After scuffling on Wednesday night, the Phillies took home the series win against the Nationals on Thursday afternoon. Rookie slugger Darick Hall was at the center of it all, driving in two runs on a double and the fourth homer of his young career.
Bailey Falter got the start in this one, taking the injured Zach Eflin’s regular spot in the rotation. Falter held his own, tossing 4.0 innings of two-run ball, surrendering six hits and one walk while punching out six. A resurgent Nick Nelson pitched two shutout innings to earn the win, while Seranthony Domínguez took home his third save of the season.
Every hitter in the starting lineup notched at least one base hit, aside from Kyle Schwarber and Bryson Stott. Darick Hall smacked a line drive double to centerfield in the third inning that scored Rhys Hoskins to get the Phillies on the board. He then capped off the Phillies’ scoring with a seventh inning solo shot off the rightfield fair pole.
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The Phils’ 5-3 victory today keeps them in the third and final wildcard spot in the National League, ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals. With Bryce Harper on the shelf for at least another month, the powerful lefty bat of Darick Hall has been a Godsend. His golden sombrero last night shows that his game isn’t perfect, and he won’t be a 1.032 OPS hitter for the rest of the season, but if he can continue to give the team quality players appearances in a DH/bench role, they’ll have a much better shot at hanging onto a playoff spot.