WASHINGTON — It took 27 players, to say nothing of a savvy move by a veteran third base coach, over 19 innings that spanned more than seven hours by day and by night.
But the do-no-wrong Phillies under interim manager Rob Thomson continued to overcome even their worst impulses.
Thomson had to use his top three late-inning relievers to secure a 5-3 victory in the matinee opener Friday. It didn’t matter. With the final out in his hand, shortstop Didi Gregorius threw the ball away in the ninth inning of the nightcap. It didn’t matter.
The Phillies emerged with a wild, crazy 8-7 victory to clinch their first doubleheader sweep since Sept. 18, 2020. They’ve won 14 of 16 games and are 13-2 since Thomson took over earlier this month.
Where to begin? How about at the end?
With the game tied at 6-6, slumping J.T. Realmuto singled through the middle. Kyle Schwarber scored easily from third base, and third base coach Dusty Wathan waved home Rhys Hoskins even though he was going to be out by about 35 feet. Wathan alertly realized there was fielder’s interference on the play. And Hoskins scored what proved to be the winning run.
Thanks, ump
When Bryce Harper came up as a pinch-hitter with the Phillies trailing by two runs in the seventh inning of the nightcap, the Nationals had every intention of walking him.
Only plate umpire Clint Vondrak wouldn’t allow it.
Never mind that Kyle Finnegan threw a high splitter for a fourth consecutive ball. Vondrak called it a strike. Harper dropped his bat and looked back at the home-plate umpire. And then, he lined the next pitch to right-center field for a game-tying two-run double.
Prior to Harper’s latest feat, the Phillies caught another break when a replay review overturned an out call at first base on what would have been an inning-ending double play by Realmuto.
One inning later, Matt Vierling slugged his second homer of the game, a solo shot to give the Phillies a 6-5 lead.
Call on me
Just in case there was a question about resurgent Connor Brogdon’s place in the bullpen pecking order, Thomson left no doubt in the first game.
Not only did Thomson bring in Brogdon to face lefty-hitting Luis García with the tying run at the plate in the sixth inning, he left him in the game for a showdown with dangerous lefty Juan Soto in the same situation in the seventh. Brogdon won a seven-pitch duel with Soto and got four outs overall to preserve a two-run lead.
“He’s pitched great — and he’s getting lefties out, too,” Thomson said. “I have a tremendous amount of confidence. I really do.”
Since Brogdon came back from a three-week stint in Triple-A, he has a 1.23 ERA and 18 strikeouts in 14 2/3 innings. He has allowed one run in 7 1/3 walk-free innings this month.
The difference, it seems, is Brogdon’s confidence in his cutter. His fastball velocity was down in spring training and early in the season. And although he has built arm strength over the last few months, he also has leaned more on the cutter and given up only one hit on it this month.
St. Nick delivers
Nick Castellanos gave the Phillies a 2-0 lead in the opener with a first-inning double. He doubled again on a fly ball in the third that Soto appeared to lose in the sun.
It was notable, though, that both doubles went to right field. When Castellanos uses the whole field, especially when he hits the ball the other way, it’s a sign to Thomson that he may be getting hot.
“I just want to be somebody who’s consistently hitting the baseball hard. Wherever it ends up, it ends up,” said Castellanos, 15 for 42 (.357) in his last 12 games after going 1 for 4 in the nightcap. “I’ve been behind the baseball more this series.”
