The Philadelphia Phillies were swept in a weekend series after losing to the Washington Nationals on Sunday afternoon.
It began looking as if it would be yet another in a string of lifeless defeats for the Phils at the hands of the division-leading Nats. It ended in high drama that no one could foresee. But it still ended with a Phillies loss and a win by the home team.
Former Phillies’ hero Jayson Werth delivered a two-strike, two-out, two-run, walkoff bases loaded single in the bottom of the 9th to give Washington a 5-4 victory on Sunday afternoon at Nationals Park and a sweep of the weekend series.
The way that the Phils’ starter Adam Morgan began his afternoon, you would have been forgiven if you thought it could never possibly have come down to that moment.
Morgan struggled mightily through a 28 pitch 1st inning in which he allowed two runs while walking three batters. Frankly, he was fortunate that the damage wasn’t much worse.
When Danny Espinosa led off the bottom of the 2nd with his 11th home run of the season, the solo shot pushed the lead up to 3-0, and Morgan seemed on the ropes.
However, something suddenly clicked in for the lefty. He would settle down to allow just two hits while walking no one the rest of the way, lasting an incredible 6.2 innings when considering the awful beginning.
“I tried to keep it simple,” Morgan said per MLB.com correspondents. “I think in the first couple of innings I was trying to be too fine and picky, and that’s not who I am.”
That allowed the Phillies offense to mount a comeback against Nationals’ starter Joe Ross, who was mostly brilliant on the afternoon. Ross allowed just five hits while striking out eight and walking none in a seven inning performance.
The Phillies finally got on the board against him in the 5th inning with a Cody Asche solo home run that barely cleared the left field wall and barely stayed fair.
Then in the 6th, Morgan led off with a double and came around to score when Odubel Herrera followed with a two-bagger of his own. A single by Freddy Galvis then brought in ‘El Torito’ with the tying run.
The two clubs then turned it over to their bullpens over the final two frames. Former Phils’ closer Jonathan Papelbon allowed a Maikel Franco leadoff homer in the 9th, and it appeared as if the Phillies might actually find a way to pull this one out.
However, when closer Jeanmar Gomez came on in the bottom of the frame he could not hold that 4-3 lead.
After retiring the leadoff man, Gomez faced Bryce Harper as a pinch-hitter. Harper hit a deep grounder to 2nd baseman Cesar Hernandez, whose throw pulled 1st baseman Tommy Joseph off the bag.
The Phillies challenged the play, feeling that Joseph had recovered to record the out, but the original play had been ruled a hit, and after review that outcome was upheld, putting the tying run on base.
Espinosa then singled to put the go-ahead run on board, but Gomez retired ex-Phil Ben Revere for the second out of the inning.
Nats’ manager Dusty Baker continued to make moves, bringing in Clint Robinson as a pinch-hitter. Robinson worked a walk from a suddenly nibbling Gomez to load the bases.
That brought Werth to the plate. He fought Gomez to a 2-2 count, and then delivered another in a long list of big hits over his career. This one a grounder through the middle, scored the tying and winning runs.