District On Deck
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Washington Nationals hope late dramatics will be the turning point

By Blake Finney

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 24: Daniel Murphy #20 of the Washington Nationals celebrates after driving in the game winning run with a single in the eighth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Nationals Park on June 24, 2018 in Washington, DC. Washington won the game 8-6. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 24: Daniel Murphy #20 of the Washington Nationals celebrates after driving in the game winning run with a single in the eighth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Nationals Park on June 24, 2018 in Washington, DC. Washington won the game 8-6. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images) /
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Although it didn’t start as many had hoped, the Washington Nationals dramatically pulled out a late win against the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday night.

What a win. The Washington Nationals pulled off a late win against the National League East rival Philadelphia Phillies Sunday night. And it could prove to be the turning point in a sub-par season.

Despite trailing 6-2 going into the bottom of the sixth, the Nationals batters had been having reasonable success against the Phillies pitchers. Then with two outs in the inning, they rattled off four straight hits, the latter three for extra bases. It was a 6-5 game.

The score held until the bottom of the eighth inning. A Brian Goodwin walk, Bryce Harper double, and an intentional walk to Juan Soto later, loaded the bases. Cue Daniel Murphy blooping a base hit to right field, and bedlam among Nats fans everywhere.

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Boy, this team needed a win like this one. The offense picked up another sub-par pitching performance. And the manner of the victory should carry over to Tampa Bay.

Now that the offense is clicking again, as expected, it’s time for the pitching to step back up. The Nats allowed at least 5 runs in every game. Thankfully, the Rays aren’t the hottest hitting, and the Nationals send their two best pitchers to the mound.

Daniel Murphy the hero we deserve

It’s been a long road back for Daniel Murphy. He’s struggled to get the mobility back that he had before off-season surgery. But he didn’t need it Sunday.

It wasn’t his cleanest single ever, but it got the job done. He told Todd Dybas of The Sports Capitol after the game, he had watched film on Seranthony Dominguez and that he used the slider as a “kill shot”.

He predicted it successfully, and the rest is history. Murphy went 5 for 12 during the series, and if he can get back to the 2016-17 version we’re used to in D.C. this lineup adds a potent bat that teams will be afraid of.

Bryce Harper doubling down

Among all of the heroes on the night, Bryce Harper managed to shine and is finally heading in the right direction. He doubled three times on the night and was a key catalyst to the victory.

All the doubles came in fastball counts, 0-0 2-0 and 3-2. Harper now looks to be seeing the ball a lot better and is being more selective at the plate. This has allowed him to have success in this series.

He’s now 5 for his last 12 and is on his way to correcting the batting average that people keep pointing out. Much like the Nats themselves, there’s a long way for Harper to go, but he took a huge step in that direction on Sunday night.

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The Washington Nationals will now catch the red-eye flight to Tampa Bay full of energy. Starting a two-game series with the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday, it’s time to get back in the NL East race.

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