Final Score: Phillies 4, Nationals 0
The Phillies are going to miss Patrick Corbin.
Dating back to 2021, the Phillies have regularly crushed the left-handed starter. Corbin has allowed 38 earned runs over his last nine starts against the Phillies.
They did not pound Corbin, but they did enough to give starter Aaron Nola and the bullpen a comfortable lead. Brandon Marsh opened the scoring with a sacrifice fly to center field in the second inning. Kyle Schwarber drove in two later in the inning with a single to the right side with two strikes. Bryce Harper recorded his seventh RBI of the season with a base hit in the seventh to expand the lead to 4-0.
Corbin, who was once pursued by the Phillies in the 2018-19 offseason, is in the final year of his six-year, $140 million contract with the Washington Nationals. He has a 5.32 ERA against the Phillies since signing with Washington.
On the other side, Nola bounced back from a rough first outing against Atlanta, throwing 5 2/3 scoreless innings and allowing only two hits, earning his first victory of 2024.
Nola wasn’t around the strike zone as much as he typically is. Nola walked four batters in a game for only the third time since 2019. High walk totals for Nola usually correlate with a poor line score, but he was able to navigate his way out of traffic. Friday marked only the second game in Nola’s career — and first since September 2018 — in which he allowed at least four walks while also allowing zero earned runs.
One glaring negative from Friday’s game is the sloppy baserunning. The Phillies now have four caught stealings on the season and all of them have come via the rundown. In the third, J.T. Realmuto took off for second with Harper at third before the pitcher Corbin began his motion to home plate. Harper tried to stay in the rundown long enough to get Realmuto to third, but Harper was eventually tagged out in between third and home with Realmuto retrieving to second.
You can get picky and say that the Phillies should have scored more than four runs. Nationals pitchers walked nine batters, but the Phillies stranded 12 runners and grounded into two double plays.
But when the Phillies are playing a lesser team and the pitching is sharp, these things don’t really matter. Matt Strahm, Seranthony Domínguez and José Alvarado combined to keep the shutout in tact.
The Phillies (3-4) will go for their first series win of 2024 on Saturday afternoon. Ranger Suárez gets the ball. He will be opposed by right-handed pitcher Jake Irvin.
Notes
- The Phillies announced that they have acquired infielder José Rodriguez from the White Sox for cash considerations. He was optioned to Double-A Reading. The 40-man roster is now full.
- Marsh made a spectacular diving catch to rob CJ Abrams of a hit in the bottom of the eighth inning. The Phillies hope Marsh can be a difference maker defensively in left field.
- The Phillies have won 18 of their last 22 games at Nationals Park.
Ticket IQ Next Game
- Saturday, April 6 vs. Washington Nationals at Nationals Park
- 4:05 p.m. EST
- NBC Sports Philadelphia+
- 94 WIP
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