WASHINGTON _ The final out of the eighth inning was on its way Wednesday afternoon to Rhys Hoskins, who waited to seal his glove and move the Phillies closer to a fifth-straight win.
But the ball never touched his mitt. Hoskins snapped his glove too early and missed the routine throw. The game was tied and one inning later, a 9-8 loss to the Nationals was complete. The Phillies, after starting the season with four straight wins, received their first taste of defeat.
David Robertson walked in the game-winning run when he worked a full count to rookie Jake Noll before delivering a pitch inside.
Seranthony Dominguez allowed a run in the eighth inning but appeared to have escaped when he fielded a light grounder by Adam Eaton and tossed it to Hoskins. But there was nothing routine about it. Nationals catcher Yan Gomes scored and the Phillies, after scoring four times in the top of the inning, were deflated.
The error, which was charged to Hoskins, wasted a three-run double by Andrew McCutchen and an RBI single by Jean Segura. Scott Kingery scored from first on McCutchen's big strike as Kingery leaped over Gomes and contorted himself however he could to avoid the tag.
Bryce Harper, booed for the second straight day in his return to Washington, reached base in all five of his plate appearances. He has reached base in eight-straight plate appearances since beginning Tuesday's win with a pair of strikeouts. Harper went 2 for 2 on Wednesday with three walks, two of which were intentional.
The late rally took Aaron Nola off the hook, who allowed six runs in just three innings and was lifted after throwing a career-low 63 pitches. The Phillies jumped to a quick lead as Rhys Hoskins and J.T. Realmuto drove in runs in the first inning. But the lead was short lived. The Nationals tagged Nola for two homers in the bottom of the inning, providing an early indication that Nola's best day was not ahead of him.
