Stott's Three-Run Ninth Blows It Open, Phillies Rout Nationals 14-9
Philadelphia scored six runs in the ninth inning to turn a tie game into a 14-9 rout, with Bryson Stott's three-run homer serving as the kill shot. The Phillies did it without Kyle Schwarber, who was scratched before first pitch with lower back tightness.
Washington looked like it had this one in hand early. The Nationals pushed across a run in the second, then blew it open in the fourth — a single by Nuñez plated Chaparro and Crews to make it 3-0, and a single by Tena immediately after scored Vivas and Nuñez to push the lead to 5-0. Philadelphia was getting punched in the mouth, and Jesus Luzardo — who would finish with 13 strikeouts over 6.2 innings — was the one absorbing it. The Phillies chipped away: Edmundo Sosa's 406-foot homer to center in the fifth scored Stott and cut it to 5-2, and Sosa added another RBI on a fielder's choice in the seventh to make it 5-3. Then J.T. Realmuto's two-out double to right in the eighth scored Marsh, Stott, and Stubbs to flip the lead to Philadelphia at 6-5.
Washington answered immediately. Jorbit Vivas launched a 410-foot shot to center that scored García Jr. and Crews, putting the Nationals back on top 8-6. That's where things stood heading to the ninth — and Washington's win probability sat at 56%. What followed was a complete demolition. Brandon Marsh homered to right (400 feet) to tie it at 8. Then Stott hit a 403-foot shot to right, scoring Harper and Hill, and the win probability cratered from 56% to 4% in a single swing. Sosa followed with a two-run double to center, and a Turner single plated Sosa to make it 14-8. García Jr. hit a solo shot to center (404 feet) in the bottom half — a consolation homer that made the final 14-9.
The story of the night was Philadelphia's bottom third of the order refusing to quit and then detonating in the ninth. Stott finished 3-for-4 with a homer, 3 RBI, and 4 runs scored. Sosa went 2-for-5 with a homer, 5 RBI, and 2 runs. Marsh was 3-for-6 with a homer and 2 RBI. That's three Phillies hitters combining for 10 RBI without Schwarber — the major league home run leader — in the lineup. Washington also played without shortstop CJ Abrams, who was a late scratch with left side tightness per ESPN. Both teams were shorthanded, but Philadelphia's depth looked like the difference. Luzardo's 13-strikeout outing appears to be a quality start that the bullpen ultimately made look messy, though the offense more than covered for it.