PHILS UNDONE BY 6TH INNING; LOSE 4-2

TAIJUAN WALKER IS TRYING TO STAY IN THE STARTING ROTATION

BY ROCK HOFFMAN

On May 1st, 1883, the Philadelphia Phillies played their first game ever—they lost. 142 years later, they lost their most recent May Day game, 4-2, to the Washington Nationals at Citizens Bank Park. The Nats scored four runs in the sixth inning, while the Phillies' offense never could string anything together.

Phils’ starting pitcher Taijuan Walker was cruising through the first five innings, allowing just three baserunners and retiring 10 batters in a row before giving up a leadoff double to CJ Abrams in the sixth. From there, the wheels came off, and the next batter, James Wood, lined a ball that hit Walker on the right thigh, the pitcher was still able to throw Wood out at first. Next, Nathaniel Lowe singled to right past the infield, which was playing in to either hold the runner at third or throw him out at the plate.

Keibert Ruiz hit a ball down the first base line that Bryce Harper couldn’t handle; it rolled to the corner for a three-base error. Luis García Jr. knocked in Ruiz with a single, he stole second, and went to third on a passed ball. With two outs, Dylan Crews walked, then he attempted to steal second. The Phillies had a play on to throw home if García broke for the plate or get Crews in a rundown if not. The only problem was Rafael Marchán’s throw skipped past Trea Turner, and it was 4-1.

“I want to go deeper in games, and I did a pretty good job of that, getting quicker outs,” said Walker, who went 5.2 innings, allowing four runs, only one of which was earned on four hits with three walks and two strikeouts. “Obviously, that sixth inning kind of just got away from me a little bit, but before that, I felt like it was in a pretty good groove getting quick outs.”

The Phils had taken a 1-0 lead in the fifth, with one out, Max Kepler doubled and scored on Alec Bohm’s RBI single. They had a chance for more after Johan Rojas walked, but Marchán forced Rojas at second, and Bryson Stott went down on strikes.

In the sixth, it was more of the same. Turner and Harper singled back-to-back, then Kyle Schwarber hit a ball off Nationals’ pitcher Jose A. Ferrer, it bounced to García at second, who threw out Schwarber. The Phils would get a run when Nick Castellanos hit a ball off the mound that popped high in the air; everyone was safe with Turner home, and it was 4-2. It stayed that way because Kepler and Bohm both struck out.

They got two on in the eighth with one out, but Castellanos hit into an inning-ending double play. In the ninth, Rojas unnecessarily stretched a ball hit to the leftfield corner into a triple, but the game ended on the next pitch when Marchán hit a stinging liner, but it was right at centerfielder Jacob Young.

In addition to Walker’s performance for five innings, other bright spots were relief pitchers Joe Ross and Carlos Hernández. Ross threw two innings and now has 8.2 innings of scoreless relief over his last four appearances. Hernández allowed a one-out single in the ninth but was otherwise effective for the second night in a row.

With Ranger Suaréz scheduled to come off the injured list and pitch Sunday, the Phillies have six potential starting pitchers.

“He's pitched great,” said manager Rob Thomson on the case Walker has made to stay in the rotation. “He's mixing his pitches because he's not throwing his four-seam as much. Because of the added velocity, all the other stuff is playing up. He's pitched great. He's attacked the zone; his command is good.”

Next up, the Arizona Diamondbacks come to town for a three-game weekend series.