Derek Hill's go-ahead grand slam sparks Phillies' comeback win over Nationals
Published in Baseball
PHILADELPHIA — Derek Hill burst out of the batter’s box, bat still in hand, toothpick in his mouth, eyes locked on his ball as it carried out towards left-center field.
As soon as he saw it clear the railing, the Phillies outfielder let the bat flip over his fingers. As he approached second, he couldn’t help but jump in the air. His second career grand slam had turned a 3-0 Phillies deficit into a 4-3 lead over the Washington Nationals with just a single swing.
An inning later, Bryce Harper’s two-run shot to dead center field gave the Phillies plenty of insurance for a 6-3 win Monday night.
The Phillies had loaded the bases in the seventh without a hit. Bryan De La Cruz was hit by a pitch, and Bryson Stott and Edmundo Sosa drew back-to-back walks to set the table for Hill.
The outfielder stepped into the box hitless since July 20. He had missed a few games with a nagging lower-body injury, but even after returning to the lineup, he had struggled at the plate. He’d already had one opportunity with two runners on in the fifth, but had grounded into an inning-ending double play instead.
He wasn’t about to let it happen again. Nationals reliever Tom Cosgrove throws his sweeper over 75% of the time, and Hill was waiting for it. He watched a first-pitch sinker go by before teeing off on the sweeper, sending it 393 feet.
And after returning to the top step for a curtain call, Hill wasn’t even done. In the top of the eighth, with Orion Kerkering on the mound protecting a one-run lead, Hill made a spectacular diving catch in center to rob José Tena of extra bases.
Hill’s big swing in the seventh seemed to awaken a Phillies offense that had slumbered for most of the game. They had failed to generate much offense while the Nationals built an early lead against starter Aaron Nola.
In the first inning, Nationals first baseman Abimelec Ortiz, recalled to replace Luis García Jr. after he was dealt to the New York Yankees, hammered a curveball for his first career major league home run. Daylen Lile added a two-run homer in the second inning.
The Phillies’ new reinforcements — second baseman Luis Arraez, right-handed reliever Caleb Kilian and left-handed reliever Brooks Raley — will report to the club on Tuesday. When they arrive, the Phillies will have a new defensive alignment, with Harper moving to the outfield, Alec Bohm moving to first and Stott moving to third to open up second for Arraez.
But Monday, their final game with this alignment and lineup, the offense was limp at first. They mustered three hits against Nationals starter Andrew Alvarez, and harmed their own cause by grounding into two double plays.
In the sixth, the Nationals threatened to add on after Kyle Backhus committed a throwing error fielding a bunt from Nasim Nuñez. The speedy second baseman wound up on third as De La Cruz fumbled the ball in right, but the Phillies managed to prevent him from scoring. Nuñez was caught in a run down on a ball hit back to Backhus, and he was tagged out by Bohm. Nationals manager Blake Butera was ejected for arguing the call.
But patience from Stott and Sosa to set up Hill’s big swing brought life back into the stadium.
In the ninth inning, Jhoan Duran’s 25th save of the season was sealed by an automated ball-strike challenge, which overturned a ball call into a game-ending strikeout of Jacob Young.
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