GAME RECAP: Nationals Outlast Phillies 2-1
Bryce Harper's double
down the right-field line in the bottom of the 12th inning scored Anthony Rendon and propelled the Nationals to a 2-1
walk-off victory over Philadelphia on Saturday, ending what turned out to be an
empty win for Washington. Forty-nine minutes earlier, with the Nationals and
Phillies in the top of the 11th, the Mets' win over Cincinnati went final,
officially eliminating Washington from postseason contention. "We got
games to play," Nationals manager Matt Williams said, when
asked about the club's elimination.
"We got to win tomorrow. I mean, we're here. We have to play games. We've
got some remaining. We want to play well in those games. After the fact, we'll
have a chance to look back at it." At Nationals Park, Stephen Strasburg was dominant for the first seven
innings, striking out 11 Phillies and allowing only one hit. Given limited run
support, that wasn't enough, and Philadelphia rallied for two hits and a run to
tie the game in the eighth off the right-hander. Rookie Aaron Nola started opposite Strasburg and pitched
well in his own right. He tossed five shutout innings, allowed six hits and
struck out five in his 31st professional start of the season. "There isn't
much to talk about," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "There
wasn't much offense. Nola was outstanding and he worked his way out of that
bases-loaded, no-out jam [in the fourth inning]. Great job. The rest of the
bullpen did an outstanding job. They kept us in the game and gave us a chance
to win the game, but we came up short with our bats."
OTHER
NOTES FROM THE DAY:
- Nola pitched five scoreless innings, working out of a
bases-loaded jam with no outs in the fourth inning. He could have pitched
more, but the Phillies plan to limit his workload as the season winds
down. Nola has pitched 187 innings, including 109 1/3 innings in the Minor
Leagues. The Phillies originally said he would pitch about 185 innings. "I
feel good," Nola said. "I want to go one more. I want to finish
out the season and try to finish it out strong."
- First baseman Ryan Howard took batting practice again
Saturday, but he was not available to pinch-hit. Howard, who has been
sidelined since Sept. 14 with a bruised left knee, could rejoin the
Phillies next week at Citizens Bank Park.
- Third baseman Maikel Franco played
four innings in an intrasquad game in Clearwater, Fla. He tripled in one
of his at-bats. Franco has been on the DL since Aug. 12 with a broken left
wrist. He will not play Sunday, but he will play five innings in a Florida
instructional league game Monday. He will be re-evaluated then.
NEXT
GAME:
The Phillies play their final road game of the season in Sunday
afternoon's series finale against the Nationals. Right-hander Aaron Harang (6-15, 4.93 ERA) makes his 28th start of
the season in the 1:35 p.m. ET matchup. Gio Gonzalez (11-8, 3.94) will pitch in Sunday's
matinee, the last of 19 head-to-head meetings between the Nationals and Phillies
this season. Gonzalez is 8-5 with a 2.99 ERA in 15 career starts against
Philadelphia.
PHILS PHACTS:
Sign Of Things To Come – Does Phillies rookie Aaron Nola have one more start in him? It sure looked
like it Saturday in Philadelphia's 2-1
loss to the Nationals in 12 innings at
Nationals Park, in which Nola got a no-decision. Nola allowed six hits and
struck out five in five scoreless innings. He could have pitched longer, but
the Phillies are trying to limit his workload. A few weeks ago, the Phillies
said they planned to limit Nola to about 185 innings this season, which
includes the 109 1/3 innings he pitched in the Minor Leagues. Nola has 187 to
this point, with the potential for one more start Friday against the Marlins at
Citizens Bank Park. Manager Pete Mackanin said the Philadelphia will make that
decision Sunday. "I feel good," said Nola, who threw 67 pitches.
"I want to go one more. I want to finish out the season, and try to finish
it out strong." Nola has been strong. He is 6-2 with a 3.59 ERA in 13
starts. Nola showed something in the fourth inning when he allowed singles to Bryce Harper, Jayson Werth and Clint Robinson to load the bases with no outs. He
struck out Ian Desmond looking on
a 93-mph fastball for the first out. Nola fell behind Demond 2-0, but he came
back with a pair of curveballs for strikes. Then, the fastball. Nola got Matt den Dekker to line out to Phillies second
baseman Andres Blanco, and he
got Wilson Ramos to ground
out to third baseman Cody Asche to end the
inning. "He's a cool customer," Mackanin said about Nola. "He
has great confidence. He's pitching like a Major League pitcher. He shows no
fear and he locates his pitches well. That's a sign of a great pitcher: when
you get in trouble and can minimize the damage." Nola reflected on his
performance: "It definitely helps to experience something like that. I've
been in situations in like that before, and had success like tonight [and] got
hurt in the past. I kind of know what both ways feels like. The main focus
right there is to stay calm and don't over think things, and make good pitches
when you need to. "Having been in situations like that and being worked up
like that, and then learning from that and being calm and collected, and
knowing how my body reacts to those situations helped me tonight." The
Phillies fell to 58-97 with the loss. They would need to finish 5-2 to avoid
their first 100-loss season since 1961. Whether they lose 100 games is
inconsequential at this point. The Phillies are almost certain to finish the
season with the worst record in baseball. The team just wants to see good signs
from enough players that they have reasons to be optimistic about the future. Nola
has been one of those good signs. Phillies fans might get a chance to see him
one last time Friday -- if the coaching staff thinks it will not hurt him in
the long run. Nola certainly would love the opportunity.
THE BEGINNING:
The
Phillies have returned to their lackluster ways and regained their grip on last
place in the NL East with a record of 57-97. Given the departures, aging stars,
injuries, and bipolar performances this season, this could still end up
being the worst team in franchise history… at least that is something to hope
for this year! All time, the Phillies are 43-56-1 on this day.
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