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| Matt Moore has a 10.80 ERA over his last two starts. | PHOTO: Ken Sludski |
The search for additional arms to add to the rotation continues for the Phillies as their deal with the Pirates to acquire left-hander Tyler Anderson fell through on Tuesday evening.
The two clubs had a deal in place at about 4 p.m., but the Pirates backed out shortly after as, according to sources, the club uncovered concerns regarding the health of 20-year-old right-hander Cristian Hernandez, one of the two prospects they were to receive in the deal.
Hours later, the Buccos sent Anderson to Seattle for a pair of minor leaguers.
Anderson, 31, is eligible to be a free agent following this season. He would have likely taken over Vince Velasquez's spot in the starting rotation.
With Zach Eflin on the IL with an injured right knee, the Phillies are in desperate need of rotation depth.
It's still possible the club aims for another backend starter before Friday's 4 p.m. trade deadline. Zach Davies of the Cubs and Jon Gray of the Rockies are two potential targets.
The Phillies are 50-50 entering Wednesday and sit 3 1/2 games behind the Mets in the NL East.
Matt Moore gave up a three-run homer to Josh Bell in the opening frame on Tuesday and then surrendered another three-run shot to Juan Soto in the second, putting the Phillies in a hole early in a 6-4 loss to the Nationals at Citizens Bank Park.
More has a 10.80 ERA over his previous two starts.
"We need to do better," manager Joe Girardi said following the contest.
“Starting pitching wins games," added Bryce Harper. "Pitching and defense. I’ve always said my whole career: pitching and defense wins. Timely hitting, of course. But pitching and defense will always be king in this game. If you have the guys that you need to go out there and throw you five-, six-plus innings, it’s always going to be good for you. We need to be better.”
Harper did his part with the bat, finishing 3-for-5 with a double and an inside-the-park homer.
“It’s very tough as an offense to come out each night and try to score six, seven, eight runs,” Harper said. “It’s just not possible, especially with the pitching in this division and in this league as well. Tough night for us, but I thought we battled the best we could. We never really gave up.”
The Phillies turn to Zack Wheeler on Wednesday night. He tossed seven solid innings against the Braves in his last start, surrendering one run on seven hits to collect the win. He has a 2.14 ERA over his previous 15 starts.
The Nationals will counter with veteran Patrick Corbin.
