Phillies fall flat after dominant win, losing to Nationals 5-4

The Phillies followed a triumphant 19-4 win Saturday with a demoralizing 5-4 loss Sunday afternoon. They went 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position and hit into three double plays. Starting pitcher Ranger Suárez didn’t look like himself.

The first inning looked like vintage Suárez. He induced a groundout and two strikeouts on 13 pitches. He made it look easy. But from there, Suárez labored. He allowed two hits in next inning, and loaded the bases in the third on a single to Derek Hill and back-to-back walks.

Enter Stone Garrett, who delivered a two-out grand slam. It was a surprising outcome, given how Suárez has pitched of late. He allowed only four earned runs in the month of June. He’s already allowed five in July.

» READ MORE: Phillies offense explodes for a season-high 19 runs in a blowout of the Nationals

Out of fairness to Suárez, Garrett shouldn’t have been at the plate in the third inning. If Brandon Marsh had caught the catchable ball that Hill hit to center field with one out, the inning would have ended with Lane Thomas’ strikeout in the next at-bat. Instead, it ended with a 4-3 Nationals lead.

Marsh was charged with a fielding error.

“That’s just a bad outfield play by me,” Marsh said. “I’ve got to be more assertive in that situation. I know it’s a ball in the middle, but that’s my ball. So, I’ve got to speak up and get loud and let it be known that it’s my ball. And I didn’t do that today. It kind of knocked Ranger off his rhythm and that’s on me, that’s not on Ranger. He was rocking and rolling the first three innings. That ball has got to be caught and we’ve got to be out of that inning before that.”

“Honestly, I didn’t focus on that,” Suárez said. “I think I should have been better today. If I didn’t walk those guys, it would’ve been a different game. So, that’s what I’m focused on.”

Suárez bounced back in the fourth, retiring the three batters he faced on two lineouts and a pop out. But he ran into more trouble in the fifth inning, allowing another home run, this time a solo shot to Jeimer Candelario. It was the first time Suárez has given up multiple home runs in a start since Oct. 4.

Suárez allowed seven hits, five runs — all earned — and three walks with five strikeouts and two home runs over 5 1/3 innings. His walks tied for the most he’s allowed in a start all season. His velocity was slightly down on all five of his pitches. The hardest pitch he threw was a 94-mph fastball.

“It wasn’t a good day for me today,” Suárez said. “I didn’t have control of my pitches. Most of them were middle, middle. And when you can’t locate your pitches, it’s hard to have a good day.”

It’s unclear why Suárez struggled to the extent that he did, but initially, it didn’t seem like it would matter too much. After scoring 19 runs Saturday, the Phillies set a strong tone Sunday as newly-minted All-Star Nick Castellanos hit a solo home run to left-center field in the first inning to give the Phillies a quick 1-0 lead. Bryce Harper singled after that, and J.T. Realmuto homered to give the Phillies a 3-0 lead.

That lead was short-lived. After Garrett and Candelario’s home runs, the Phillies squandered their opportunities by grounding into three double plays in the next three innings. In the sixth, Bryson Stott doubled and Alec Bohm walked with no outs, but just-recalled Darick Hall grounded into a double play and Marsh struck out to end the inning.

In the seventh, Kyle Schwarber doubled, Trea Turner struck out, and Castellanos doubled to drive home Schwarber. Harper walked to put runners on first and second. But Realmuto grounded into a double play to end the inning. And in eighth, Stott walked, Bohm lined out, Hall singled, and Marsh grounded into a double play.

Craig Kimbrel pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the ninth to keep the game within reach. But Schwarber, Turner, and Castellanos were retired in order to end the game.

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