Phillies wins wild match in Washington to sweep double header from NATS

WASHINGTON – Three massive late-round strikes lifted the Phillies to an 8-7, 10-game win over the Washington Nationals in Game Two, a double-header Friday night.

Phils swept the double header. They won the first game, 5-3.

In the Cup of the Night, Phils trailed by two with two at the top of the eighth.

Bryce Harper, who did not start the second half, came off the bench and twice led to the difference in the right center to equalize. The hit came after Kyle Finnegan, who was clearly jumping around Harper, threw three straight balls to the Phillies player. The fourth court was outside the strike zone but called for a strike by homeowner Clinton Fondrak’s board.

Finnegan’s next pitch was a hit, and Harper dumped it to tie the match.

Phils took the lead on Homer solo by Matt Vierling in the top of the ninth against Tanner Rainey. It was Vierling’s second shot in the game and his second late in the game this month.

The Velez penetrated deep into their sheds that day. Corey Nebel, Giorres Familia and Andrew Pelati had important teams in the night’s World Cup and Jose Alvarado was on the verge of ending a one-time win in the ninth when Didi Gregorios made a two-throw foul allowing Washington to tie the match. .

The tenth inning opened with Kyle Schwarber on second base. Rhys Hoskins walked and Nick Castellanos gave the runners a floor-ball to the right.

Then JT Realmuto delivered both runners with a base that hit the middle. There was some controversy as Luis Garcia of Washington was called to block Hoskins’ way to third base. Dusty Wathan, the Phillies’ third base coach, sent Hoskins home in gear, and the race was deemed good.

Alvarado stayed last in 10th, and allowed an unearned run, but held on to the win.

Phillies 14-2 in June and 13-2 under new coach Rob Thompson. They are the season’s top four games over .500.

The Phils won the first three games of this five-game series, which runs on Saturday afternoon and ends on Sunday afternoon.

It was the second time the Phillies swept in their last 28 doubles and the first since September 2020 against Toronto.