WASHINGTON -- A road trip that began with a pair of losses to a last-place team quickly turned into one of the Phillies' best stretches away from home in recent memory.\n\nA balanced offensive attack helped the Phils (55-53) erase an early deficit against the Nationals (49-59) en route to a 9-5 win on Wednesday at Nationals Park. The victory not only clinched a winning record on this seven-game swing and set the club up for a potential four-game sweep on Thursday, but it also marked the first time that Philadelphia won four straight road games since July 24-28, 2015.
After falling two games below .500 with consecutive losses to the last-place Pirates to start the weekend, the Phillies have outscored their opponents 36-18 while firing off four straight wins.
The latest outburst came after falling into a 3-0 hole on Wednesday.
Making his first appearance since being moved to the bullpen for the second time this season, Moore was called on with Juan Soto stepping to the plate as the potential tying run with two outs in the bottom of the fifth. Moore not only retired Soto on a routine groundout, but he went on to pitch four innings for his first win of the season and came within one out of finishing the game.\n\n“I loved the way he was throwing, and I just kept running him back out there,” Girardi said. “Wow, he was really, really good tonight. He picked us up big time. That's as good as I've seen him throw the ball here. He was a big reason we won tonight.”
It was a much-needed outing not just for the Phillies, but for Moore himself. The southpaw had not pitched since July 27, when he was tagged for six earned runs for a second straight start. With the addition of
The Phillies will now hand the ball to