Phillies bullpen collapses, allows eight unanswered runs in loss to Nationals

If someone had told you the Philadelphia Phillies had a 6-1 lead entering the seventh inning, your first inclination would be to ask how much they ended up winning by. Well, that wasn’t the case Tuesday night, as the Phillies lost 10-6 to the Washington Nationals in a game that featured a bullpen meltdown.

Aaron Nola started the game, hoping to rebound against his last start against the Nationals, when he allowed six earned runs in just three innings pitched.

Nola got off to a bit of a rough start, as Nationals leadoff hitter Adam Eaton hit a ball that bounced right off Bryce Harper’s glove in right field. Eaton reached second, and then made his way to home plate thanks to a couple of fly balls. That put the Nationals up 1-0.

Stephen Strasburg came out strong for the Nationals, throwing only five pitches in the first inning, retiring the Phillies in order. However, his luck wouldn’t last. The Phillies would make Strasburg work over the next two innings, and they finally got to him in the third.

Maikel Franco led things off with a home run, his fourth of the young season. That tied things up, 1-1:

That one wasted no time getting out of here. #RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/rxWnDVaFFc

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) April 9, 2019

The home run shook Strasburg, as he followed that up with a walk of Nola. After the first out of the inning, Strasburg issued another free pass to Jean Segura, which set up the stage for Bryce Harper.

With men on first and second, Harper came up big with his fourth home run of the season, a three-run shot that gave the Phillies their first lead of the game:

Goodness…#RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/48fS555u49

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) April 10, 2019

In the bottom of the fourth inning, Franco continued with his hot bat by nabbing a single, which Andrew McCutchen followed up with a walk of his own. Segura was able to capitalize on the situation by hitting a deep right field triple, making it a 6-1 game.

The Nationals didn’t go down quietly, however.

After the Phillies grabbed their 6-1 lead, Anthony Rendon drove home Victor Robles with a double to right field, making it 6-2 in the top of the seventh. Later, Ryan Zimmerman reached first on a throwing error from Franco, before he was plated on a home run by Yan Gomes:

April 8: Kurt Suzuki 2-run HR
April 9: Yan Gomes 2-run HR pic.twitter.com/Z3XaMmp2fY

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) April 10, 2019

In the same inning, Howie Kendrick homered against his old team, making it a 6-5 game:

This is Howie Kendrick's 1,478th career @MLB game.
This is Howie Kendrick's 1st career pinch-hit HR.

(It went 420 feet.) pic.twitter.com/C3JDLoQBOU

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) April 10, 2019

The seemingly large lead had suddenly evaporated, and Nola was pulled out in favor of Seranthony Dominguez. Dominguez threw just four pitches, recording the final two outs of the inning.

The game got dicey for the Phillies in the top of the eighth. With one out and Juan Soto and Brian Dozier on first and second base, respectively, Hector Neris was able to get Ryan Zimmerman to strike out. He then induced a fly-ball off the bat of Gomes, ending a 30-pitch eighth inning.

Edubray Ramos came on to pitch the top of the ninth inning. Hoskins made the first out and continued to show off his defense in the process, with a crucial sliding grab at first. Ramos got the second out with a strikeout of Kurt Suzuki. With a 2-2 count on Victor Robles, Ramos served up a pitch that ended up in the stands, tying the game up at 6-6:

Anyone know how there are 3 @MLB prospects better than Victor Robles?

Still tryna figure it out… pic.twitter.com/XCKyvdkJio

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) April 10, 2019

The Phillies had an opportunity to walk-off in the bottom of the ninth with men on second and first for J.T. Realmuto, but his at-bat ended in a line-out to Soto.

The Nationals took their first lead since the first inning thanks to a three-run Juan Soto home run in the top of the 10th. The ball went right over the right field pole, and was reviewed by the umpires, where it was upheld:

Here is a video of Juan Soto's game-winning HR.

c̶c̶:̶ ̶@̶s̶t̶a̶t̶c̶a̶s̶t̶

cc: @NASA pic.twitter.com/EG38q3dL0S

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) April 10, 2019

That made it a 9-6 game, and the Nationals tacked one more run on thanks to a Robles double. 10-6 ended up being the final score

The Phillies are now 7-3 on the season, with two of their three losses being dramatic ones at the hands of the Nationals. A series win will still be up for grabs Wednesday, however.

Shibe Vintage Sports Starting Pitching Performance

Aaron Nola had something of an up-and-down performance. He managed to rebound after the first inning, keeping the Nationals lineup in check through the middle of the game. Nola induced quite a few ground balls tonight. In the seventh inning, he ran into home run trouble that would run him out of the game. All told, he pitched 6.1 innings while giving up five runs (four earned), seven hits and one walk. He threw 99 pitches, and had just three strikeouts.

Stephen Strasburg, meanwhile, fared even worse in the battle of the former first round picks. While his first inning was phenomenal, he faltered afterwards, giving up six hits and six runs in just four innings pitched. Those walks ended up contributing to the early hole the Nationals faced. He threw 83 pitches.

Phillies Nuggets Player of the Game: Victor Robles

In a 6-5 game, facing two outs and two strikes, many players would crumble under the pressure. But not Victor Robles. The 21-year-old tied the game up 6-6 with his last minute home run in the top of the ninth, which allowed the Nationals to go on and win in the tenth. For the game, Robles was 3-for-5 with one home run and two RBIs.

Next Game:

• Wednesday, April 10th, 7:05 @ Citizens Bank Park
• TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia
• Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP, WTTM 1680