Instant Analysis: Nats 10, Phillies 4 (11)

The Nationals snapped their seven-game losing streak thanks to an 11th-inning rally keyed by CJ Abrams and ... Miles Mikolas?!

Photo by Holden Barnes / ALL-PRO REELS

PHILADELPHIA – How did the Nationals finally snap their seven-game losing streak? With a six-run rally in extra innings keyed by their best remaining hitter and … their 37-year-old pitcher?!

This 10-4, 11-inning win was as unconventional as they get, but the Nats will happily take it after a miserable week of trades, injuries and loss after loss after loss.

CJ Abrams delivered the long-awaited clutch hit, driving a triple off the top of the center-field wall in the top of the 11th, with Phillies center fielder Derek Hill injuring himself trying to make a leaping catch. Then, with their bench out of position players and the DH having been forced to play the field, the Nats sent Miles Mikolas to the plate for his first at-bat since 2021. The veteran right-hander proceeded to put down a perfect safety squeeze, with Abrams beating the tag at the plate and Mikolas busting it down the line to reach himself.

Andrés Chaparro added a two-run double to complete the six-run rally and provide plenty of cushion for Brad Lord, who closed the win out in his first appearance back from the 15-day IL.

Both teams managed to score their automatic runner in the 10th inning without producing a hit. The Nationals showed patience against erratic lefty Jose Alvarado, who hit Daylen Lile with a pitch and then walked both Chaparro and Nasim Nuñez, the latter on four pitches to force in the go-ahead run. The Phillies, though, tied the game again in the bottom of the inning when Hill (the automatic runner) stole third off Clayton Beeter, putting himself in position to score on Trea Turner’s sacrifice lineout to right, which required a diving catch by Dylan Crews.

For the first time on this road trip, the Nationals delivered with runners in scoring position in several key spots earlier in the game. Keibert Ruiz came through with a two-out RBI single in the top of the first for a 1-0 lead, and Abrams (batting leadoff for the first time this season) also produced a two-out RBI single in the top of the seventh for a 3-2 lead. That clutch hit came a few minutes after Brady House drove an opposite-field, pinch-hit homer to right to tie the game.

Jake Irvin was solid in his second start off the IL, allowing a solo homer to Luis Arraez and a sacrifice fly to Justin Crawford in the bottom of the second but otherwise keeping the Phillies off the board during his 5 1/3 innings on the mound.

The new-look Nats bullpen, though, complicated matters in the seventh. Yovanny Cruz, one of the four pitchers acquired from the Yankees for Luis García Jr., consistently topped 100 mph with his fastball but retired only one of the four batters he faced, surrendering an RBI single to Bryson Stott to earn his first blown save. Tom Cosgrove and Orlando Ribalta did, however, combine to get this game through the ninth still tied at 3 to set up extra-inning drama.

HITTING HIGHLIGHT: The Nationals have gone out of their way to use House almost exclusively against left-handers. So when the Phillies brought in newly acquired southpaw Brooks Raley in the top of the seventh, Blake Butera didn’t hesitate to send House up to pinch-hit for Jorbit Vivas. And House immediately struck, driving Raley’s 0-1 sweeper the other way for the first-pinch-hit homer of his career, this one tying the game to boot. At some point, perhaps they’ll start giving House more opportunities to face right-handers. But until then, he’ll just have to keep making the most of his plate appearances against lefties.

PITCHING HIGHLIGHT: On paper, this looked like a potentially difficult matchup for Irvin, who gave up a lot of loud contact last week in Atlanta in his first start off the IL. And there were some early harrowing moments for the right-hander, who let four batters reach in the bottom of the second, two of them scoring. But he quickly found his groove again and cruised after that. Irvin wound up retiring the last 12 batters he faced, rarely getting hit hard during that stretch. He looked surprised when Butera came out of the dugout asking for the ball with one out in the sixth, but there were two lefties due up and the Nats are still being careful with Irvin’s workload as he makes his way back from a shoulder injury. He was pulled tonight at 83 pitches.

NOTABLE: Will Dion made his Nationals debut, replacing Irvin in the bottom of the sixth, and was asked to retire two of the toughest left-handed hitters in baseball. He proceeded to walk Bryce Harper on five pitches before getting Arraez to hit a sharp grounder to first, with Abimelec Ortiz making a nice play to start an inning-ending, 3-6-1 double play.

UP NEXT: This long road trip finally comes to an end Thursday with an earlier-than-usual, 6:05 p.m. first pitch scheduled. Miles Mikolas makes the start in what would’ve been Foster Griffin’s spot in the rotation. All-Star lefty Cristopher Sánchez gets the ball for the Phillies. TV: Nationals TV RADIO: 106.7 FM