Realmuto hits tiebreaking HR, helps Phillies snap shedding streak with 4-2 win over Nationals

WASHINGTON (AP) — J.T. Realmuto hit a tiebreaking dwelling run within the sixth inning and the Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Washington Nationals 4-2 on Saturday to snap a five-game shedding streak.

Realmuto, Bryce Harper and Josh Harrison every had two hits for the Phillies, who started the day tied with the Nationals for final place within the NL East.

Realmuto doubled and scored within the second inning earlier than homering into the Phillies bullpen in left heart main off the sixth. Since his final two-hit sport on May 17, he was 3 for 43 (.070) with one extra-base hit and no RBIs.

“Did a lot of work before the game in the cage trying to clean up my bat path a little bit, get on time a little better and try not to lose my barrel in my swing,” Realmuto stated. “Felt a little better out there today.”

Philadelphia used seven pitchers in a bullpen sport and so they held Washington to seven hits, all singles, whereas hanging our 4 and strolling two. Dylan Covey (1-1) labored two innings for the win. Matt Strahm set the tone with two excellent innings to open and Craig Kimbrel pitched the ninth for his eighth save.

“The biggest thing was everybody came in and threw strikes,” Realmuto stated. “I feel like we got a lot of first-pitch outs. A lot of 0-1 counts, lot of 0-2 counts. Everyone just came in and pounded the strike zone.”

Washington starter MacKenzie Gore (3-4) went six innings and gave up three runs and 9 hits. He struck out six with no stroll.

Harrison gave the Phillies a 1-0 lead when his second-inning single scored Realmuto. Trea Turner’s double scored Edmundo Rosa to make it 2-0 within the third.

Consecutive singles by Joey Meneses, Dominic Smith and Keibert Ruiz plated Washington’s first run within the fourth. CJ Abrams then grounded to first. Drew Ellis stepped on the bag to get Abrams, and Smith scored the tying run earlier than Ruiz was tagged out to finish the double play.

Washington’s Lane Thomas was known as out on strikes with two runners on base within the third inning and one on within the fifth. Both pitches appeared out of the strike zone.

“Let’s be honest, they were horrible,” Nationals supervisor Dave Martinez stated of the known as strikes by umpire Ben May. “We’re gonna be honest about that one. It was two horrific calls. It stinks as a hitter. You go there battling and you get called strikes like that.”

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY

Saturday marked the one-year anniversary of Rob Thomson changing Joe Girardi because the Phillies supervisor and in the end main the crew to the World Series.

“A lot of good and some bad,” Thomson stated of the previous yr. “Last year’s run was pretty incredible really and I think we all enjoyed it so much. And so far this year, we’ve struggled a little bit to start the season, but I expect us to turn it around like we did last year.”

HELLO, OLD FRIENDS

The Phillies’ lineup featured 4 former Nationals. In addition to regulars Harper, Turner and Kyle Schwarber, Harrison performed second base. He hit .291 in 123 video games for Washington in 2020 and 2021 earlier than being traded to Oakland in July 2021.

UP NEXT

Phillies: LHP Ranger Suárez (0-2, 7.13) makes his fifth begin since coming off the injured record May 13. On Tuesday, he pitched a season-high 6 2/3 innings towards the Mets, permitting two runs on 5 hits.

Nationals: RHP Trevor Williams (2-3, 3.93) pitched six scoreless innings over two appearances – one begin – towards the Phillies in 2022.