*Photo from Federal Baseball*
After a year's absence, the Washington Nationals are back in the postseason. After a 19-31 start to the season, the Nats turned it around and have secured a playoff spot. Even better, they did it against their former superstar Bryce Harper and the Philadelphia Phillies. Shortstop Trea Turner said that ''We knew nothing was going to be won or lost in the first five months, and now we're in a good spot." Harper was booed every time he went to plate and he heard loud cheers when he got out.
It was the Phillies who took an early lead. In the first inning, Brad Miller stepped up and whacked a 3 run homer to center field to put the Phils ahead 3-0. In the 3rd inning, Yan Gomes got the Nats on the board with a solo shot to left field. In the 4th, Miller hit a solo shot, and Gomes hit a sac fly to make it 4-2 Phillies. In the 6th, Turner put Washington ahead for good when he blasted a grand slam into the left field seats to make it 6-4 Nats. The Phils got one back on a Harper homer in the 7th, and fell silent after that.
Aaron Nola took the loss for the Phillies, as they were officially eliminated from playoff contention. Nola went 5 2/3 innings and gave up 5 runs on 5 hits and 4 walks. He struck out 9 hitters. Manager Gabe Kapler said that ''We've felt some sting already, I think we're going to continue to feel some sting.'' The Phillies are just two games over .500, and could still end up with a losing season. Just imagine that. Rhys Hoskins said that ''You set out at the beginning of the year, the beginning of the offseason, spring training, whatever it may be, with the goal in mind, right? And obviously we've come up short this year.''
Max Scherzer took the win for the Nats, going 6 strong innings. He gave up 4 runs on 5 hits and one walk. He struck out 10 hitters and improved to 11-7 on the season. Hunter Strickland and Javy Guerra worked the 7th and 8th innings, and Daniel Hudson worked the 9th for his 5th save of the season. Turner paced the offense with two hits. Since the Nats have qualified for the playoffs, manager Dave Martinez gave a strong indication of who might start the wild card game. He said that ''If you look at the schedule right now, that's Max's day, and he's one of the best."
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