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In a week filled with pitching struggles, a spotlight shined bright on the concerns once again on Thursday after five runs in the ninth inning was enough to lift the Philadelphia Phillies over the Washington Nationals, 10-5.
With the loss, the Nationals drop three of four games in the pivotal divisional series to drop to 41-41 overall.
Cade Cavalli tossed seven strikeouts and allowed five hits and two earned runs, including one home run, in six innings pitched in what proved to be a strong outing. But it wasn't enough as the bullpen let him down after Mitchell Parker and Gus Varland combined to allow eight runs and eight hits against just three strikeouts in just 2.1 innings.
It's the latest concern for the Nationals given the bullpen has been a continued issue with Brad Lord the largely only dependable piece for manager Blake Butera to turn to, but the lack of fresh arms has been a continued hinderance even after making several moves, such as activating Justin Lawrence one day after acquiring him via waivers.
The Nationals built plenty of cushion after a four run first inning was sparked by a Curtis Mead 409 foot solo home run before Jacob Young, Daylen Lile and Nasim Nunez all notched RBI hits with Young's serving as a grounder to third base.
Young then added to it with his RBI single into center bringing in Dylan Crews in the third inning, pushing the Nationals ahead, 5-0, but the Phillies would strike back with Cavalli still on the mound.
Brandon Marsh took the first pitch of the at bat 420 feet to bring in Bryce Harper and cut into the lead, 5-2, in the sixth inning.
Parker's meltdown in the seventh inning allowed the Phillies to narrow the gap after allowing four straight batters to reach base, leading Beeter to replace him on the mound before Philadelphia tied the game just ten pitches into his appearance.
The final dagger came in the ninth inning after Bryce Harper took a 90 mph changeup 390 feet for the go-ahead home run before the Phillies added three more, including a two-run shot, on two outs to cement the series loss for Washington.
The Nationals will now look to dip into their road success while capitalizing on the short travel when they turn the page and take on the Baltimore Orioles for a three game series set to begin on Friday, June 26.
Nationals Roundtable also offers a fan community. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Nationals. Create an account, click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our free community and follow for all of our coverage, analysis and more!
Continue reading...
With the loss, the Nationals drop three of four games in the pivotal divisional series to drop to 41-41 overall.
Cade Cavalli tossed seven strikeouts and allowed five hits and two earned runs, including one home run, in six innings pitched in what proved to be a strong outing. But it wasn't enough as the bullpen let him down after Mitchell Parker and Gus Varland combined to allow eight runs and eight hits against just three strikeouts in just 2.1 innings.
It's the latest concern for the Nationals given the bullpen has been a continued issue with Brad Lord the largely only dependable piece for manager Blake Butera to turn to, but the lack of fresh arms has been a continued hinderance even after making several moves, such as activating Justin Lawrence one day after acquiring him via waivers.
The Nationals built plenty of cushion after a four run first inning was sparked by a Curtis Mead 409 foot solo home run before Jacob Young, Daylen Lile and Nasim Nunez all notched RBI hits with Young's serving as a grounder to third base.
Young then added to it with his RBI single into center bringing in Dylan Crews in the third inning, pushing the Nationals ahead, 5-0, but the Phillies would strike back with Cavalli still on the mound.
Brandon Marsh took the first pitch of the at bat 420 feet to bring in Bryce Harper and cut into the lead, 5-2, in the sixth inning.
Parker's meltdown in the seventh inning allowed the Phillies to narrow the gap after allowing four straight batters to reach base, leading Beeter to replace him on the mound before Philadelphia tied the game just ten pitches into his appearance.
The final dagger came in the ninth inning after Bryce Harper took a 90 mph changeup 390 feet for the go-ahead home run before the Phillies added three more, including a two-run shot, on two outs to cement the series loss for Washington.
The Nationals will now look to dip into their road success while capitalizing on the short travel when they turn the page and take on the Baltimore Orioles for a three game series set to begin on Friday, June 26.
Nationals Roundtable also offers a fan community. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Nationals. Create an account, click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our free community and follow for all of our coverage, analysis and more!
Continue reading...
