Final Score: Nationals 6, Phillies 4
The Phillies can’t survive much longer without starting pitching help.
Matt Moore, the $3 million free agent signing out of the Nippon Baseball League in Japan who was seen as a crafty veteran who reinvented himself overseas, gave up six earned runs in four innings. He has a 6.35 ERA in his last five starts and is danger of losing his spot in the rotation. The same can be said for Vince Velasquez. By default, Moore may continue to start because they don’t have many alternatives.
Good thing the Phillies are on the verge of acquiring Pirates lefty Tyler Anderson. Maybe. The deal has stalled a bit as Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports that the Pirates have put the deal on hold to sift through the medicals on Cristian Hernandez, a Low-A pitcher included in the original deal. If the trade does goes through, he’ll surely provide a much needed boost for the back end of the rotation.
The trouble in the game began with a Josh Bell three-run home run to right field. Then Juan Soto hit a three-run home run of his own an inning later. In between that, the Phillies got a run back on a Bryce Harper double in the bottom of the first.
But momentum began to shift in the fifth. Harper’s week long speed burst reached a climax when he hit an inside-the-park home run. Andrew McCutchen followed in the next at-bat with a pop fly that carried into the second row of seats in left field. The Phillies were down two, but Citizens Bank Park was buzzing.
The bullpen gave the offense a chance to climb back. In his first appearance since coming off the COVID-19 injured list, Chase Anderson pitched two scoreless inning. Jose Alvarado looked filthy in a painless seventh inning of work. Ditto for Connor Brogdon and Enyel De Los Santos.
The Phillies’ best chance to come back happened in their half of the eighth. Rhys Hoskins worked out an impressive 10 pitch walk to leadoff. Didi Gregorius hit a ball down the third-base line that deflected off of Alcides Escobar and was ruled foul. It appeared that the ball touched the line on the way down, but after review, the call was upheld. It turned out to be huge play as the inning ended on an Andrew Knapp fly ball that was a foot or two away from reaching the stands. That would have at least gotten a run home with the inning continuing on with an RBI chance for Jean Segura.
The game fittingly ended with a chance for last night’s hero McCutchen to tie the game against Brad Hand. Instead, he looked at a called strike three.
Shibe Vintage Sports Starting Pitching Performance
Erick Fedde: 4 2/3 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO, 2 HR, 86 pitches
Fedde was serviceable for the Nationals at the beginning of the year, but dating back to his last start against the Phillies on June 23, the 28-year-old has surrendered 24 earned runs in 25 1/3 innings. Harper has seen him exceptionally well. He now has eight hits in 17 at-bats against Fedde.
Matt Moore: 4 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 2 BB, 3 SO, 2 HR, 69 pitches
The nicest thing to be said is that he should get credit for not giving up runs in the third and fourth innings. That’s all there is to say since the first two innings were brutal. To be successful against the Nats, Moore had to avoid putting up baserunners in front of home run threats like Soto and Bell. That didn’t happen.
Phillies Nugget Of The Game
Tuesday night marked the third time this season Harper has fell a triple shy of the cycle. He’s done it 12 times total in his career, including six times with the Phillies and twice in the month of July.
Ticket IQ Next Game
- Wednesday July 27 vs. Nationals at Citizens Bank Park
- 7:05 p.m. ET
- TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia
- Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP
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