WASHINGTON, DC — The Washington Nationals built a five-run lead in the first three innings Thursday night at Nationals Park, and for six innings Cade Cavalli made it hold up. But the Philadelphia Phillies chipped away, tied it in the seventh, and broke it open with a five-run ninth — capped by Bryce Harper’s go-ahead two-run homer — to escape with a 10-5 win and take three of four in the series.
Curtis Mead opened the scoring with a leadoff home run in the first, his 14th of the season, and Washington kept the line moving from there. Daylen Lile’s RBI single, a Jacob Young groundout that scored Dylan Crews, and a Nasim Nuñez RBI single made it 4-0 before the first inning was over, and Young added another RBI single in the third to push the lead to 5-0. Cavalli did the rest, working around traffic to hold Philadelphia scoreless until Brandon Marsh’s two-run homer in the sixth cut the deficit to 5-2.
The Phillies tied it in the seventh after Cavalli departed, stringing together back-to-back singles from Justin Crawford and Trea Turner, a pair of bases-loaded walks, and an Alec Bohm RBI groundout to make it 5-5. It stayed that way until the ninth, when Kyle Schwarber led off with a single and Harper followed with a go-ahead two-run homer off Gus Varland — his 18th of the season. J.T. Realmuto’s RBI double and a two-run homer from Derek Hill closed out the five-run inning and put the game out of reach. Orion Kerkering picked up the win with a scoreless eighth, and Varland (1-2) took the loss.
The loss dropped Washington to 41-41 on the season, with Philadelphia taking three of four in the series. The Nationals will look to regroup and get back in the win column when action resumes at Nationals Park.