Instant Analysis: Phillies 14, Nats 9
One out away from a second straight win over Philly, Brad Lord and Paxton Schultz combined to give up eight runs in the ninth
Nationals Park was rocking, the home team having rallied to take the lead in the eighth and just one out away in the ninth from a second straight win over the Phillies. And then it all fell apart, shockingly with the team’s most-reliable reliever on the mound.
Brad Lord, given a rare opportunity to close, gave up five consecutive hits with two outs in the ninth, including home runs to Brandon Marsh and Bryson Stott that flipped an absurd game all the way back to Philadelphia at night’s end.
Jorbit Vivas’ three-run homer off Orion Kerkering in the bottom of the eighth had given the Nats an 8-6 lead only moments after their bullpen had finished blowing a five-run lead. A boisterous crowd of 29,611 was ready to celebrate a second straight win over the Phillies in an increasingly wide-open NL wild card race.
But after recording two quick strikeouts begin the ninth, Lord gave up a single to Trea Turner and then a no-doubt, game-tying homer to Marsh. It only got worse from there when Bryce Harper and Derek Hill singled, setting the stage for Stott to pull a first-pitch sweeper just inside the foul pole for a three-run homer. Schultz then gave up a two-run double to Edmundo Sosa and an RBI single to Turner to make it an eight-run ninth in which 10 consecutive batters reached base with two outs. Luis García Jr. homered with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, but it was way too little and way too late.
As they’ve done with regularity in the last few weeks, the Nationals took a highly aggressive approach at the plate, going after Jesus Luzardo early in the count. And they enjoyed success with that approach, most notably during a four-run fourth that featured back-to-back, two-out, two-run singles by Nasim Nuñez (starting at shortstop after CJ Abrams was scratched with left side tightness) and José Tena over the span of three pitches.
Staked to a 5-0 lead, Blake Butera attempted to piece together his pitching staff for the night, seeking to take advantage of platoon matchups whenever possible. PJ Poulin opened with a 1-2-3 top of the first before handing it over to Zack Littell, who cruised through his first 3 2/3 innings before surrendering a two-run homer to Sosa in the fifth.
Butera entrusted a three-run lead to Mitchell Parker, and the lefty responded by retiring the heart of the order in the sixth but then put two runners on in the seventh, with one of them scoring on a groundball off Orlando Ribalta. Richard Lovelady and Clayton Beeter then combined to give up three runs in the eighth, with all three runs scoring when James Wood couldn’t quite hold onto JT Realmuto’s sinking liner to right with the bases loaded and two out.
HITTING HIGHLIGHT: After putting their first two batters on in the eighth, the Nationals asked Vivas to put down a sacrifice bunt that would move the go-ahead runner into scoring position. Vivas fouled off that attempt, so they let him swing away after that. And he promptly drilled the next pitch he saw to center field for a three-run homer that looked like it would be the defining blow of this game.
PITCHING HIGHLIGHT: The final line (two runs on five hits over four innings) doesn’t look like much, but Littell was really sharp tonight aside from one (albeit important) slip in the top of the fifth. Not exactly known as a swing-and-miss guy, he struck out five batters, including four in a row at one point. Twenty of his first 26 pitches were strikes. And he avoided the heart of the strike zone … until one ill-placed fastball to Sosa that landed in the red seats in left-center field. It was Littell’s league-leading 21st home run surrendered this season, his sixth in his last 10 2/3 innings.
NOTABLE: Nuñez became the seventh player in club history to steal 30 bases in a season, and he did it in only 74 games played. (He then added his 31st later in the game.) Abrams hold the team record with 47 steals in 2023.
UP NEXT: Will Poulin open back-to-back games? Tune in at 6:45 p.m. Wednesday to find out if the lefty once again gets the first inning, this time ahead of scheduled starter Miles Mikolas. Veteran right-hander starts for the Phillies. TV: Nationals TV RADIO: 106.7 FM
After the Giants meltdown, I was hoping not to experience that again… especially so soon. A couple of stronger relievers are desperately needed now, not later.
Disgusting loss. Please get some bullpen help. Wood looks like he needs a day or two off.