Nationals starter MacKenzie Gore dominated Philadelphia’s lineup, holding them to four baserunners across six innings while racking up nine strikeouts and generating 22 whiffs. The Phillies couldn’t solve him, going scoreless through seven innings until Turner’s clutch homer tied the game at two in the eighth. It was just enough to inject hope into a club playing out the final days before a week-long playoff break.
But that hope didn’t last.
With the score knotted at two in the bottom of the frame, Rob Thomson turned to Jeff Hoffman, arguably his most reliable reliever this season. Hoffman, entrusted with maintaining the tie, faltered. He gave up a leadoff triple to James Wood, followed by a run-scoring single to Keibert Ruiz, putting Washington back on top. Hoffman recorded two strikeouts and was a pitch away from escaping further damage, but a Dylan Crews single extended the inning, bringing up Joey Gallo. Gallo crushed a 2-1 fastball over the right-field fence, turning a one-run deficit into a four-run cushion and all but sealing the Phillies’ fate.
The collapse wasted another brilliant outing from Zack Wheeler. The right-hander eclipsed the 200-inning mark for the second time in his career, allowing just two runs on three hits over 6 1/3 innings. The only blemish on Wheeler’s outing came in the sixth, when Wood launched a two-run homer. Wheeler, however, continued his dominant run, recording 11 strikeouts while walking two, further solidifying his case for Cy Young consideration. It was his 11th consecutive start of six or more innings with two or fewer earned runs allowed, the longest streak in Phillies history.
Wheeler looks set for Game 1 of the NLDS, but the rest of the Phillies lineup appears to be limping to the finish line. With only Sunday’s finale remaining, they are ready for a much-needed break before the postseason begins.
