Herrera, Hoskins Power Phillies to 7th Win

By Matt Rappa, Sports Talk Philly editor

Thanks to the bats of Odubel Herrera and Rhys Hoskins — along with solid pitching from starter RHP Vince Velasquez and the bullpen — the Philadelphia Phillies (7-2) eeked out another one-run victory, 4-3, in Monday evening's series opener against RHP Anibal Sanchez and the Washington Nationals (4-5) at Citizens Bank Park. Hoskins homered twice in the win — his fourth career multi-homer game, while Herrera went yard for the 60th time in his career.

Early on, the game appeared to be in favor of the Nationals. Sanchez worked his way out of trouble in the first. After shortstop Jean Segura singled and Bryce Harper walked, Sanchez struck out Hoskins and catcher J.T. Realmuto back-to-back with his changeup. The right-hander's efforts paid off as during the next half-inning, Nationals catcher Kurt Suzuki launched his first home run of 2019 — a two-run shot.

An excellent defensive play in the fourth saved the Phillies' from being down 3-0. With first baseman Ryan Zimmerman on first with two outs, Suzuki hit a ball into the gap in right-center. Harper tracked down the ball and relayed to Segura, who then threw out Zimmerman at home.

The momentum then switched to the Phillies, who would never give it back to their division rival. The next half-inning, Herrera tied the game at two with a no-doubt, two-run blast to right — his first of 2019.

With the game tied, 2-2, Velasquez tossed just eight pitches in a 1-2-3 fifth; he entered the frame with 72. Aaron Altherr pinched hit for him the next half-inning, and popped out on the first pitch. Velasquez, in his 70th career start with the Phillies (first of 2019), received the no-decision, allowing just the two first-inning runs via Suzuki's blast on four hits and no walks allowed. He struck out two batters.

Hoskins did it again in the sixth with a go-ahead home run — his third straight game with a home run. The blast was his 25th career go-ahead home run out of 56 overall; also, it was his 12th career home run with the count 3-2.

Two innings later, Hoskins sent another ball into the stands to give the Phillies a 4-2 lead. The Sacramento, California, native leads the Phillies in home runs (5), RBI (15), batting average (.367) and slugging percentage (.933).

Pat Neshek made his 79th career appearance with the Phillies in the ninth. He allowed a leadoff home run to second baseman Brian Dozier, pulling the Nationals within one run. Rendon doubled after Dozier's blast, but Neshek would go on to get three outs without allowing another run, sealing his first save of 2019 and the 14th of his career.

The Phillies are now 6-1 at home, with their only loss coming in interleague action against the Minnesota Twins on Saturday.

Game Notes:

• Second baseman Scott Kingery picked up his first hit of 2019 (sixth plate appearance) with an infield single in the second, however third baseman Maikel Franco grounded into a double play on the next pitch to end the inning. Kingery went 2-4 with a strikeout; he also reached first on an error by third baseman Anthony Rendon in the eighth.
• Herrera's game-tying home run in the fourth was his 60th career blast in his 601st career game.
• Seranthony Dominguez threw a quick 1-2-3 sixth inning on just 11 pitches in relief of Velasquez, en route to the winning decision. He struck out Rendon swinging for the final out on a 97 miles per hour four-seem fastball. Dominguez had allowed an uncharacteristic five runs (four earned) over his first three appearances and 2 1/3 innings in 2019, leading up to his Monday outing.
• Hoskins' sixth-inning home run was also his 25th since the start of last season that "tied the game or gave the Phillies the lead," The Athletic's Meghan Montemurro notes. Only Khris Davis (27) has more such home runs.
• Hoskins has at least one RBI in five straight games, and in seven of nine games this season.
• Sanchez — making his fourth consecutive start against the Phillies dating back to last season — allowed a total of three runs, seven hits and two walks in 5 2/3 innings. He struck out six Phillies batters, but suffered the losing decision. He is now 0-1 with a 6.52 ERA through his first two starts, both against the Phillies.
• Southpaw reliever Adam Morgan continued his excellent start to the season, throwing another 1-2-3 inning in the seventh against the middle of the Nats' lineup — Juan Soto, Zimmerman and Suzuki. In six appearances (five innings), he has allowed only two hits and no walks, while striking out four of his 17 batters faced on 60 total pitches.
• Right-hander David Robertson tossed his third straight scoreless appearance in the eighth.
  • First three appearances: 2 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 5 BB, SO
  • Last three appearances: 2 2/3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO
• Out of 79 career appearances in a Phillies uniform, Neshek has now allowed a run in just seven, including his Monday evening appearance.

What's Next:

• Tuesday, April 9, 2019: vs. Washington Nationals, 7:05 p.m.
  • Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, Pa.
  • RHP Stephen Strasburg (1-0, 2.84 ERA) vs. RHP Aaron Nola (1-0, 7.00 ERA)
  • TV: NBCSP+; Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP