PHILADELPHIA — After enduring the longest midgame rain delay in franchise history, the Phillies notched a three-game series sweep over the Washington Nationals with a 7-5 win on Sunday night. Right-hander Aaron Nola got the start but pitched only two innings (44 pitches) before the rain started to fall. Three hours and 36 minutes later, the Phillies resumed play. Long man Cristopher Sánchez took over for Nola in the third.
Nola’s outing was short but strong: two hits and no runs or walks, with two strikeouts. From there, Sánchez pitched three innings and allowed seven hits, four earned runs and one walk with two strikeouts. Sánchez hadn’t pitched since Sept. 2. The bullpen — namely Jose Alvarado, Seranthony Domínguez and David Robertson — locked it down to secure the win, allowing no runs. The Phillies are now 78-62.
Home run-happy Phillies
The Phillies are 63-34 when they hit at least one home run, and on Sunday, they hit two. Rhys Hoskins hit a game-tying, three-run homer to right field in the fifth that traveled 355 feet, and Alec Bohm hit a two-run homer of his own in the seventh. Bohm’s 362-foot home run proved to be the game-winning hit, giving the Phillies a 7-5 lead. The Phillies did a good job of working their at-bats and getting on base. They had six walks in the game, falling two walks short of tying their season high.
Seranthony looks strong in his return
Domínguez made his first appearance since being activated off of the 15-day injured list on Sunday morning, and he didn’t disappoint. He pitched the eighth inning, allowing no hits, runs or walks with one strikeout. The right-handed reliever was in the 97-99 mph range; his fastest pitch of the night clocked in at 99.4 mph.
Robertson rebounds
Robertson came in for the save in the ninth inning and saw his velocity go up a few ticks from his previous few outings. (His fastest pitch was 92.7 mph.) Robertson, who hadn’t pitched since Thursday, struck out the side. With Domínguez back, Robertson will have someone to share the bulk of those late, high-leverage innings.
