USATSI_18642193 — © Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports

Schwarber's Big Night Not Enough as Phillies Fall to Nats

The Philadelphia Phillies offense consisted of only Kyle Schwarber in Wednesday's loss to the Washington Nationals.

Author:
Alex Carr
Jul 7, 2022 10:09 AM EDT

In this story:

There is only so much one man can do to will his team to victory, and try as he might, Kyle Schwarber was unable to carry the dead weight of his teammates as the Philadelphia Phillies dropped game two in their three game set against the Washington Nationals.

Hopes were high heading into this one, as the Phillies had Aaron Nola on the mound and a lineup that managed 11 runs at the dish the night prior.

Unfortunately, the Nationals struck first thanks to a single by Juan Soto, which led to an RBI double off the bat of Yadiel Hernández. The Phillies bit right back though, thanks to a long home run from mister June himself in the bottom of the fourth:

And then, in the bottom of the sixth, the mad man did it again:

Unfortunately, that's where the fun would end. Hitters in the Phillies lineup not named Kyle Schwarber combined for just one hit on the night, and the Phillies offense struck out 16 times against a flat-out poor Nationals pitching staff.

In the top of the seventh, a brutally misplayed ball by center fielder Odúbel Herrera allowed two more runs to score, and that would give Washington an unsurmountable 3-2 lead.

Were it not for that botched ball, Aaron Nola would've left the night with an even more solid outing. As it was, the righty tossed 7.2 innings of three-run ball, though he only struck out three. Nola was hyper-efficient Wednesday night, utilizing his ability to induce soft contact rather that his strikeout stuff.

Ultimately, a lack of offense was the killing blow for the Phillies, but that shouldn't prove a problem on Thursday afternoon, should all go to plan. The Phillies are set to face right-hander Joan Adon, who boasts a dreadful 1.75 WHIP on the season, as well as a 6.97 ERA.

Philadelphia will send lefty Bailey Falter to the mound, who is coming off of a decent start against the Cardinals, in which he tossed four innings of three-run ball.

It really can't get much worse than Wednesday night's tepid effort. The Phillies will vie for the win in the rubber match today, in hopes of completing another series victory against the Nationals.