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Aug 10, 2023

Phillies crush Nationals to end road trip with series win

Phillies crush Nationals to end road trip with series win that originally

Phillies crush Nationals to end road trip with series win that originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

WASHINGTON – The Phillies’ newest position player had the game of his life in Sunday's win as two of their high-priced veterans warm up.

Drew Ellis and Kyle Schwarber homered twice apiece and JT Realmuto went deep for the second straight game in an 11-3 victory over the Nationals.

The Phillies (27-32) grabbed two straight for a series victory over the Nats this weekend, finishing their NL East road trip with a 4-6 record.

They scored 22 points in the three games in Washington, having scored only three in the previous three-game sweep in New York.

"There will be times when you go into someone's ballpark and get swept, so that's huge for us to be able to bounce back," said manager Rob Thomson.

The Phils need this as the start of something big for Schwarber and Realmuto, who both slumped for most of April and May. Schwarber hit three-run homers in the sixth and ninth innings. Realmuto homered to center in his first at bat, a day after coming out of a 3-for-43 slump with a double and a solo shot.

"I felt like we did a really good job offensively this weekend," said Schwarber. "Obviously it won't always be easy when we push eight points forward, but you saw yesterday when we pushed forward four points against a pretty good pitcher (Mackenzie Gore), we just kept grinding and kept going. Hopefully we can continue that momentum."

Ellis homered as Phillie for the first time to give his new team a lead in the fourth inning. He added a two-run blast in the seventh as the Phils turned it into a laughingstock.

He started at third base over Edmundo Sosa. It was an unexpected choice with Ranger Suarez, who gets a lot of groundballs to the left side, on the mound. Thomson liked the quality of Ellis’ plate performances, so Skipper rode with him in the series finale.

"Everyone on the minor league side has recommended him, (GM) Sam Fuld and the Lehigh Valley staff," Thomson said. "They said he has a great approach and he has – very calm, short shot, he doesn't panic, he doesn't chase. He's a good hitter.

"It puts him a little bit at ease with the club and shows his team-mates that he can do something, which he can do. He also played well defensively."

Ellis sat on the bench less than two months ago and wondered if his big league-career was over yet. He thought Independent Ball could be the next step.

"I was talking to my agent and I thought, ‘Is this it?'" he recalled this week. "To be in this position, it's a real blessing. I’m super grateful."

He might have been able to afford himself an extended stay in the majors.

Ellis went 3-for-3 with the two bombs, a single into the field and two walks. He is the first Phillie since Ryan Howard in July 2007 to go 3-for-3 or better with multiple home runs and walks in a game.

"It's great," he said. "It is very special to be able to put on a big league outfit again. I can't thank enough the people who have supported me. I just want to ride it out and have fun. I talked to Nick (Castellanos) a lot and he helped me by just riding this wave as long as possible.

The right-handed utilityman has reached base in eight of 14 at bats with the Phillies after posting a 1,009 OPS in 92 at bats split between Double A and Triple A. He was called up Thursday morning when the Phils placed Alec Bohm on the injured list with a strain. of the hamstring.

Schwarber broke open the game with a three-run homer with two outs in the sixth. The Nationals removed starter Trevor Williams for right-handed reliever Andres Machado and Schwarber crushed a 97 mph sinker into the right field seats. He would have gotten a lefty reliever had the Phillies played any of the other 28 teams in Major League Baseball. The Nationals don't have a single southpaw in their bullpen for whatever reason. It allowed Thomson to stack his lefties on top of the lineup in Game 1 of the series and certainly simplifies the later innings of a close game.

"My biggest thing is just being able to have the quality at bat," he said. "If you’re not going to hit, you’ve got to find a way on base. The quality of the at bats has been there and I’ve been able to get the quality of contact back to where I want it to be."

Schwarber's first three-run home run was the Phillies’ first since Bohm's on April 10, breaking a team drought of 220 homer-less at bats with two men on base. Three innings later, he did it again. Law of averages.

He had a productive weekend atop the lineup after going hitless in 19 at bats in first place when Thomson tried him there the first week in May.

"When he walks to the plate in the first inning, that pitcher who starts the game has to be aware and alive," said Thomson. "He's comfortable there, so for now we’ll be there."

Suarez maneuvered around early traffic to allow one run over seven innings. He allowed a hit in six of his seven frames, but the Nationals put multiple men on base only twice. Suarez got some handshakes after the fifth inning and it looked like his afternoon would be over soon, but he went back out and retired the side 1-2-3 in the sixth, then hit an inning-ending double play’ in the seventh.

Suarez has made back-to-back quality starts against the Mets (6⅔ IP, 2 ER) and Nationals after struggling in his first three. He didn't make a single start in spring training due to an elbow injury and pitched only nine innings during his rehab assignment, so rust probably played a role in those first three appearances as he put on base two men per inning with an ERA over 9.00.

The Phillies lineup had a productive day all day. The red-hot Castellanos hit several goals for the sixth time in the last 10 games. He hit .439 during the 10-game road trip. Bryce Harper doubled and walked two. Bryson Stott scored a run in the seventh inning by hitting a single, stealing second base, advancing to third on a wild pitch and scoring on a sac-fly by Brandon Marsh.

The Phils are home Monday to begin a three-game series against the offensively challenged Tigers, who have just lost their best pitcher (Eduardo Rodriguez) and best hitter (Riley Greene) to long-term injuries.

"Our bats are getting better every day," said Thomson. "Hopefully this will get us to turn around and play like we thought we could."

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