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WASHINGTON – Joe Girardi didn’t rule out the idea on Tuesday afternoon that he had concocted yet another unconventional line-up in the middle of a pennant race.
He quickly mentioned that the Phillies were still hoping to play JT Realmuto on first base, if his left ankle responded favorably to pre-game activities. He does not have. So Girardi stayed with what he had. He hit Freddy Galvis for the first time since 2019. He hit Jorge Bonifacio, who has six home runs in the big leagues since 2017, fifth. He hit Ronald Torreyes, who has a .551 OPS since July 25, sixth. He hit rookies Matt Vierling and Rafael Marchan seventh and eighth.
The squad scored 18 hits in a 12-6 victory over the Nationals at Nationals Park. The Phillies may be playing without Rhys Hoskins, Didi Gregorius and Realmuto, but they’ve scored seven or more points in six straight games for the first time since a seven-game streak from June 19-24, 1933.
The franchise record is eight consecutive games from September 18-22, 1903.
Offense was the Phillies’ only path to their fifth straight win. Southpaw Matt Moore allowed five runs on six hits and five walks in 3 1/3 innings. He threw 82 pitches, but only 38 shots, making him the lowest hitting percentage (46.3%) by a Phillies pitcher with 82 or more pitches in a game since Fabio Castro (45.4%) in 2007.
But the offense saved Moore. Bryce Harper started the fourth inning by dropping a bunt on the third base to beat the quarterback for a single. National southpaw Patrick Corbin attempted to squeeze a 65.3 mph curve ball through the middle of the plate for Andrew McCutchen, but crushed it in left field for a two-run home run.
It was McCutchen’s slowest run for a home run in his 13-year career.
Bonifacio’s infield single with goals loaded in the fifth reduced the Nationals’ lead to 5-3. In the sixth, Vierling – who went 4 for 5 – scored a single and Marchan hit a two-run homer to left center fielder to tie the game. Marchan has scored twice in 49 home plate appearances in two seasons in the big leagues. He was homeless in 1,074 home plate appearances during his five-year Minor League career.
The Phillies continued to come in sixth. They loaded the goals and Harper’s right single scored two runs to give them a 7-5 lead. They scored two more to bring the score to 9-5. It continued from there.
The Phillies (68-64) enter September in a chase for second place in the NL Wild Card, behind the Reds (71-62) by 2 1/2 games with 30 left for Philadelphia in the regular season.
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