(Not Quite) Instant Analysis: Phillies 7, Nats 3

Andrew Pinckney's first career homer wasn't enough to overcome another rough start by Miles Mikolas as the Nationals ended a 1-7 road trip

Photo by Holden Barnes / ALL-PRO REELS

PHILADELPHIA – The good vibes of Wednesday night’s wild win at Citizens Bank Park were washed away tonight for a Nationals club that faced a daunting matchup against the Phillies, fell into an early hole and never fully got back into it to drop the finale of a painful, 1-7 road trip to Atlanta and Philadelphia.

Miles Mikolas, the surprise offensive hero of the previous night’s 11-inning triumph, labored as the Nats’ starting pitcher tonight, charged with six runs on 12 hits in five innings. The veteran right-hander was done in not by anything that cleared the fence but by a whole lot of balls that ricocheted off the fence, with the Phillies piling up seven doubles.

“It just seemed like they were on everything tonight,” manager Blake Butera said. “I don’t think he had his best stuff today, and they sure seemed to capitalize on every mistake he made.”

The Nationals needed much better pitching on a night they faced potential Cy Young Award winner Cristopher Sánchez. They actually fared relatively well against the tough left-hander, putting nine runners on base and driving up his pitch count to 98 to knock him out after five innings. Andrew Pinckney enjoyed a moment in the spotlight, homering off Sánchez for his first MLB hit.

“I thought our at-bats were really good,” Butera said. “I thought our biggest chance was in the fifth (with two on and one out), when we just couldn’t get that big knock. But I thought our at-bats as a whole against an arm like that were really good. And to knock him out, have him on the ropes in the fifth inning, I think was a testament to how good our at-bats were and how many pitches our guys saw.”

But they couldn’t fully take down Sánchez or the Philly bullpen, nor could they overcome the hole Mikolas dug for them. And so they ended this season-changing road trip, one that began with hopes of a pennant race, with yet another loss and further reason to acknowledge the focus should now shift to the future.

“Definitely a learning moment for a lot of us,” Butera said. “Tough stretch, no doubt. I think there were a lot of emotions throughout these last eight games.”

HITTING HIGHLIGHT: Pinckney got a chance to get his feet wet and make his MLB debut in the 10th inning of Wednesday night’s game, pinch-running for Abimelec Ortiz and scoring the go-ahead run. Tonight he got the chance to actually play, starting in left field and batting sixth. And he certainly made the most of the opportunity.

Pinckney worked himself into a 3-1 count in the top of the fourth and then drove a fastball from Sánchez to right-center, becoming the seventh player in club history to homer for his first career hit. (The others: Justin Maxwell, Tommy Milone, Corey Brown, Juan Soto, Carter Kieboom and Joey Meneses.)

“When I hit it, I thought it might have a shot, but I was just focused on getting on second, and then it went out,” said Pinckney, who pointed to his family in the stands and the Nats bullpen as he rounded the bases with a wide smile on his face. “I’m just glad my parents where there, and my sister and everybody was there to see it. It was just really fun.”

The rookie left fielder also made a nice defensive play, tracking down Trea Turner’s double in the corner and starting a 7-6-2 relay to nail Justin Crawford at the plate.

PITCHING LOWLIGHT: As much fun as the 11th inning was Wednesday night, Mikolas returned to reality tonight as he returned to his normal role on the mound. On the day he celebrated 10 years of MLB service time, the 37-year-old right-hander probably knows he’s on borrowed time at this point, especially after the organization designated fellow veteran Zack Littell for assignment Wednesday.

Mikolas proceeded to endure through the kind of start that has been far too typical this season. The Phillies were all over him from the start, scoring two runs in the first, another in the second and three more in the third. By that point, they had already amassed seven doubles, most ever allowed by a Nationals pitcher in one game.

He stuck it out for two more innings, getting his pitch count up to 93. When the bottom of the fifth ended, he walked back to the dugout with head down. He had surrendered 12 hits, a number exceeded only by Patrick Corbin (twice) in club history. His ERA is now 5.89. What the Nats do from here remains to be seen.

“It’s been super fun,” Mikolas said. “This is one of the most fun group of guys that I’ve been around in my playing career. The coaching staff caring about their players and keeping everybody up. And just the support and the camaraderie in the clubhouse has been incredible.”

NOTABLE: Connelly Early probably won’t be ready to join the Nationals rotation as soon as hoped. The left-hander experienced forearm tightness while facing live hitters in West Palm Beach on Tuesday, Butera revealed today. Early, acquired from the Red Sox for Curtis Mead while already on the 15-day IL with elbow inflammation, was supposed to begin a rehab assignment with one of the Nats’ minor-league affiliates this weekend and potentially join the active roster within the next two weeks. Now his rehab is going to be put on pause in what Butera termed an “ultra cautious move” by the club. “From what I’ve been told, it’s not super concerning,” he said.

UP NEXT: The road trip is finally over, but the Nats’ 17-games-in-17-days stretch continues with a weekend series against the Reds. Cade Cavalli will start Friday’s 6:45 p.m. opener against a to-be-named Cincinnati pitcher. The Nationals announced Andrew Alvarez as Saturday’s starter but have left Sunday’s starter TBA for now. TV: Nationals TV/FOX 5 RADIO: 106.7 FM