No doubleheader sweep for Phillies after bullpen blows late lead originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Eight outs away from sweeping their second consecutive doubleheader, the Phillies’ bullpen was unable to protect a two-run lead in a 5-4 loss to the visiting Nationals.
A two-run homer from Bryce Harper in the bottom of the fifth put the Phils ahead by two, but Joey Meneses tied the game with one out in the top of the seventh with a two-run shot of his own off Jeff Hoffman.
Two innings later, Meneses took Craig Kimbrel deep for a game-deciding homer.
“I made one bad pitch,” Kimbrel said. “That’s really all I can say.”
Kimbrel is on pace for 74 appearances. The only time in his 14-year career that he reached even 69 appearances was 2011, his first full season with the Braves.
The Phillies are conscious of not overusing Kimbrel or Gregory Soto, their two late-inning relievers who have stayed healthy all season. Both were rested heading into Tuesday’s nightcap, things just didn’t work out.
Kimbrel has allowed five runs (four earned) in his last nine outings.
“Physically, I feel great. That’s probably why I’m so frustrated right now,” Kimbrel said. “I felt like my stuff was great, I just made a bad pitch and they made us pay for it.”
The Phillies turned to Hoffman with two outs in the sixth inning. Starter Ranger Suarez had minimized damage but worked slowly and fell behind 11 of the 25 hitters he faced. The lefty picked up the first two outs in the sixth before loading the bases on singles. Hoffman entered and escaped the jam by popping CJ Abrams up after three pitches.
The Phillies’ bullpen has pitched very well for months. Hoffman’s blown save was his first of the season in seven opportunities. Late blown leads are a part of the game, but this is a facet of the team that bears watching. Soto is on pace for eight more appearances than ever before. Jose Alvarado has missed half the season with elbow inflammation, though he might begin a rehab assignment this weekend. Seranthony Dominguez has dealt with injury and inconsistency. What happens if Hoffman isn’t as consistent the final two months as he was the last two?
“As a starting pitcher, you want to help the relievers, you want to go deep into games,” said Suarez, who has a 4.95 ERA and 1.73 WHIP over his last seven starts. “It keeps the bullpen healthy and fresh.”
Suarez fell behind by a run when Ildemaro Vargas hit a two-run shot in the top of the fourth. It was a laborious inning for Suarez, who allowed just two runs on the night but hasn’t looked quite right since June. The Phillies acquired Michael Lorenzen for several reasons and one of them was protection against an ill-timed cold streak from someone like Suarez.
The Phillies let this one get away, and it had to be even more disappointing after they were able to extend their Game 1 lead and avoid using any of their core relievers. Only Matt Strahm and Luis Ortiz appeared after Zack Wheeler in the 8-4, series-opening win.
The Phillies hit five home runs in the two games, four of them in Game 1. They entered the day in the bottom-third of baseball in homers, ranking 21st with 123. The league average was 134 and the Braves led with 213. The Phils have had more nights stringing hits together than bashing the ball out of the park, and the uptick in power is a welcome sign. They have 15 home runs in eight August games after previously averaging just over one per night (113 in the first 106 games).
Kyle Schwarber hit two of them to reach 30 on the season. He and Alec Bohm went back-to-back in Game 1. Jake Cave broke that game open with a two-run shot.
“I think that can be a big positive,” Schwarber said of the Phillies’ decreased reliance on the home run to score. “When you can put offense together that’s not just relying on home runs and the feast or famine thing, you’re able to put pressure on teams, have big innings. Having guys on base constantly and ready to strike at any time, that’s big.
“If the homers do come, the homers do come, but it’s also nice to know that we have that in the back pocket as well.”
The Phillies are 4-4 this season against the Nationals with five head-to-heads remaining, all by August 20. The four-game series continues Wednesday night when Lorenzen opposes left-hander Mackenzie Gore. The Phils will see another lefty, Patrick Corbin, in Thursday’s series finale.
