WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — It was a long day for the Phillies, who flew from Washington, D.C. to Williamsport to play a road game in their home state in front of a crowd that skewed in their favor Sunday night.
The result was a 4-3 loss in a game that was decided by the first five batters in the bottom of the first inning.
Zack Wheeler was uncharacteristically hittable early, loading the bases on singles with nobody out before Keibert Ruiz hit a two-run double to right field and Dominic Smith followed with a two-run single.
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Many aces struggle early as opposed to late, but in his first 24 starts this season, Wheeler allowed just five earned runs in the first inning. Washington nearly matched that before making an out.
The Nationals have been much better against left-handed starters than righties but have given Wheeler problems this season, for whatever reason. He allowed seven runs to them on June 2 without making it out of the fourth inning. He allowed four runs in five innings on June 5.
He settled in nicely to finish seven innings but those four runs held up. The Phillies scored three in the ninth, all with two outs, on an RBI single by returning Brandon Marsh and a two-run homer by Jake Cave. J.T. Realmuto came off the bench representing the tying run but struck out to end the game.
The Phillies finished their season series against the Nationals with a 7-6 record. Five of the losses were by one run. They'd have liked to take more advantage of the last-place team in their division. The Nationals are 2-10 against the Braves and Marlins.
Philadelphia Phillies
The Phils arrived in Williamsport around noon and went straight to the Little League Complex where Media, Pa. was taking on Rhode Island. The big-leaguers made it to their seats by the fifth inning as Media's magical run came to an end with a 7-2 loss.
As cool as it was for the kids and parents in attendance, the Phillies enjoyed it just as much.
"That's what it's all about, it's how you grow the game," Bryce Harper said. "These kids are the next ones up, they'll be the next generation of baseball players growing the game after us. Nothing like going out there and supporting them, being there for them. Just a lot of fun."
The Phillies have a two-game advantage over the Giants for the top NL wild-card spot. The Cubs are a half-game behind San Francisco, and the Reds, Marlins and Diamondbacks are a game behind the Cubs.
The Phils host the Giants Monday through Wednesday this week in a crucial three-game series. They will end the series either one, three or five games up on the Giants or trailing them by a game. The top wild-card team hosts the second wild-card team in all three games (if necessary) in the first round.
Aaron Nola, Taijuan Walker and Michael Lorenzen will start against the Giants, in that order. The Phillies will face left-handed opener Scott Alexander Monday, debuting lefty prospect Kyle Harrison Tuesday and Alex Cobb in the series finale.