WASHINGTON -- The comeback Phils have done it again.
Down to their last strike with two outs and a man on, pinch-hitter -- and former National -- Derek Hill crushed an offering from Richard Lovelady out of the park in the top of the ninth inning to lift the Phillies to their second last-minute comeback in as many nights against the Nationals, 5-4, on Wednesday night.
Trailing by one run, pinch-hitter Kyle Schwarber -- who was scratched for a second straight game with lower back tightness -- drew a walk with two outs against reliever Orlando Ribalta.
Hill, who played 13 games for the Nationals in 2023, followed it up by launching his fifth homer of the season a Statcast-projected 382 feet into the right-center-field stands.
It was the second ninth-inning rally for the Phillies, who had turned an 8-5 deficit into a 14-9 win on Tuesday by scoring eight runs in the ninth.
Jhoan Duran pitched a scoreless ninth, striking out the side, for his 19th save as the Phillies improved to 44-36.
Phillies reliever Jonathan Bowlan surrendered a two-run shot to pinch-hitter Curtis Mead in the sixth that put the Nationals up 4-3.
The right-hander had just taken over for Kyle Backhus with two outs and a man on, clinging to a 3-2 advantage. Mead then turned on the first pitch Bowlan delivered, a sweeper.
Mead’s shot was the first homer Bowlan had given up to a right-handed hitter in 132 plate appearances -- since May 1, 2025 -- with Mead launching the above-the-zone 89.3 mph offering deep into the left-field stands to erase the Phillies’ lead in the back-and-forth battle.
It was only Bowlan’s second homer allowed (May 24 vs. Guardians) and just his second earned run in 14 2/3 innings over 16 appearances dating back to May 1.
Despite allowing a couple homers early, right-handed starter Aaron Nola settled down to keep the Phillies in it until he departed after five with a 3-2 lead. It was his fifth straight no-decision.
Luis García Jr. and Jorbit Vivas smacked homers against Nola in the first two innings. The 33-year-old has allowed at least two or more homers in each of his last three starts.
But they were only solo shots, and Nola held the Nationals without a hit to finish five innings, allowing only two earned runs for the fourth time in his past six starts. Nola struck out five, four of them coming with the knuckle curve.