August 4, 2021 – Phillies 9, Nats 5

https://www.mlb.com/gameday/phillies-vs-nationals/2021/08/04/633040? bt_ee=EGAn80I0XyjDLY4u7DBeQ/M9yp7CJx4GJt5vemn3dN45hP6G+3lzyB6c7Il25xYM&bt_ts=1628169994742&partnerId=zh-20210805-448458-mlb-1- A&qid=1026&utm_id=zh-20210805-448458-mlb-1-A#game_state=final,lock_state=final,game_tab=wrap,game=633040

 

Weather: 78 degrees, clear.

Wind: 4 mph, in from center.

Umpires: HP--Muchlinski, 1B--Whitson, 2B--Wolf, 3B--Ceja.

Time: 3:10

Attendance - 18,482

 

The Washington Nationals are now 10 games under .500, having completed exactly 2/3 of their schedule. If the only baseball news you get comes from this blog, you almost certainly didn’t realize that, as the Nats did manage to win the last six games that I personally attended – until last night. So, I guess the three stars for the game belong to the visitors.

 

Trois étoiles:

#3 – Pitcher Matt Moore, who saved most of the Philadelphia bullpen (and was awarded his first W of the year) by pitching four effective innings in relief, giving up only a homer to Luis Garcia (his second of the game) and a relatively meaningless tally in the 9^th.

#2 – Rhys Hoskins, who had an RBI double in the 3^rd and a two-run homer in the 5^th.

#1 – Bryce Harper, “beloved” former Nat, who had two singles, a double, and a pair of RBI.

 

For two innings, it looked as though it would be a short night for Phillies starter Chase Anderson and a long night for the Phillies in general. Victor Robles hit Anderson’s first pitch of the evening over the left-field wall, and Garcia and Carter Kieboom went back-to-back an inning later. The lead did not last long, however, as the Phils rocked the normally-reliable Paolo Espino for 4 runs in the third and another pair in the fifth. In the meantime, Washington’s bats went silent until after a two-run HR by Didi Gregorius in the top of the seventh put the game effectively out of reach.

 

Despite Metro’s scheduled single-tracking on the Red Line, we had uneventful trips down and back, and we took advantage of the temperate August weather to enjoy outside dining from Wiseguy Pizza.