PHILADELPHIA _ Vince Velasquez slid into third base on Tuesday night and the cast of Washington infielders immediately began pointing to second base.
The Phillies thought they had the tying run just 90 feet away. But the Nationals believed the final out was to be had at second base. They were right, and a 5-4 loss was finalized when Wilmer Difo stepped on it. Velasquez, in the game as a pinch runner in the ninth inning, had left second base too early on a fly out to center by Jorge Alfaro. This was a new way to lose.
The Phillies have lost eight of their last 10 games. They entered Tuesday trailing Atlanta by just 3 { games, but the team seems ready to dive instead of climb as September nears. Nights like Tuesday _ when Aaron Nola is on the mound _ are nights to bust slumps. Instead, the troubles continued.
The ninth-inning rally began when Nick Williams stroked a one-out double and Wilson Ramos followed by lining a ball down the right-field line to drive him in. Ramos, with both hamstrings ailing him, somehow powered himself to second base, beating the throw from right field. A night earlier, Gabe Kapler called Ramos "a warrior" for his willingness to play through pain. This is what he meant.
The Phillies were forced to rally after the bullpen wasted Nola's effort. Pat Neshek allowed a two-run homer in the ninth to Anthony Rendon, the first batter he faced after Bryce Harper drew a leadoff walk against Tommy Hunter. It was a crushing bullpen collapse on an evening where Nola outpitched Max Scherzer for the second time in five days.
Nola struck out eight in seven innings while allowing two runs, one of which was earned. The Nationals managed just four hits and did not have more than one runner on until the seventh inning. And that's when trouble came.
Nola allowed a double to Ryan Zimmerman to put runners on second and third, prompting Kapler to exit the dugout. Nola had exhausted 100 pitches on a humid night. But there was no decision to make; Nola was staying in.
Kapler returned to the dugout and Nola induced the next batter _ Matt Wieters _ to ground out sharply to first. Carlos Santana fielded it and touched first, but then misfired on his throw home to complete an inning-ending double play. The ball sailed high off Jorge Alfaro and smacked the backstop. Two runs scored and an inning continued just when it looked to be finished. Those runs would be crucial when the bullpen eventually collapsed.
Nola's ERA (2.10) is the second-lowest in the National League and he will spend the season's final month in contention for the Cy Young Award. But none of that mattered on Tuesday.
Odubel Herrera, just as he did last week in Washington, gave the Phils the lead against Scherzer with a fourth-inning homer. Herrera continues to be a thorn in the pitcher's side: He has a 1.035 OPS in 47 career at-bats against the Nationals starter. Since Herrera debuted in 2015, 20 batters have faced Scherzer at least 25 times. Only two of them _ Christian Yelich and Martin Prado _ have a higher OPS than Herrera.
The Phillies' plan of attack was to wear Scherzer down with long "Phillie-style" at-bats. Herrera's homer came on the seventh pitch after consecutive foul balls. Herrera lined out against Scherzer in the second inning, but first he used up eight of Scherzer's pitches.
Rhys Hoskins had a nine-pitch fly out in the third and Nick Williams ended the fourth with an 11-pitch strikeout. Perhaps that is what did Scherzer in. Scott Kingery started the fifth with a single and Alfaro followed with a two-run homer to center. Scherzer finished the inning but was not pushed any further. He needed 99 pitches to finish five innings, averaging nearly five pitches per at-bat. The Phillies worked him until he cracked.
The lineup gave Nola a three-run lead. And that felt more than safe until Santana's throw soared through the air. But a one-run margin in the ninth inning still felt secure. And then a home-run ball soared through the air to spoil another night.
