Bullpen implodes costing Phils series victory over Nats
WASHINGTON » Things had been going swimmingly for the Phillies bullpen in Washington.
Friday, thanks to five strong innings from Drew Hutchison, it mitigated the damage done by Nick Pivetta’s one-inning rough ride. Saturday, when Vince Velasquez finished on a high after five frames, Gabe Kapler handed the ball to the pen for four spotless innings.
Sunday, the plan disintegrated. The bullpen gave up four runs in two-plus innings, capped by Hector Neris retiring precisely zero of the five batters he faced in a blown save and loss, 5-4, to the Nationals.
“Obviously our bullpen should come in and throw strikes to the best of their ability,” manager Gabe Kapler said. “That’s one thing that they know they have to do, and it didn’t happen today. Certainly that was a struggle.”
Starter Jake Arrieta was lifted after six innings and just two hits allowed, in part for pinch-hitter Nick Williams to spark a three-run seventh to chase starter Max Scherzer and put the Phillies up. But then it got dicey.
Luis Garcia and Tommy Hunter each doled out walks — to the eight and nine hitters, no less — that turned into runs when the lineup flipped to narrow the deficit to 4-3. Hunter allowed an inherited runner to score in that frame, dulling a streak in which the Phillies had stranded 31 of 34 inherited runners. Garcia, who marooned a runner in the seventh, has stranded all 12 runners he’s inherited in 2018.
Then Neris imploded in the ninth. Matt Wieters, not the fleetest of foot, led off with an infield single against a shifted defense. Neris then air-mailed a pick-off attempt, allowing pinch-runner Rafael Bautista to sprint to third. The closer hit Howie Kendrick with a pitch, walked hitter Pedro Severino and allowed Wilmer Difo to serve up a single to center over the five-man infield, earning the Nats the series victory.
“We have a lot of faith in Hector,” Kapler said. “We believe in him, and those are the situations that are made for him. So when we send him out on the mound, we have a ton of confidence.”
Asked if he thought of getting someone else warmed up as Neris began misfiring, Kapler said simply, “Those were Hector’s outs.” Neris deferred his conversation on the matter to Monday when the team returns to Philly.
The Nationals didn’t get the hint in the second inning: Run on Jorge Alfaro at your peril. In consecutive plate appearances, Alfaro hosed Andrew Stevenson, who had singled, trying to steal second, then did the same to Michael A. Taylor, who had walked.
“Had we won this game, I would’ve said that was the turning point in the game, because we erased outs on the bases and that’s a huge thing,” Kapler said. “We’ve been working really diligently to keep runners tight. We’ve been working really diligently to have great tags at second base — it’s something that (first-base coach) Jose David Flores has been working with our middle infielders on, putting the tag straight down and allowing Alfie’s arm to play and let that ball carry through the infield.
“Alfie put two balls on the bag, Jake did a great job holding runners on and keeping guys close to give us that opportunity.”
The caught-stealings came in the only inning in which Arrieta surrendered hits, a frame that started with Matt Adams’ solo homer.
“Those were big,” Arrieta said. “They weren’t getting to me. But yeah, I was trying to be quick to the plate. I knew those guys were going to try to run, and Alfaro’s really good back there. He made two extremely good throws, two pretty good baserunners.”
Entering the game, Alfaro had thrown out four of 16 would-be base-stealers in 2018 (20 percent). For his brief big-league career — Sunday was Alfaro’s 50th start behind the dish — the 24-year-old Colombian has now gunned down 11 of 31 runners attempting to steal (35.5 percent).
Odubel Herrera keeps streaking. His first-inning double made it the 35th straight game he’s reached base safely, tied for the third-longest such streak by a Phillie since 2000. His 35 games are even with Chase Utley’s run from 2006. Next in the sights is Jimmy Rollins, who reached base in 38 consecutive from the end of the 2005 season into 2006.
The 31 consecutive games reaching base to start the season is also a Phillies record dating to 1900. Entering Sunday, Herrera had been doing that damage with a .328 average over 146 plate appearances during the streak.
Herrera also doubled to lead off the sixth and singled in Rhys Hoskins in the seventh, roping the seventh pitch of his encounter with Brandon Kintzler up the middle on a 3-2 count.
NOTES » Maikel Franco also stayed hot, reaching base three times and blasting a solo home run in the eighth that briefly served as a vital insurance run. He hit safely for the 12th time in his last 14 games and notched his fifth multi-hit game in that stretch. … Thanks in part to Scherzer’s 15 punch-outs, the Phillies struck out a seasonhigh 18 times. … The Phillies return home for a four-game set with the streaking San Francisco Giants, winners of four straight and fresh off a sweep in Atlanta. Zach Eflin (0-0, 1.50 ERA) gets the ball Monday night at 7:05 against Jeff Samardzija (1-1, 5.27). Aaron Nola (4-1, 2.17) will toe the rubber Tuesday against lefty Derek Holland (1-3, 5.70). Wednesday gives Pivetta (1-2, 4.76) a chance to bounce back from his struggles Friday; he’ll be opposed by Chris Stratton (3-2, 3.99). And Vince Velasquez (2-4, 5.14) gets Thursday’s getaway matchup with southpaw Ty Blach (3-3, 3.60).