On the Phillies’ last trip to Washington, DC back in June, they forced the Nationals to endure one of the worst series in that franchise’s history.
Three straight 9th inning victories against a beleaguered Nationals bullpen, all of them in crushing fashion. Too add more insult to insult, the Phillies staged another late-game comeback in Monday night’s 6-3 win.
So, last night, perhaps the bill came due.
The Phils’ ugly, 10-4, 11-inning loss to the Nationals had a little bit of everything.
Wasted at-bats. Awful relief pitching. Questionable managerial decisions. Potential injuries. And yeah, some flat-out extra inning weirdness, too.
It was a pretty normal baseball game for a little while there.
Sure, Andrew Painter had to leave early with a hamstring issue, but after nine innings of baseball, the Phillies and Nationals entered extra innings tied 3-3 in mostly normal fashion.
But after scoring a run in the 10th, Washington erupted for a 6-run outburst in the 11th, marking just the third time in franchise history the Phillies had give up at least six runs in the 11th inning of a baseball game. It was also the fourth-most runs surrendered by the Phils in any extra frame (stats courtesy of Baseball Reference and Schmenkman).
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05/28/1995: 9 runs (10th inning) vs. Padres
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07/16/1937: 8 runs (10th inning) vs. Cardinals
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06/20/2017: 7 runs (10th inning) vs. Cardinals
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Last night: 6 runs (11th inning) vs. Nationals
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06/08/1979: 6 runs (10th inning) vs. Braves
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08/10/1932: 6 runs (11th inning) vs. Cardinals
It was a total and complete meltdown.
In the top of the 10th, reliever Jose Alvarado began by inducing a fly out from Dylan Crews, but then hit left-hander Daylen Lile with a pitch, putting runners on 1st and 2nd. Catcher Harry Ford lined out to center for the second out. Alvarado then walked Andres Chaparro to load the bases and forced in a run with another walk to Nasim Nunez.
So, thanks to two walks and a hit-by-pitch, the Nationals had the lead. Ugly.
But, the Phils responded. Sorta.
With Derek Hill starting the inning on second base and Kyle Schwarber at the plate, Hill stole third base to put him in prime position to score the winning run on a fly ball or well placed grounder. Schwarber, who is hitting .198 with a .655 OPS and just three home runs in his last 29 games, fouled off several hanging breaking balls before being called out on strikes.
At this point, it’s pretty clear to see Schwarber’s back is an issue. One has to wonder if an IL stint is coming at some point. This just isn’t the guy we’ve all come to see over the last five years.
Trea Turner then slashed a liner to right field that seemed destined for extra bases until Dylan Crews made an unbelievable diving catch.
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Instead of Turner on 2nd or 3rd with one out, the bases were empty with two outs, although the sacrifice fly tied the game 4-4. Bryce Harper followed with a walk, bringing up Luis Arraez.
Arraez’ arrival in Philadelphia has been a rousing success through his first two games. An unconventional clean-up hitter, Arraez had two run-scoring singles in Tuesday night’s win and led off the second inning on Wednesday night with his first home run as a Phillie.
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Harper was not in scoring position, but with his athleticism and Arraez’ bat-to-ball skills, there was hope an extra base hit from the league’s leader in batting average could bring the Phils’ a walk-off victory.
But on a 1-0 count, Harper tried to steal second. He was out.
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Oh, and he also appeared to hurt his hand on the slide.
Harper stayed in the game, so the injury appears none too serious. After the game, manager Don Mattingly explained Harper was not running on his own.
There is some logic to the decision. Having a runner on second with two outs allows for a single to score the go-ahead run. The Nationals likely would have intentionally walked Arraez with Harper on second, bringing up Alec Bohm with a chance to win the game. That’s a prospect Phillies fans would have dreaded, but perhaps unfairly so.
For all his faults, Bohm has been one of the team’s best hitters with runners in scoring position, with a .303 batting average and .847 OPS that ranks third on the Phils. Instead, the inning ended with the scored tied 4-4.
Enter Caleb Kilian, the newly acquired right-handed reliever from San Francisco in the Arraez deal. Tasked with keeping the score tied 4-4, he faced five batters, retired just one of them and allowed five runs (four earned) on one hit and two walks.
But it wasn’t just that he imploded.
With Brady House starting the inning at second base, Kilian walked Jacob Young. C.J. Abrams’ booming blast to center turned Derek Hill around. Hill and the ball slammed up against the center field fence.
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The ball caromed away to right field, where Harper, who was not backing up on the play as he reacclimates to being a full-time right fielder again, recovered and held Abrams, who did not run out of the box, to a two-run triple.
In a scary few moments, Hill laid prone on the ground, moving little, before getting up and leaving the field under his own power. After the game, Mattingly called Hill’s injury a bruised shoulder. It’s unclear if he will miss any time.
Now, for the weirdness.
With the score 6-4 and a runner on 3rd with no outs, the Nationals sent starting pitcher Miles Mikolas to the plate to bunt.
Yes, old school National League baseball was back, if only for a fleeting moment. Mikolas laid down a sacrifice squeeze to Kilian, who threw home late, making it 7-4. Kilian walked Dylan Crews, struck out Lile and his evening was done. Chase Shugart allowed a walk, a two-run double and an RBI groundout to round up the six-run outburst.
The wheels had officially come off.
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In all, the Nationals scored 7 runs in extra innings last night on two hits. Phillies pitchers walked five batters and hit a guy, too.
Knowing defeat was imminent, the Phillies went 1-2-3 in the bottom of the 11th, putting fans out of their misery.
For one night, Washington exacted a little payback.
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