'Just have to keep going': Sánchez stumbles after Luzardo hits IL

WASHINGTON -- Tuesday afternoon’s news of left-hander Jesús Luzardo landing on the 15-day injured list with left shoulder inflammation puts added pressure on the Phillies’ starting rotation heading toward October.

But needing to show encouraging signs, Cristopher Sánchez struggled to get out of his recent funk and the Phillies bullpen gave up another big hit late in a 6-3 loss to the Nationals.

With the game tied 3-3 in the seventh inning, Sánchez gave up back-to-back singles to start the bottom of the frame. After a sacrifice bunt moved both runners into scoring position, interim manager Don Mattingly summoned Jonathan Bowlan from the bullpen. But the right-hander surrendered a go-ahead three-run home run to pinch-hitter Daylen Lile on his very first pitch, a low changeup.

“It was executed. He just put a good swing on it. The result is what it is,” Bowlan said. “I mean, if he rolled it over, I'd be saying something different. But that's just part of the game. He was ready for it, put a good swing on it. He's a good ballplayer. He's here for a reason. It's just how it goes sometimes.”

Bowlan has allowed a run in five straight outings. He's allowed four homers in his past seven appearances, matching his total from his first 51 outings.

“We've given up some homers out of the 'pen, I'd say in the last, probably, month,” interim manager Don Mattingly said. “So we've got to do a better job of either executing or getting the ball to the right spots, things like that. So yeah, I thought he was the right guy for that spot, honestly.”

Sánchez was charged with two of those runs, leaving him with five runs allowed off eight hits and two walks while striking out five over 6 1/3 innings. He threw 98 pitches, 57 for strikes. The southpaw now has a 5.06 ERA over his past five starts.

“I feel like I missed on a couple of pitches and they got me on those mistakes,” Sánchez said via interpreter Diego D’Aniello. “Of course I've noticed it. It's something that I have to work on and improve, but it's a part of the game. I can't think too much about it. We just have to keep going and try to improve on that.”

Sánchez mentioned after the game that he was feeling a little under the weather with flu-like symptoms, but added he feels physically fine overall.

“I feel good. I feel really good,” Sánchez said. “But I’m human. Things happen. Today, I had a little bit of maybe the flu, but those sort of things happen. We just have to go out there and compete and give the best of ourselves on the field. … Everything is fine. Everything is OK. I just feel like I had a little stuffy nose, but outside of that, it was good.”

Kyle Schwarber had given the Phillies the lead with a leadoff home run in the fifth inning. The slugger’s Major League-leading 45th of the year traveled a Statcast-projected 366 feet to right field.

But Schwarber was more focused on the bigger picture with the season nearing a close.

“It's going to be a grind. There's no doubt about it,” he said. “It's not like it's guaranteed. There's no ifs, ands or buts about it. We've got to go out and we've got to win ballgames. That's what it is at the end of the day, and we've got the group to do it.

"We know we have the group that is capable of being the best team in the league. We're capable of being the team that can hold up a trophy at the end of the year. We know that, but we also have to go out there and we have to win games. That's what it is at the end of the day.”

With the Braves' 6-3 win over the Cubs in Chicago, the Phillies remained a half-game behind Chicago for the top National League Wild Card spot while dropping 5 1/2 games behind Atlanta in the NL East.

And now, the Phils will have to finish this final push without Luzardo.

“We just have to keep going. Keep going and keep working,” Sánchez said of Luzardo being on the IL. “He’ll be fine, and he’ll be back for us. We just have to pick him up right now and try to play good baseball and try to keep winning games. That’s it.”