PHILADELPHIA _ Talk about a punch to the gut.
Maybe even a knockout blow.
One out from securing a feel-good victory Saturday night against the Washington Nationals, a rare win that would have been built on the strength of pitching and defense, Hector Neris allowed a two-run home run to Juan Soto.
With that, and the scoreless bottom of the ninth inning that followed, the Phillies fell, 4-3, at Citizens Bank Park and trudged back to the clubhouse to a chorus of boos that were drowned out only by the fireworks display that followed the game.
All together now: Oof.
The Phillies lost for the 18th time in 28 games. Subtract the games against the dysfunctional New York Mets and they're 4-17 since June 5. And they slipped to 2 { games behind the second-place Nationals, who also hold the top wild-card berth in the National League.
Worst of all, the Phillies wasted a start from Aaron Nola, the only sure thing in their starting rotation. All that stands between them and getting swept by the Nationals out of the All-Star break is Jake Arrieta, who will start Sunday despite having a bone spur floating in his right elbow.
The Phillies asked Neris to get a four-out save after lefty reliever Adam Morgan gave up a run in the eighth inning. Neris, who has now blown three of his last six save opportunities, didn't appear particularly sharp, walking Howie Kendrick before getting pinch-hitting Kurt Suzuki to ground out and stranding the tying run on third base and the go-ahead run on second.
Neris blitzed through the first two batters in the top of the ninth, retiring Trea Turner and Adam Eaton on a total of four pitches. But Anthony Rendon singled to left field before Soto ambushed a splitter _ Neris' signature pitch _ and lasered the go-ahead homer out to left-center field.
The Phillies put the tying run on second base in the bottom of the ninth against Nationals closer Sean Doolittle. Andrew Knapp, the .157-hitting backup catcher, put up a competitive at-bat before lining out to center field for the final out.
For the 33rd time in 92 games this season, the Phillies scored less than four runs. They have won only five of those games.
The fact that they were even hanging on to a one-run lead by their eyelashes with two outs in the ninth inning was a credit to more than just Nola, who gave up one run in six innings. Center fielder Roman Quinn, right fielder Bryce Harper and third baseman Maikel Franco combined to make a half-dozen sparkling plays to save runs.
But Franco also committed a costly error in the eighth inning that led to a run.
Nola delivered once again. On a hot, sticky night at Citizens Bank Park, he overcame four walks and held the Nationals to one run on Victor Robles' RBI single in the sixth inning. With his pitch count climbing to 110, Nola struck out Yan Gomes to strand the tying run and complete six innings.
In his last five starts, Nola has given up three earned runs in 35 2/3 innings and slashed his earned-run average from 4.98 on June 15 to 3.63.
As good as Nola was, though, the Phillies' defense might have been even better. Let us count the ways:
_ Harper uncorked a throw from the warning track in right-center field to third base, on a fly, to prevent Robles from stretching a double into a triple. The throw was clocked at 93.5 mph and traveled 310 feet, according to Statcast. Harper's heave was off-line, though, and Franco made a diving tag to complete the play.
_ Quinn, who got a questionable read on an Anthony Rendon single that fell in front of him in the first inning, made an all-time diving catch on Adam Eaton's tracer to right-center field to end the fifth inning. Quinn closed on the ball and made a full-extension dive as he reached the warning track. Nola's jaw-dropped reaction as he walked off the mound was particularly telling.
_ Franco made at least three defensive gems, including a backhanded pick against Turner and a nifty grab of a two-hopper against Rendon.
It took 11 innings _ and help in the form of a dropped pop fly by Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman _ but the Phillies finally scored their first runs since the all-star break and jumped to a 2-0 lead.
After getting shut out Friday night and retired in order by Nationals lefty Patrick Corbin in the first inning, the Phillies got the leadoff runner on base when Zimmerman botched a pop-up in shallow right field, allowing Rhys Hoskins to reach second. Two batters later, Hoskins scored on Cesar Hernandez's double down the left-field line.
Hernandez got thrown out trying to steal third, a baserunning miscue considering he would've scored on a single anyway. When Maikel Franco followed with a homer into the left-field seats, Hernandez's mistake loomed even larger.
The Phillies padded the lead in the fourth inning. Hoskins worked a leadoff walk, went to third on J.T. Realmuto's double, and chugged home on a sacrifice fly to left field by Franco.
