Phillies fail to finish sweep, give Nationals 3 unearned runs in series finale

Phillies fail to finish sweep, give Nationals 3 unearned runs in series finale  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Phillies’ defensive lapses were costly Thursday night as they searched for a sweep over the Nationals. 

Washington took the series finale, winning a 4-2 game at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies are 17-14 entering a three-game series vs. the Diamondbacks that begins Friday night in Philadelphia. 

Taijuan Walker was charged with four runs over 5 2/3 innings, but only one was earned. He allowed four hits, struck out two and walked three. 

Nationals rookie Brad Lord registered his first MLB win by tossing five innings of two-run ball.

Walker recorded the game’s first out with a tremendous defensive play. He chased down a CJ Abrams chopper and then flipped the ball to Bryce Harper with his glove right before tumbling to the infield dirt. 

On the mound, Walker threw strikes on 15 of his first 28 pitches. He walked a batter in each of the first two innings but steered clear of any damage. 

Walker pitched with effective variety through five innings and his control improved. The Nationals ground out three times in the fourth, including a hard Josh Bell one-hopper that Harper picked. 

Lord matched Walker’s scoreless work with four tidy innings, but the Phillies broke the ice in the fifth. Max Kepler lined an opposite-field double with one out and Alec Bohm’s base hit to right-center drove him in. 

The Phillies’ lead was short-lived. 

Following an Abrams leadoff double, James Wood’s shot up the middle deflected off of Walker’s thigh. He moved a bit gingerly after grabbing the ball and throwing out Wood but stayed in the game. Washington then tied the contest up with a Nathaniel Lowe RBI single and pulled ahead when a Keibert Ruiz grounder scooted under Harper’s glove. Lowe scored and Ruiz sprinted to third base. The Nats went up 3-1 on a Luis Garcia Jr. single. 

Rafael Marchan caught Walker and J.T. Realmuto sat. Marchan was 0 for 4 in his first start since April 20 and had two defensive miscues in the sixth inning — first a passed ball, then a low throw to second base that skidded into center field and gave the Nationals a fourth run. 

The Phillies got one back in the sixth, though they couldn’t capitalize on opportunities to add more.

Nick Castellanos’ grounder rocketed off of reliever Jose Ferrer’s calf and ballooned high into the air. The ball eventually descended to Ferrer, but Castellanos legged out an infield RBI hit. That put runners at the corners with one out, but Kepler struck out looking and Bohm waved at a low 3-2 changeup. 

The Phillies’ bullpen did its job — Orion Kerkering, Joe Ross and Carlos Hernandez all had clean outings — but a comeback wasn’t in the cards. Castellanos grounded into an eighth-inning double play. Johan Rojas tripled with two outs in the ninth but Marchan then lined out to center.

Suarez gearing up for debut 

Ranger Suarez is ready to roll for his season debut Sunday vs. the Diamondbacks. He said pregame that his back stiffness hasn’t been an issue since spring training.

“The rehab went great and everything’s going according to plan,” Suarez said.

The lefty is optimistic he’ll be able to stay healthy the rest of the season. 

“I wish I could tell you, but I don’t really have an answer for what’s caused so many injuries in the past,” he said. “But we’re working twice as hard this year. We’re training every day, working really hard every day, and I’m feeling great physically. So I’m hoping, with the extra effort we’re putting in … that it’s going to help it.”

Suarez threw 78 pitches in his last rehab outing with Triple A Lehigh Valley. 

“We can probably up that a little bit, but he won’t be full (on Sunday),” Thomson said. 

The Phillies now have their rotation mapped out through next Tuesday. Jesus Luzardo, Aaron Nola and Suarez will pitch the D-Backs series and Zack Wheeler will open a road series against the Rays. Whether or not he sticks in the rotation, Walker will certainly be part of the picture moving forward. 

“He’s on the club, absolutely,” Thomson said. “He’s pitched very well.”