Chase Anderson pitched his best through five scoreless innings Tuesday night at Nationals Park.
He pitched so well, in fact, that Phillies manager Joe Girardi let him hit with the bases loaded and no outs in the top of the sixth in a 6-2 victory over the Nationals. Anderson flied out to shallow left field for the first out. Andrew McCutchen struck out and Jean Segura lined out, following a career-high 14-pitch at-bat, to end the inning.
The Phillies squandered that bases-loaded opportunity. Anderson then didn’t record an out in the sixth. He faced only two batters as the Nationals scored twice to cut the Phillies’ lead to 3-2.
But the sixth inning did not come back to haunt the Phillies. They survived because after José Alvarado walked Trea Turner in a 14-pitch at-bat and Juan Soto to load the bases with two outs in the seventh, he struck out Josh Bell swinging to end the inning. The Phillies scored three runs in the eighth with three hits and two walks.
Alec Bohm’s opposite-field single scored a run to give the Phillies a two-run lead. Andrew Knapp’s opposite-field single to left field scored two runs to give the Phillies a four-run lead.
Knapp pinch-hit for J.T. Realmuto, who left the game after getting hit on the left knee with a foul tip in the seventh.
Tuesday’s victory put the Phillies in position to win a series on the road, something they have not accomplished in a three-game series since September 2019.