Washington Nationals lose 6th straight, 5-3 Philadelphia Phillies in first of two today in D.C.

Adon’s Back!!:

Joan Adon was (1-10) with a 6.95 ERA, a 5.64 FIP, 35 walks (5.66 BB/9), 44 Ks (7.11 K/9), and a .283/.393/.466 line against in 12 starts and 55 ²⁄₃ innings before he was optioned to Triple-A Rochester earlier this month, but with a doubleheader today, and the 23-year-old stretched out, he got the call to start the first game of two in the nation’s capital.

In announcing Adon as the starter, Nationals’ manager Davey Martinez said yesterday he did not worry that the demotion affected the young starter.

“He understands,” Martinez said. “Hey look, he’s one of our young starting pitchers that we think is going to be here for a long time. And I explained that to him once we sent him down. ‘Remember, you’re not the first person that’s come up to the big leagues and got sent down. It’s a learning curve, it’s a learning process. You’re going to be back up here, but this is what we want you to do when you go down there, this is what we want you to work on.’ So he has a plan. He had a plan. And [Rochester pitching coach] Rafi Chaves was good with that, he talked to [Nats’ pitching coach Jim] Hickey at length when we sent him down, so he gets an opportunity again to come up here, like I told him today, ‘You get an opportunity to come up here, and just go out there and pitch.’”

Though they sent Adon down with an agenda: Throw more strikes, work your changeup into the mix more often, etc., Martinez said he didn’t want any of that on his starter’s mind when he took the mound.

Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images

“I told him, ‘The last thing I want you to do is think about, ‘I need to throw 18 changeups, or I need to throw —’ just go out there and pitch and don’t worry about anything.’”

Adon fell behind early in the first game of today’s twin bill in D.C.

Kyle Schwarber hit a leadoff double to right, and took third base on a one-out grounder to right field by Bryce Harper (which ended a 12-pitch battle). César Hernández, on the grass in the shift could only knock get a glove on Harper’s ground ball, and then with runners on the corners and one out, Nick Castellanos stepped in and lined one into the right-center gap for a two-run double and a 2-0 Phillies’ lead.

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Harper singled and Castellanos doubled, just out of reach of a searching Juan Soto in right field, to put two on with no one out in the top of the third, and one out later, Harper scored from third on a weak roller to second base by Odubel Herrera, 3-0, and 4-0 on an RBI fly to the wall in right by Alec Bohm which brought Castellanos in.

Adon retired the side in order in 14-pitch frames in the fourth and fifth, which left him at 97 pitches overall, and he was done for the day after that...

Joan Adon’s Line: 5.0 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 6 Ks, 97 P, 64 S, 7/1 GO/FO.

Ranger vs Nationals:

Back in the starting rotation in Philadelphia this season, Ranger Suárez, 26, took the mound today (4-4) in 12 starts, with a 4.40 ERA, 4.17 FIP, 26 walks, 49 Ks, and a .268/.342/.413 line against in 59 ¹⁄₃ IP, but he was winless in his last five outings before today’s game, posting a 5.48 ERA, a 3.58 FIP, 13 walks, 21 Ks, and a .283/.371/.413 line against in 23 IP in that stretch.

Suárez tossed two scoreless to start this afternoon’s game, as the Phillies jumped out to a 2-0 lead, and he returned to the mound in the fourth with a 4-0 advantage, but gave one back with Victor Robles singling with two out and scoring on a line drive double to left-center by Lane Thomas, 4-1. Double No. 9 for Thomas this season.

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Riley Adams walked with two down, and Robles singled to extend the bottom of the fifth, but Thomas grounded out to end the inning this time, and Suárez was through five on 83 pitches.

Suárez got gave up a leadoff single by César Hernández in the bottom of the sixth, but got a 4-6-3 DP out of Juan Soto in the next AB. Nelson Cruz walked with two down, however, then Josh Bell followed with a two-run home run into the right field bullpen for his 9th of 2022, 5-3 Phillies. Maikel Franco’s single in the next at-bat ended the lefty’s outing...

Ranger Suárez’s Line: 5.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 5 Ks, 1 HR, 94 P, 52 S, 9/0 GO/FO.

Bullpen Action:

Lefty Evan Lee took over for the home team with the Phillies up 4-1 after five, and gave up a one-out single, and back-to-back, two-out walks, which loaded the bases, and catcher Riley Adams tried for a back-pitch to get Kyle Schwarber at first, but threw it by the bag, allowing a run to score, 5-1 Phillies. Lee struck Rhys Hoskins out to end the inning.

Philly righty Connor Brogdon took over with a runner on and two out in the Nats’ fifth, with the Phillies up, 5-3, and gave up a single by Luis García, but popped up Keibert Ruiz to end the inning and threat.

Lee stayed in the game for the top of the seventh, but walked Bryce Harper and then Nick Castellanos to start the inning, and two wild pitches to Castellanos raised concerns for the Nationals’ coaching staff, with manager Davey Martinez and trainer Paul Lessard going out for a chat before they pulled the plug.

Carl Edwards, Jr. took over with runners on the corners and no one out and walked the first batter he faced, Didi Gregorius, loading the bases with Phillies, but Edwards, Jr. got Odubel Herrrera looking for out No. 1, and Alec Bohm looking for out No. 2, leaving it up to Bryson Stott, who K’d looking as well, but didn’t like the called third strike call. CJ bringing it! Still 5-3 Phillies.

Kyle Finnegan got the top of the eighth for the Nationals, and retired the side in order in a 12-pitch frame.

Francisco Pérez kept it a two-run game with a scoreless top of the ninth.

Brad Hand gave up a single by Luis García, and walked Victor Robles one out later, but he stranded both runners and locked down the win.

Final Score: 5-3 Phillies.

Nationals now 23-44