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Daniel Murphy lifted his right arm before reaching the first base, knowing that he had given the Washington Nationals the advance that they so desperately wanted on Sunday night. This was a campaign that beat the Philadelphia Phillies quarterback in eighth position, pushing back the second goal into the shallow right field. He scored two points and turned out to be the winning shot in the 8-6 win back of the Nationals. He concluded a night that could have returned Murphy on his usual track after an eight-month layoff.
The single was the third of Murphy's game. He also walked once. After reaching the base six times in his first 11 games of microfracture knee surgery, the runner up of the 2016 National League MVP has reached the base four times in five appearances in plaque. After some sloppy losses, the effort saved the Nationals (41-35) from a nasty setback in the hands of a thriving divisional foe.
"It's a great win for us," said Dave Martinez, National Director.
[Box score: Nationals 8, Phillies 6]
Brian Goodwin started the thrust of the eighth inning with a flush. Two hitters later, Bryce Harper hit a line of conduct to the right field that he stretched into a double, just beating the throw to second base. Harper's double, Harper's third career double, triggered the slugger. He turned to the Nationals' shelter to raise a cry. He pumped his fist. Harper, struggling powerfully in June, was revived.
After Anthony Rendon was unsuccessful, the Phillies (41-34) decided to intentionally walk Juan Soto with the first open base. It would have been a scenario unimaginable only a few months ago; Soto, age 19, gets a free pass and charges the bases for Murphy, one of the best baseball hitters of the past two seasons. But Soto is the one who plays at the star level, so Philadelphia chose Murphy, who entered Sunday with a batting average of .135 and a base-plus-slugging percentage of .320, facing Seranthony Dominguez.
"Soto has been one of the most dangerous offensive players in the league," said Gabe Kapler, director of the Phillies. "Murphy, out of an injury and somehow still getting back to Murphy, struggled." And with Seranthony's fastball, it's not a fastball easy to catch up with and we thought that Soto was more dangerous in this situation, you pick your poison here, you have two very good hitters and the first to Soto was elite and Murphy struggled a bit, so went after the guy who fought and came from the injury. "
"Good game," said Murphy when asked about the Phillies' strategy.
Murphy fell behind in the 1-2 account before picking up a slider down and out of the strike zone at right field to drive to Goodwin and Harper. Michael A. Taylor followed with another single to score Soto for his third shot of the game as the Nationals collected 17 in total.
"It was great … but this round was made long before I got up," Murphy said. "I'm the sixth hitter right there and there were some great bats in front of me to start it."
The Nationals have been facing a deficit because their manager's decision-making has turned against the fifth inning.
Martinez had a choice to make following a 38-minute rain delay in the fourth inning. He could keep Jefry Rodriguez, his starting pitcher, in the game to hit for himself with two outs and two runners on the base, or he could replace him with a pinch hitter. The score was tied in the fourth. Rodriguez had launched 81 throws. By scoring a hitter, the chances of winning the lead were better and Rodriguez had at most another round under his belt for his fourth career start.
But Martinez decided to stay with his pitcher. He wanted to avoid using the pen early and preserve his bench of four men. No matter, the decision failed. After Rodriguez struck to end the Washington scoring opportunity, he walked the hitter in the fifth inning and hit the next batsman. The sequence prompted Martinez to pick him up with left-handed Sammy Solis to face Odubel Herrera, southpaw. This meeting ended with Herrera, one of the best baseball hitters, who hit a curve for a two-point hat-trick on the right. A couple of hitters later, Nick Williams demolished another curve for a two-point home run. Suddenly, the Phillies had a four point lead.
[Jeremy Hellickson has rough outing at Class A Potomac, but Nationals aren’t concerned]
"You are going to the top of the fifth inning," Martinez said. "Our paddock has been taxed, they really are, so I felt comfortable letting him in, seeing what he can do. He has good things, he really does. When he learns to kick and go ahead and finish, he will help us win a lot of games. "
Making his third career start, Rodriguez, 25, worked. He needed 96 shots in four innings and more. Even his 1-2-3 run required 24 shots. He did not make any changes after the first run, relying exclusively on his fastball and curve. The approach cost him in the third inning, which his counterpart, Nick Pivetta, led with one. Two strikers later, Rhys Hoskins threw a fast-paced 94 mph over the wall in the center right field for a two-point home run.
Meanwhile, Pivetta, the prospect Washington abandoned for Jonathan Papelbon two summers ago, was not wasting locations. The right handed 39 lengths in three sets. Eight were bullets. He eliminated Harper on a curved ball in the dust during the first run and 97 mph in the third inning. He was, for three innings, almost untouchable against a Nationals attack that made several pitchers seem untouchable recently. Then the switch toppled when the rain started to soak the diamond in the fourth inning.
The sudden change began with Rendon slamming his second home run in two days to lead the inning. Soto then hit a ball of dirt across the left side against the quarter with the full count, the teenager once again displaying his incredible two-stroke approach for any age . Murphy and Taylor followed each with singles. Taylor's shot scored Soto to tie the game, and the nationals pushed for more against Pivetta. Then the rain intensified, causing a delay that effectively suppressed the rally.
When the match resumed, Pivetta took the mound and withdrew three consecutive batters, including Rodriguez, to finish the inning. It seemed, at the present time, as a turning point from which the Nationals would not recover. They were wasting scoring opportunities. They seemed destined to be swept away. But then Murphy provided the elevator they needed.
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