* Impending free agent Kevin Gregg said yesterday that he’d like to re-sign with the Cubs and be a closer again in 2010. Neither will happen. During the past three seasons Gregg has blown 20 of 104 save chances while losing 19 games and posting a 3.86 ERA. He’s a second-tier setup man, at best.
* Admittedly he’s pretty far down on the Mets’ laundry list of problems this season, but for $8.5 million and a $2 million signing bonus Francisco Rodriguez has allowed 34 runs in 68 innings while blowing seven saves in 41 chances. Of course, unlike Gregg he’s in no danger of being stripped of closer duties thanks to being owed $11.5 million in 2010, $11.5 million in 2011, and $17.5 million or a $3.5 million buyout in 2012. Yeesh.
* Brad Penny tossed a complete-game shutout yesterday, so his final tally after returning to the NL is 4-1 with a 2.59 ERA in six starts. His totals in the AL were 7-8 with a 5.61 ERA in 24 starts. Chances that Penny chooses to sign with an NL team as a free agent this winter: 99.9 percent, with the other 0.1 percent reserved for Japan, Triple-A, or retirement.
* Last night’s complete-game shutout of Pawtucket Boston gives Roy Halladay a 2.97 ERA in 12 starts since the trading deadline came and went with him remaining in Toronto. For comparison, Cliff Lee has a 3.28 ERA in 11 starts with the Phillies.
* Ichiro Suzuki has already locked up his ninth straight 200-hit season, but barring one of the greatest four-game stretches in baseball history he’s going to score fewer than 100 runs for the first time.
* If you haven’t seen it yet, check out the video of Matt Diaz’s indecisive baserunning basically ending the Braves’ season. Diaz has hit .319/.390/.488 in 425 plate appearances, but something tells me that most fans thinking back to this season won’t remember his hitting.
Nationals blow 6-run lead, rebound to beat Phillies 8-7
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WASHINGTON (AP) Lane Thomas singled in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning and the Washington Nationals sent the Philadelphia Phillies to their fifth straight loss, winning 8-7 after blowing a six-run lead.
The defending NL champion Phillies have just five victories in their last 18 games and are tied with the Nationals at the bottom of the NL East at 25-32.
“We’ve got to overcome it,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “We’ve got to play better, get consistent in all phases and keep moving forward.”
Alex Call drew a two-out walk against Connor Brogdon (2-1) in the eighth, stole second on a low pitch that catcher JT Realmuto couldn’t make a throw on and scored on Thomas’ single to right center.
“The way Lane’s swinging the bat, if you can get on second base, we can win the game,” Call said. “I look over and the ball’s in the dirt, he doesn’t catch it. Now I’m saying: ‘All right, Lane. Come on!’”
Kyle Finnegan (3-2) pitched 1 2/3 innings for the victory, stranding the tying run on second in the ninth.
Nick Castellanos homered twice, singled, doubled and drove in five runs for Philadelphia, which had scored just three runs in its past three games.
“There’s definitely a lot of positives as a group,” Castellanos said. “Showing some fight. It would have been really, really easy to lay down and allow the way the game started to be the way that it finished.”
Down 7-1 after four innings, Philadelphia tied it at 7 in the eighth. Brandon Marsh worked a nine-pitch walk against Mason Thompson leading off, and Drew Ellis singled with one out. Finnegan came on to face Kyle Schwarber, who hit a ground ball up the middle. Shortstop CJ Abrams fielded it behind it behind second base, touched second for one out, but threw wildly to first and Marsh came home with the tying run.
Castellanos’s second homer, a two-run shot to center in the sixth, pulled the Phillies to 7-3 and Marsh added an RBI single in the inning.
In the seventh, Schwarber doubled with one out and Bryson Scott reached on an infield single. Hunter Harvey came on and walked Bryce Harper to load the bases. Castellanos singled to center scoring two runs to make it 7-6.
Luis Garcia homered and Jeimer Candelario doubled twice and drove in three runs for the Nationals, who have won seven of 12.
Philadelphia starter Zack Wheeler, coming off eight shutout innings against Atlanta, allowed seven runs on eight hits in 3 2/3 innings.
“This one’s on me really,” Wheeler said. “Guys battled back. Just couldn’t finish it out. We know who we have in this room and what we’ve got to do.”
Josiah Gray gave up four runs on six hits in 5 1/3 innings for Washington.
Candelario doubled just beyond the reach of left fielder Schwarber to drive in the first of Washington’s two runs in the first.
In the second, Abrams hit a one-out drive to deep center that Marsh misplayed into a double. With two outs and two on, Candelario doubled off the wall in right center to make it 5-0.
Garcia ended Wheeler’s night with a solo homer in the fourth.
“When you come out the way we did, you’ve got to tack on,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez said. “It didn’t happen tonight, but we got one more than the other guys.”
CANDY MAN
Candelario is 9 for 26 (.346) with four doubles, a home run, nine RBIs, five walks, and seven runs scored in his last seven games.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Phillies: Thomson said RHP Taijuan Walker played catch Friday and there are “no worries about his next start.” In a four-inning outing against the Mets on Thursday, Walker’s sinker velocity averaged 90.6 mph, down from 92.7 mph for the season. His fastball, splitter and curveball velocity also dropped.
Nationals: OF Victor Robles (back spasms) took batting practice on the field for the first time since going on the injured list. … LHP Sean Doolittle (elbow) gave up a run on two hits and struck out two batters in 2/3 of an inning working his second straight night for Class A Fredericksburg.
UP NEXT
Phillies: LHP Matt Strahm (4-3, 3.20) will start a bullpen game on Saturday.
Nationals: LHP MacKenzie Gore (3-3, 3.57) went seven innings and struck out a career-high 11 batters in his previous outing – a no decision against the Royals.
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