PHILADELPHIA -- The Nationals were one strike away from winning their first two series of a season for the first time since 2012. Instead, they finished their road trip with a disappointing loss at Citizens Bank Park that muted what seemed to be an impending celebration.
“They're pretty upset right now,” manager Blake Butera said after a 6-5 loss in 10 innings against the Phillies on Wednesday afternoon. “Which you like to see -- these guys are competitive, they want to win. You can hear how quiet it is in the clubhouse right now.
“There were some guys pretty upset walking out of the dugout, and it shows us they care. Our coaching staff's upset, too. These last two games have been pretty frustrating. We thought we had all three this series.”
The Nationals took a 5-1 lead into the bottom of the seventh thanks to a three-run homer by CJ Abrams against a Phillies team that had struggled to hit its offensive stride this season. Even after Andre Granillo gave up a solo home run to J.T. Realmuto in the seventh and Cionel Pérez did the same to Bryce Harper one inning later, Butera was in position to pitch to matchups with his bullpen in the ninth.
Right-hander Clayton Beeter recorded the first out before giving up a single to Trea Turner. Butera turned to southpaw PJ Poulin, the opener in Tuesday’s 3-2 loss, who has had proven success against Kyle Schwarber and Harper. Poulin, however, walked Schwarber on five pitches.
“I just wish we had got a little bit ahead of Schwarbs there,” Butera said. “I'm sure if you asked PJ, that's probably what he wishes he could get back. But at the end of the day, he’s going to keep getting the ball. We trust PJ there; it was the right matchup.”
After he got Harper to pop out to Abrams, Poulin threw a wild pitch to Alec Bohm that advanced the runners. Facing a 2-2 count, Poulin missed inside on two straight pitches to walk Bohm and load the bases with two outs.
“They're really great hitters,” said Poulin. “Obviously, they've got a plan. But I've got a plan, too, and I'm confident that I can execute my plan. I just wasn’t able to do that today.”
Butera went back to a righty, Cole Henry, with Edmundo Sosa coming to the plate. Sosa lined an 0-2 sweeper in the zone into left field. Turner scored from third and pinch-runner Dylan Moore slid into home behind him for the game-tying run as Wood’s throw sailed past catcher Drew Millas.
The Nationals, who had been this close to a jubilant trip back to Washington, D.C., suddenly found themselves headed to extra innings. Justin Crawford, the Phillies' No. 3 prospect (MLB Pipeline's No. 51 overall) sliced a first-pitch ground ball into right field in the 10th to record a walk-off RBI in just his fifth Major League game.
"I was trying to go cutter-in,” Henry said. “I feel like I got to a good spot. I don't think I clipped it good enough to where it would cut a good bit. I think it kind of flattened out on me. He put a good swing on it. I was hoping it would be right to someone.
"Obviously, in that situation, you're just trying to hope for a quick lineout, maybe pick the guy off third or something, but he put a good swing on it and it got through. A good hit."
The Nationals are 3-3 following series against two contenders, the Phillies and Cubs.
By comparison, the Nationals were 1-5 after their first two series last season against the Phillies and Blue Jays.
The Nationals host the back-to-back reigning World Series champion Dodgers for a three-game series beginning Friday afternoon.
“I’ve learned a lot,” Butera said. “Our guys have fight. They want to win. They expect to win. They're competitive. Maybe they hear the word ‘young’ thrown around a lot or ‘rebuild,’ or whatever it might be. But these guys are hungry, and they want to prove that they belong here and that they can do some special things. I just couldn't be more proud of what they've done through the first six games.”