-card baseball playoff series against the St. Louis Cardinals, Saturday, Oct. 8, 2022, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Scott Kane)
St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Miles Mikolas walks to the dugout after the second inning in Game 2 of a National League wild-card baseball playoff series against the Philadelphia Phillies, Saturday, Oct. 8, 2022, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Miles Mikolas (39) stands on the mound after giving up a solo home run to Philadelphia Phillies' Bryce Harper, back right, during the second inning in Game 2 of a National League wild-card baseball playoff series, Saturday, Oct. 8, 2022, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Scott Kane)
Philadelphia Phillies' Bryce Harper celebrates with Nick Castellanos (8) after Harper hit a solo home run against the St. Louis Cardinals during the second inning in Game 2 of an NL wild-card baseball playoff series, Saturday, Oct. 8, 2022, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
St. Louis Cardinals' Albert Pujols walks to the dugout after grounding out to Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Jean Segura during the third inning in Game 2 of an NL wild-card baseball playoff series Saturday, Oct. 8, 2022, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
St. Louis Cardinals' Yadier Molina reacts after lining out to Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm during the third inning in Game 2 of a National League wild-card baseball playoff series, Saturday, Oct. 8, 2022, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Philadelphia Phillies' Bryce Harper reacts after hitting a solo home run during the second inning in Game 2 of the team's NL wild-card baseball playoff series against the St. Louis Cardinals, Saturday, Oct. 8, 2022, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)