Washington Nationals beat Philadelphia Phillies 4-3 in eleventh inning nail bitter - MLB Update
Relief pitcher Michael Schwimer gives in during the bottom of the 11th inning as his side the Philadelphia Phillies lose to the Washington Nationals 3-4 in a first game of three match series at Nationals Park, Washington, D.C. on May 4, 2012.
The Phillies will be disheartened after the game. They were dominant through and through, only in the last inning of the game the Nationals stole the show.
Phillies humbled the Nationals' starter Stephen Strasburg, the best pitcher of the last month, by hitting him for two homers.
Until the start of the eighth, the Phillies had one run lead. Catcher Jesus Flores tied the score for the Nationals by hitting a double to left, pushing first baseman Chad Tracy to complete the run.
Starter Strasburg had his worst game since start of the season. In six innings, he gave up three runs and walked one.
Right fielder Hunter Pence hit him a mammoth homer in the fourth inning. Following him, catcher Carlos Ruiz right in next inning struck another homer on his pitch.
Bryce Harper went hitless after shining on the plate couple of days ago. Flurry of hits he struck in the last game has taken his slugging percentage to an impressive .526, currently among the highest in the line-up.
Harper drew three walks in the game, something that shows his ability to have diversified repertoire in his batting prowess.
Instead of being a slugger that will come late in innings and will have occasional big hits, he can load the bases and can become a handy choice for the manager even up the order.
Nationals will be extremely pleased with an effort their offence put up in the game. They generated 14-hits in 40 at-bats, far more than the Phillies did.
Apart from two homers, the Phillies’ offence was as ordinary as it has been throughout the season. Only six hits in 39 at-bats speak of this.
Their shortstop Jimmy Rollins went 0-for-5 as he is lacking consistency.
The Nationals have regained the form which was about to derail a week ago. Within few days, Ryan Zimmerman will return and that will strengthen their offence further.
Only way the Phillies can change their fate from now onward in the season is by having their hitters deliver consistently.
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