Washington Nationals drop 2 of 3 to Philadelphia Phillies with 5-3 loss in finale...

Adon Again:

Joan Adon was optioned to Triple-A Rochester after a June 17th outing in D.C. in which the 23-year-old gave up seven hits and four earned runs in five innings of work against the NL East rival Philadelphia Phillies.

Adon, who was up for one start in a doubleheader that day, was winless in his previous ten starts after the outing, with a 7.35 ERA, 5.03 FIP, 27 walks, 37 Ks, and a .294/.396/.467 line against in 45 ¹⁄₃ IP in the rough stretch. He’d previously been optioned to Triple-A back on June 8th.

“We want him to understand, and work on some things without the pressure of going out there [every] five days and competing up here. But we want him to go down and work on some things,” Davey Martinez said of the initial decision to send Adon down, but the fifth-year skipper said then he thought the righty would be back in the majors at some point.

“This kid’s going to come back here. He’s going to help us win games. His stuff is electric. He’s just got to learn how to use it, and use it effectively.”

Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images

Adon made one start at Triple-A when he returned again, and then he got a planned break, with the organization deciding to give him some rest as they have with other pitchers in the system, but it ended when he came back up to start for the Nationals today. He took the hill in Citizens Bank Park with a 1-0 lead, and walked Kyle Schwarber to start the bottom of the first, then gave up a double by Rhys Hoskins on a 96 MPH 2-2 fastball. With two runners on, and in scoring position, with no one out, Adon got Nick Castellanos to chase a 2-2 slider off the outside edge for out No. 1, then he threw a 96 MPH 1-2 fastball by Darick Hall, before the Phillies’ catcher, J.T. Realmuto, grounded out to end a 23-pitch frame.

After working around another leadoff walk in a 17-pitch second inning, Adon gave up a one-out walk in the third, then surrendered a single to right field by Nick Castellanos and an RBI double to deep center off Darick Hall’s bat, 2-1, and 2-2, when Castellano scored from third on a J.T. Realmuto sac fly. Didi Gregorius stepped in next, and hit a 352 foot fly to right that backed Juan Soto up to the fence, where he made an awkward, reaching attempt but didn’t make the catch. RBI triple. 3-2 Phillies.

Matt Vierling doubled to start the fourth, and took third on a single by Mickey Moniak, then scored on a groundout to second by Kyle Schwarber, 4-2 Phillies, and Adon ended up at 96 pitches overall after a 26-pitch fourth inning...

Joan Adon’s Line: 4.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 5 Ks, 96 P, 59 S, 3/1 GO/FO.

Falter In Philadelphia:

Bailey Falter, 25, and a 2015 5th Round pick by the Phillies, put up a 4.20 ERA and a 5.72 FIP in six games, two starts, and 15 IP in April and May, then he came up on June 17th to start in the doubleheader with Washington in Nationals Park, and again on July 1st against St. Louis in Citizens Bank.

Going up against the Nationals again this afternoon, Falter, who gave up five hits (two home runs, both by Josh Bell) and three runs total in five innings in D.C. last month, found himself in a jam early, with a 1-out opposite field single by Juan Soto, a walk by Josh Bell, and a HBP on Nelson Cruz loading the bases, and one out later, Maikel Franco lined an RBI single to left to put the visiting team up 1-0 in Citizens Bank, but that’s all they got there.

César Hernández kept the second alive with a two-out double, and got Juan Soto an at-bat with a runner in scoring position he cashed in with a run-scoring single to right, 2-0.

Josh Bell doubled to left field in the next at-bat, connecting for his 18th two-base hit of the season, but Nelson Cruz K’d looking for out No. 3 of a 23-pitch frame which left Falter with 49 total after two.

A 17-pitch third, in which he stranded a two-out double (by Luis García), and 12-pitch, 1-2-3 fourth, in which he picked up two Ks, had him up to 78 total, with the Phillies up 3-2 at that point, after they rallied for three in the bottom of the third, and they went up 4-2 before the club went to the pen for righty Nick Nelson in the top of the fifth...

Bailey Falter’s Line: 4.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 Ks, 96 P, 59 S, 3/1 GO/FO.

Bullpen Action:

Nick Nelson worked around a two-out walk to Yadiel Hernández in the top of the fifth.

Andres Machado stranded a one-out single in a scoreless bottom of the fifth inning.

Nelson worked around a two-out single by Victor Robles in a scoreless sixth.

Jordan Weems struck out the side in a 10-pitch bottom of the sixth.

José Alvarado threw a 101 MPH, 0-2 sinker up under Juan Soto’s hands for a swinging strike and out No. 1 in the top of the seventh. Josh Bell K’d swinging over a 96 MPH full-count cut fastball. Nelson Cruz went down swinging at a 96 MPH 2-2 cutter for out No. 3.

Steve Cishek retired the first two batters he faced in the Philly seventh, but Darick Hall hit a 1-2 slider out to left on a line for a two-out home run which made it 5-2 over the Nationals.

Brad Hand hit Maikel Franco with one out, and gave up a run when Ehire Adrianza doubled to left in the next at-bat in the top of the eight, 5-3 Phillies, but he Hand held it there.

Mason Thompson retired the Phillies in order in a 14-pitch eighth to keep it a two-run game.

Seranthony Domínguez wrapped the series up with a quick, scoreless ninth. Final Score: 5-3 Phillies.

Nationals now 30-55