GAME RECAP: Phillies Shock Nationals 5-3
Ben Revere scored the
go-ahead run on a fielder's choice by Grady Sizemore as the Phillies defeated the
Nationals, 5-3, at Nationals Park on Saturday afternoon. The score was tied at
3 when the Phillies went ahead in the seventh inning. With Revere on third, one
out and left-hander Matt Thornton on the
mound, Sizemore hit into a fielder's choice, and Revere scored ahead of the
throw from first baseman Ryan Zimmerman.
After having one of his worst outings on Monday against the Red Sox, Jordan Zimmermann was solid against the Phillies,
pitching 6 1/3 innings and allowing four runs -- two earned because of an error
by shortstop Ian Desmond in the
third -- on four hits. Zimmermann also struck out four batters. Aaron Harang picked up the win for the Phillies with
six innings of three-run ball. [Zimmermann] wasn't as sharp as he normally
is," Nats manager Matt Williams said. "He got through it."
OTHER NOTES FROM THE DAY:
- Revere
entered the game in the seventh inning as a pinch-runner for Ryan Howard, who
drew a leadoff walk off Zimmermann. Revere then utilized his speed to give
the Phillies the lead, stealing second base and moving to third on a
flyout by Cameron Rupp, just
beating Bryce Harper's
strong throw from right field. Sizemore followed with a rocket to first
base against the drawn-in Nationals infield, but Revere's speed was too
much, as he easily beat the throw from Zimmerman. "That was big, no question,"
Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said. "He got three bags on his speed.
That was huge. That was a big part of the game."
- Herrera capped off a big game with a ninth-inning RBI
single up the middle to extend Philadelphia's lead to 5-3 and give the
rookie three hits on the day. After grounding out to short to open the
game, Herrera followed with a third-inning double, a fifth-inning walk and
stolen base, and singles in the seventh and ninth to raise his average to
.308. "I'm just trying to get on base to start a rally and let the
other guys behind me take a good approach and bring me home," Herrera
said through a translator.
- With the Nationals threatening to tie the game in the
seventh inning, Utley made a fantastic play to preserve the Phillies'
lead, showing off his range at second as he went far to his right and dove
to snag a ball hit by Zimmerman that seemed ticketed for center field.
Utley popped up and threw Zimmerman out to end the threat and was greeted
by teammates as he came off the field. "Utley's diving stop in the
seventh that preserved the lead, that was huge at the time," Sandberg
said. "There was some good defense on both sides out there."
- In the third
inning, Harang hit what looked like a routine ground ball to Desmond, who
bobbled the ball before throwing to first to get the out on a close play.
But the Phillies thought Harang beat the throw to first, so they
challenged the call and it was overturned. It was Desmond's eighth error
in 12 games.
- Home-plate
umpire Brian Knight had to leave the game in the ninth after he was hit in
the head by a pitch thrown by Blake Treinen. The
ball missed catcher Jose Lobaton's
glove and struck Knight, who fell to the ground. After receiving aid from
Nationals assistant trainer Steve Kober, Knight left the game. Second-base
umpire Larry Vanover replaced Knight behind the plate.
NEXT GAME:
David Buchanan is in
need of a quality start after two rough outings to begin the season, in which
he's allowed 11 runs and 16 hits in just 8 2/3 innings of work. Buchanan hasn't
gone longer than 6 2/3 innings in any of his last 10 starts, and he allowed
seven runs and 10 hits last June in his only appearance against Washington. The
game is scheduled for Sunday at 1:35 p.m. ET.
PHILS PHACTS:
Phillies Find Bats – The
Phillies entered Saturday as the second-worst hitting team with runners in
scoring position, but it was a series of clutch efforts with runners on base
that helped make a difference in their 5-3
triumph against the Nationals. Philadelphia
entered the game hitting just .154 (12-for-78) with runners in scoring
position, so even going 3-for-12 in that category against Washington
represented improvement. The Phillies also recorded productive outs, as well. Odubel Herrera capped the victory with the kind of
big insurance run that Philadelphia has been unable to secure for most of the
season, driving in Ben Revere from third
base with a ninth-inning single to give the team a two-run cushion. "I'm
taking the opportunity to learn how they pitch at this level, and obviously
with the strike zone being smaller, I'm adjusting and that's why I'm feeling
more comfortable," Herrera said of his late hit. Freddy Galvis had two big hits with runners in
scoring position. First, he drove in Philadelphia's first run with a
third-inning single. Then, with two outs in the fifth inning and Herrera on
second base, Galvis fought off a 2-2 pitch from Nationals starter Jordan Zimmermann, sawing his bat off in the process.
The bat landed near the mound while the ball fell in short left field, just out
of the reach of shortstop Ian Desmond, to give
the Phillies a 3-2 lead. Galvis, who improved to .333 (8-for-24) on the season
against the Nationals, now has four RBIs with runners in scoring position, two
behind Chase Utley. In
addition to the hits, the Phillies registered some productive outs, as Utley
and Grady Sizemore each
plated runs by putting the ball in play in key situations in the game. "That's
what we did well, we put the ball in play," manager Ryne Sandberg said.
"They had to make some good plays to minimize some baserunners with men on
base, but we were able to score in those situations. But just to put the ball
in play and make some things happen, that all added up in this game for
us."
Revere Finding Ways To Contribute – Ben Revere can't put his finger on why April has been
such a tough month for him at the plate, but he realizes that his slow starts
are an ongoing issue that's been difficult to shake. "It's just one of
those unlucky months," he said Saturday after finding out he wouldn't be
in the Phillies' starting lineup against the Nationals. "I think this is
the first time in April that I've hit the ball as hard as I have -- I don't
know how many times I've lined out to guys, but that's the game of baseball."
But there are other ways to contribute besides with a bat, and Revere did just
that Saturday to help the Phillies end a six-game losing streak, entering the
game as a pinch-runner in the seventh inning and scoring the go-ahead run
thanks to his speed. He stole second, moved to third on a flyout and scored on
pinch-hitter Grady Sizemore's
hard-hit ball to first in the Phillies'
5-3 victory. "I just try to do everything
I can, especially with me being on first and no outs -- everybody in the whole
stadium knows I'm about to steal, so that was big," Revere said.
"It's all about fundamental baseball." Revere is 2-for-14 on the road
trip and hitting just .158 on the season, numbers that fall below his normal
April output. Revere is a career .229 hitter in April, but from May 1 on, he
holds a career .296 average. "I can't find nothing right now," he
said before Saturday's game. "But you have to keep your head up. It's a
long season. Hopefully I've got a lot more at-bats and a lot more games to
play. If I can do that, I'll be alright. I've started slow before. As soon as
the ball starts falling, the sky's the limit." Revere struggled in Spring
Training, as well, hitting just .205 in 23 games, and he noted that for some
hitters, including himself, finding a groove can take a while. "It
does," he said. "Some guys just don't hit that well in April. I've
seen guys who are hitting .500 in April, and by the end of the season, they're
down to .230. Then you see a guy around the Mendoza Line for most of the first
half end the year all the way up to .300. You never know what's going to
happen. Like my grandfather says, 'It's not how you start, it's how you
finish.'" Revere has been out of the starting lineup for three consecutive
games, but the speedster showed Saturday he always keeps his head in the game. "You
just have to have energy for your team," he said. "That's what
matters. I was trying to get the funk out of this locker room a little
bit."
Confidence In Starting Rotation – The
Phillies' starters have had a rough start to the 2015 campaign, but for one of
the men whose job it is to catch them, the numbers put up thus far can be
easily remedied. "It's a pitch here, a pitch there," catcher Cameron Rupp said. "It's been a little rocky
start, but they can turn it around in one night, in one afternoon." Perhaps
the Phillies will look back at Aaron Harang's effort in Saturday's 5-3
victory as the turning point. Harang threw six
solid innings, allowing three runs while striking out six and walking two. "He's
a veteran guy out there," manager Ryne Sandberg said. "He doesn't
give in, he makes big pitches, he minimizes. He hung in there and gave us the
quality start we needed." Harang doesn't necessarily view himself as a
stopper, but he did register just the second win of the season by
Philadelphia's starters -- both of which belong to him. "Every one of
these starters in here wants to be that guy," Harang said. "You never
want to see your team go on a slide like that, but to be able to go in and try and
keep the guys on their toes, help keep a positive attitude and try to get in
and out of innings very quick, that's always key in those situations. The
quicker you can get the guys off the field, the more they're going to go to bat
for you." Rupp, who was making his fourth start of the season behind the
plate, said it was too early for any kind of panic around the starting five,
who saw their collective ERA dip to 4.84 after Harang's effort. "When
they've made mistakes, hitters have taken advantage of it, so obviously you
want to eliminate those mistakes," Rupp said. "But Aaron has pitched
well for us so far. Cole [Hamels], for the most part, has been good. In certain
situations, you may get out of a jam instead of giving up a hit, but that's part
of the game. And it's what? April 18? There's 150-something games left." Rupp
said he and fellow catcher Carlos Ruiz have not seen the starters waver in their
approach despite the early season woes, a fact Rupp noted will eventually pay
dividends. "They're all confident in their game and their game plan, as
well," he said. "You make adjustments on the fly when you need to and
go from there."
Umpire Down! – Home-plate
umpire Brian Knight had to leave the game between the Phillies and Nationals in
the ninth after he was hit in the head by a pitch from Nationals right-hander Blake Treinen. With Phillies infielder Freddy Galvis at the plate and Odubel Herrera at first base, Nationals catcher Jose Lobaton was looking for Treinen's sinker to go
down in the zone, but the pitch stayed up, missed Lobaton's glove and hit
Knight, who fell to the ground even though he had his mask on. "The ball
stayed straight and then went up, which is different [than what I'm used
to]," Lobaton said. "When I tried to catch the ball, it was too late.
I feel sorry for the umpire. I hope he gets better." After receiving aid
from the Nationals' assistant athletic trainer Steve Gober, Knight left the game.
Second-base umpire Larry Vanover replaced Knight behind the plate. There is no
word on Knight's condition. Vanover, who is also the crew chief, was not
available for comment.
THE BEGINNING
The
Phillies are starting the season as expected and are now at the bottom of the
NL east at 4-8. Given the departures, aging stars, injuries, and performance
this spring, don’t expect their competitive place in the standings to last. All
time, the Phillies are 41-50-1 on this day.
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