Phillies Fail To Handle Their Business Yet Again

The Phillies return to the lower 48 and have a date with the Wahington Nationals. Fresh off an offensive explosion against the Blue Jays, the Phillies scored 9 runs on Wednesday night. They were able to salvage the 1 game split against Toronto. On Friday the Phillies will begin a three-game series with the Nationals. The series will start in Dc but end in Williamsport Pa. on to the action.

Almost time to play ball ⚾️ pic.twitter.com/rj4wGufOQg

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) August 20, 2023

Friday

CJ Abrams hit a three-run homer to cap a six-run fourth inning, and the Nationals defeated the Phillies 8-7 Friday night to spoil Michael Lorenzen’s first start since throwing a no-hitter nine days earlier. Jake Alu also drove in two runs for Washington, which has won 11 of 15 overall and 15 of 18 at home since July 8.

Schwarber homered twice for the Phillies, who entered the day two games ahead of San Francisco for the NL’s top wild-card spot. The Phillies have lost four of their last five. Lorenzen (7-8) didn’t make it out of the fourth inning in his first outing since no-hitting Washington on Aug. 9. The right-hander’s bid for back-to-back no-hitters was dashed when Lane Thomas beat out an infield single in the first. But Lorenzen didn’t face serious trouble until the fourth.

With the Phillies up 6-1, Johan Rojas dropped Dominic Smith’s one-out fly to center. Lorenzen allowed the next five batters to reach, capped by Abrams’ three-run blast to right field, ending his night. Lorenzen allowed seven runs, six earned, and eight hits in 3 1/3 innings. Washington tackled an insurance run on Thomas’ RBI single in the sixth.

Jose A. Ferrer (3-0), one of seven National pitchers in the game, worked the fifth. Kyle Finnegan surrendered a leadoff homer to Schwarber in the ninth before retiring the next three batters for his 20th save. Bryce Harper was booed before each plate appearance, a customary event since he signed with Philadelphia in 2019 after playing his first seven seasons in Washington. Harper went 2 for 5 and started a six-run rally in the fourth against Nationals starter Joan Adon with a leadoff double.

Harper eventually came around on J.T. Realmuto’s two-run double, and the Phillies followed with Jake Cave’s RBI double and Rojas’ run-scoring single. Schwarber then lofted a fly ball into the first row of seats in right to make it 6-1. Adon allowed six runs in four innings.

 LHP Cristopher Sánchez (1-3, 3.39 ERA), who allowed one earned run in six innings in a June 30 loss to Washington, draws the start as the series continues. Nationals: RHP Jake Irvin (3-5, 4.76), who faces Philadelphia for the first time, is 2-0 with a 3.94 ERA in five starts at home since July 8.

Saturday

Trea Turner hit two home runs in an eight-run eighth inning and the Phillies went deep five times on Saturday, rallying for a 12-3 win over the Nationals. Nick Castellanos, Jake Cave, and Bryson Stott also homered for Philadelphia, which began the day two games ahead of San Francisco in the race for the top wild-card spot in the National League. The Phillies had lost four of five.

Turner became the first Phillies player to hit two home runs in an inning since Von Hayes accomplished the feat on June 11, 1985, in the first inning against the New York Mets. Riley Adams drove in two runs for Washington, which had won six of its last seven overall and 15 of 18 at home since July 8. Turner, a former member of the Nationals, led off the eighth inning by sending Cory Abbott’s 93-mph fastball into the seats in left. Abbott (1-2) allowed seven more runs, including a three-run homer by Stott that preceded Turner’s second home run in the inning.

Turner was hitless in three at-bats and had committed an error that led to a run before his eighth-inning outburst.  Abbott, who hadn’t pitched since Aug. 11, fell to 0-2 with a 14.92 ERA in seven-lifetime appearances against Phillies. He’s yielded 10 home runs in 12 2/3 innings against Philadelphia. Cave led off the ninth with a home run to right-off infielder Ildemaro Vargas, who pitched for the

Phillies: RHP Zack Wheeler (9-5, 3.63 ERA), 2-1 with a 2.50 ERA in six starts since the All-Star break, starts the series finale in the Little League Classic in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Nationals: RHP Trevor Williams (5-7, 5.20) is 0-2 with an 11.08 ERA and seven home runs allowed in 13 innings over his last three starts.

DJ Khaled voice: anotha one #RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/PCcgTQy7K1

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) August 19, 2023

2 in one inning calls for this….. SLEA TURNER pic.twitter.com/ePbuWUZDzR

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) August 19, 2023

Sunday

Bryce Harper told the Little League kids from Media who had been eliminated from the World Series that they should use the experience in Williamsport as a stepping stone toward something great. Hours later, after Harper went 0-for-3, the National League champion Phillies dropped two of three to the Nationals.

Trevor Williams tossed a two-hit ball over six shutout innings and led the Nationals to a 4-3 win over the Phillies on Sunday night in front of hundreds of the best Little League World Series players worldwide.

Jake Cave hit a two-run homer off Kyle Finnegan in the ninth but the Nationals closer recovered to strike out pinch-hitter JT Realmuto to end the game and set off a flurry of fireworks in the outfield. Finnegan got his 21st save. Keibert Ruiz ripped a two-RBI double off Phillies starter Zack Wheeler (9-6) and Dominic Smith had a two-RBI single for a 4-0 lead in the first.

The Phillies missed yet another opportunity to increase their wild-card lead and close the gap in the NL East. They will welcome in the San Fransico Giants to begin a nine-game homestand on Monday.