Phillies lose to Nationals on Werth's big hit in 9th
WASHINGTON - Cameron Rupp offered a few words to Jeanmar Gomez and then slapped the pitcher on the back. There was not much for the catcher to say. The task was simple. One more out and the Phillies were flying out of Washington with a win.
WASHINGTON - Cameron Rupp offered a few words to Jeanmar Gomez and then slapped the pitcher on the back. There was not much for the catcher to say. The task was simple. One more out and the Phillies were flying out of Washington with a win.
The task proved to be too much. Jayson Werth ripped a two-run single up the middle. Gomez reached with his glove but never had a chance, and the Phillies left Nationals Park with a 5-4 loss Sunday afternoon.
Their sixth straight loss to Washington proved to be the most brutal of them all. The Phillies - who looked dormant for much of the weekend - rallied from three runs down and went ahead in the ninth.
They took the lead when Maikel Franco ripped a homer to left off Jonathan Papelbon. The former Phillies closer looked to be the goat. Instead, Papelbon finished as the winning pitcher.
"What a way to lose a game," manager Pete Mackanin said. "It was just a tough game to lose."
Washington's ninth-inning rally was sparked by a one-out single from Bryce Harper, who entered as a pinch-hitter. Harper's hit was fielded by Cesar Hernandez in shallow right field, but the second baseman's throw took Tommy Joseph off the bag, allowing Harper to beat it out.
Gomez gave up a single to Danny Espinosa, retired Ben Revere, and walked Clint Robinson to bring up Werth.
It was the pitcher's first outing in five days. He looked rusty. Gomez tried to get Werth to chase a pitch low and away, but the pitcher did not have a feel for his slider. Gomez was forced to offer his change-up and sinker. Werth did not bite on either.
With a 2-2 count, he tried the sinker again, but the pitch grooved over the middle, and Werth crushed it. The former Phillies outfielder soon found himself with his jersey ripped open as his teammates mobbed him past first base.
"When you have the bases loaded, you don't want to make a mistake," Gomez said. "I made a mistake."
The ninth inning spoiled a strong afternoon from Adam Morgan, who rebounded from a rough start to strike out a career-high eight batters in 62/3 innings.
The righthander threw just 13 pitches in the first inning before he was visited on the mound by pitching coach Bob McClure. The bases were loaded without an out. The Nationals looked ready to pounce. Morgan's day looked like it would be over before it started.
But the pitcher stood his ground. He escaped the jam with just two runs allowed. Morgan finished with three earned runs. It was a vital start for a pitcher who is working to prove his worth in the starting rotation. Rupp and Mackanin said it was the best Morgan has pitched this year.
"I beared down, and I knew I wasn't going to quit," Morgan said. "I had been there before. I knew I could get out of it in a couple pitches. I didn't try to do anything too crazy."
Gomez and Rupp met once more in the clubhouse before they dressed for the team's flight to Toronto. This conversation lasted longer than their meeting on the mound. The pitcher explained how he missed his spot to Werth, using his hands to reenact the final sequence.
Rupp said it would be OK. The former middle reliever is tied for the second-highest save total in baseball (19) even though he did not start the season in the closer's role. It was just his second blown save of the season. Rupp told him to keep his head.
"It happens," Rupp said. "It's part of it."
@matt_breen