Final: Nationals 3, Phillies 2
WP: Stephen Strasburg (5-5, 5.49) LP: Kevin Correia (0-2, 3.60) SV: Drew Storen (32)
Philadelphia, PA- Jeff Francoeur giveth, and Jeff Francoeur throweth away. Frenchy's solo shot in the second gave the Phillies a 1-0 lead over Stephen Strasburg and the Nationals (42-33) and his sixth-inning RBI single pulled them within one, but his comical defense in the fifth moved Denard Span to third as the eventual tying run for the Nationals, who pulled away to win 3-1 in the first game of today's doubleheader.
Today's game was sloppy and filled with mental and physical errors so characteristic of the Phillies' 2015 season. It began in the third, when Stephen Strasburg attempted a sacrifice bunt to move over leadoff hitter Michael Taylor, who had singled. Strasburg, whose bunt went about five feet, was promptly tagged out by Cameron Rupp, who threw to second in an attempt to nail Taylor at second. Though Rupp's throw was in time, Freddy Galvis, covering second, didn't realize the force play was no longer there, stepped on the second base bag to no effect, and threw to first, thinking he had pulled off a 2-6-3 double play. As Taylor had not been tagged, he was safe at second. No harm came of this mental mistake, as the Nationals were kept scoreless until the fifth.
In the top half of the aforementioned frame, Phils starter Kevin Correia allowed a one-out hit to Denard Span, a line drive to the right-field wall. Span would have held at second, but Francoeur in right bobbled the ball, then picked it up and threw it–about 15 feet as the ball slipped out of his hand and landed harmlessly on the grass in front of him as Span broke for third. A sacrifice fly by Danny Espinosa put the Nationals on the scoreboard.
The Nats were able to extend their lead in the sixth without the help of Francoeur. With runners on first and second, outfielder Michael Taylor doubled to score Clint Robinson and put the Nats ahead. Jeanmar Gomez promptly relieved Correia, though for the purpose of retiring Stephen Strasburg for the second out. Jake Diekman, in for Gomez, added another run to Correia's line (three runs, but only one earned) with a questionable passed ball call on a slider too wide for catcher Cameron Rupp to handle. Having walked the bases loaded, Diekman thus allowed Dan Uggla to score and extend the Nationals' lead to 3-1.
The latter half of the inning saw the Phillies narrow the gap to 3-2. Maikel Franco singled and advanced to second on a Ryan Howard walk, then scored on Francoeur's single to center against Strasburg, who pitched seven solid innings and allowed just four hits.
Luis Garcia got the Phils out of trouble in the seventh, taking over for Diekman and ending the Nationals' threat by getting Ian Desmond to pop out, stranding runners on first and second.
Another error (a missed catch in the eighth by Ryan Howard) allowed Michael Taylor, leading off in the Nats' half of the frame to reach first and get to second on a Denard Span single off Garcia. Strikeouts of Danny Espinosa and Bryce Harper (third in the NL in batting average) kept Washington's lead at 3-2.
Cesar Hernandez singled in the eighth and stole second with two outs against Nats reliever David Carpenter, but Ryan Howard struck out on a full count to end the inning and earn his golden sombrero (0-3 and three K's).
After Justin De Fratus kept the Nats scoreless in the ninth, the Phillies took their last at-bats against closer Drew Storen. Francoeur couldn't deliver this time, flying out to center. Pinch hitter Darin Ruf did the same, leaving the game up to Cameron with two outs. Storen induced a game-ending groundout to shortstop, closing the game 3-2 in favor of the Nationals.
After losing the first two games of this series, the Phillies play again today in hopes of avoiding a sweep. Game 2 of the doubleheader starts soon, as the Phils send Severino Gonzalez to the mound.
Starting Pitchers
| IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stephen Strasburg | 7.0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 5.49 |
| Kevin Correia | 5.1 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 3.60 |
- Strasburg: Win; 113 pitches, 68 strikes; 5 groundouts, 2 flyouts; 27 faced batters
- Correia: Loss; 95 pitches, 58 strikes; 7 groundouts, 3 flyouts; 26 faced batters
Out of the 'Pen
Nationals
- Matt Thornton (8th): 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO, 0 HR, 2.41 ERA
- David Carpenter (8th) : 0.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO, 0 HR, 3.86 ERA
- Drew Storen (9th) : 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO, 0 HR, 2.10 ERA
Phillies
- Jeanmar Gomez (6th): 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO, 0 HR, 1.69 ERA
- Jake Diekman (6th): 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 SO, 0 HR, 5.60 ERA
- Luis Garcia (7th): 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO, 0 HR, 3.38 ERA
- Justin De Fratus (9th): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 SO, 0 HR, 5.63 ERA
At the Plate:
Nationals
- Michael Taylor: 2-4, 2B, RBI, .254 AVG
- Bryce Harper: 1-4, 2B, BB, .339 AVG
- Denard Span: 2-4, R, 2B, BB, .305 AVG
Phillies
- Jeff Francoeur: 2-4, R, HR, 2 RBI, .259 AVG
- Maikel Franco: 1-4, R, .299 AVG
- Cesar Hernandez: 2-4, SB, .248 AVG
What's Next
- The Phillies have the second game of their doubleheader today.
- Saturday, June 27, 2015: vs Washington Nationals, ~4:45 pm (following first game)
- TBD vs. RHP Severino Gonzalez (2-2, 8.69 ERA)
- TV: CSN; Radio: 94 WIP, 1210 WPHT, WTTM 1680 (Sp.)
Theo DeRosa (@Derosatheo11) is a contributor to Philliedelphia.com.
