Zach Eflin is now 9-13 with a 4.16 ERA and 4.90 FIP on the year. (Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire)
Final: Nationals 7, Phillies 2
The Philadelphia Phillies (79-76) dropped the first of five against the Washington Nationals (86-69) in D.C. Three solo home runs along with a great performance from starter Patrick Corbin led the Nats to victory.
The Nationals offense got on the board first. On Zach Eflin’s second 3-2 count in as many batters, Adam Eaton crushed a dead-center fastball for a second deck solo home run, giving the Nationals a 1-0 lead:
This is what happens when you leave 3-2 fastballs in the middle of the plate.
pic.twitter.com/eqqAJUTvln— Phillies Nation (@PhilliesNation) September 23, 2019
Washington could have had another if it wasn’t for the arm of their former superstar turned enemy. Harper gunned down Juan Soto from deep right-center for his 13th outfield assist of 2019, tying a career high from 2013:
That arm alone is worth $330 million.
pic.twitter.com/XMHVP6gUN2— Phillies Nation (@PhilliesNation) September 23, 2019
The solo home runs kept on coming for the Nationals. Yan Gomes chased a pitched outside the zone and drove it over the center field fence to make it 2-0:
How dare you. https://t.co/TnIpcxKEcK
— Phillies Nation (@PhilliesNation) September 24, 2019
The third solo shot came in the third. This time it was off the bat of lead-off man Trea Turner and into the visiting bullpen in left:
It wouldn’t be a Nationals home run without a cringeworthy celebration.
pic.twitter.com/kZVcY213dE— Phillies Nation (@PhilliesNation) September 24, 2019
The Phillies scored their first and only run in the sixth. Harper walked to lead off the inning and Scott Kingery followed up with an eight pitch at-bat and a double to left to set up second and third with nobody out for Hoskins. He was unable to break his 0-for-21 slump, striking out on just four pitches. After a José Pirela walk, César Hernández drove in Harper with a RBI fielder’s choice after Rendon could not get the double play to end the inning.
Two more Nationals runs scored in the eighth off RBI walks. Andrew Knapp doubled in the ninth to earn himself a run scored.
The Phillies will try to pick themselves up once again in tomorrow’s doubleheader. Blake Parker gets the start in the afternoon tilt, which will be a bullpen game. Aaron Nola will face Max Scherzer for the third time in two years in what should be an entertaining battle of the aces in the nightcap.
Shibe Vintage Sports Starting Pitching Performance
Zach Eflin: 5.0 IP,8H, 5R, 5ER, 4BB, 2SO
Eflin surrendered only three earned runs in his last 22.1 innings pitched. He matched that total in just three innings tonight. The command just wasn’t there as it had been all September. The 25-year-old did an excellent job getting out of a bases loaded jam with nobody out, but that is where the praise ends as Eflin gave up two more in the fifth to effectively end his night. Eflin will end the year with a 4.18 ERA against the Nationals.
Patrick Corbin: 6IP, 3H, 1R, 1ER, 4BB, 6SO
His command started to slip late, but as he did in June, Corbin dominated Phillies hitters. He probably would have liked to get more swing and misses from his breaking pitches in the dirt but nonetheless, the Nationals will take that line from him any day of the week. Since that June outing against the Phillies in Washington, Corbin has posted a 2.24 ERA.
Phillies Nuggets Player of the Game: Yan Gomes
It’s hard enough to hit a home run in the majors. It’s really something else to hit a home run to dead center on a pitch that was not even close to the strike zone. Gomes did just that in the second and added on with his 15th double of the year to his stat line in the sixth.
Ticket IQ Next Game
- Tuesday, 1:05 vs. Washington Nationals at Nationals Park
- NBC Sports Philadelphia; MLB Network (out-of-market only)
- Sportsradio 94 WIP; WTTM 1680 (Spanish)
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