Derek Hill Grand Slam Powers Phillies Past Nationals
Aug 3, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies right fielder Derek Hill (49) celebrates after hitting a grand slam during the seventh inning against the Washington Nationals at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
The Phillies’ offense woke up late and took a late lead on a heroic grand slam off the bat of Derek Hill, and a good outing from Aaron Nola after early home run issues, starting the home stand with a gritty 6-3 win.
After a wild trade deadline passed with the Phillies making one very solid move, bringing in National League batting leader, second baseman Luis Arraez and reliever Caleb Kilian from the Giants, as well as veteran lefty reliever Brooks Raley from the Mets, the Phils looked to get a win before the reinforcements arrive and the lineup shuffles.
The scoring started early in this game, when Abimelec Ortiz took a Nola knuckle curve that was at the top of the zone into the seats for his first home run in his major league career. The Nationals added on in the second inning when Daylen Lile hit a two-run home run to make the game 3-0.
This score stood until the seventh inning, when Derek Hill hit a grand slam for the Phillies to give them a 4-3 lead. In the eighth inning, Bryce Harper gave the Phils some insurance when he hit a two-run homer to make it 6-3.
Nola Struggles with Home Run Ball Again
This season has been anything but easy for Nola, and this has almost always started with his inability to keep the ball in the ballpark. While this has been an issue that has followed him throughout his career, this season has been particularly apparent. In 2023, he pitched in 32 games and gave up 32 home runs. This season has been the first time in his career he is on pace for more home runs than games started. He has pitched in 22 games now and surrendered 26, with two in the first two innings. He pitched well aside from the two long balls.
The issue with the Phillies righty all season is that his control has not been as good as it was in the past. Over the past few seasons, he has lost some zip on his fastball, and when he had an extra few miles per hour on the fastball, he was able to overcome missing pitches, and throwing up in the zone didn’t have the repercussions as it does at 92. Unless he finds the velocity of the past, he will need to learn to throw lower in the zone and work in the changeup better. He will need to find something soon, as he hasn’t had a win since May 26.
Phillies Offense Wakes Up Late on Late Hill Grand Slam
Andrew Alvarez is in a long line of left-handed starting pitchers that have twisted the Phillies into pretzels all season. In this game, the approach from the Phillies was no different than it has been, and it was less than stellar once again. In a game that Nola needed the offense to get him something, they came up empty. The bats were completely silent until the seventh inning.
Alvarez came out for the seventh and was unable to control the zone as he had all game. When he came out, he had two on base, and Tom Cosgrove came in to walk Edmundo Sosa, who had not had a quality swing on Alvarez all game. With the bases loaded, Hill had a chance to play hero, and he didn’t miss the moment, hitting a long home run to take the lead in a legendary moment for the Phils.
Bullpen Slams the Door on the Nats
The bullpen has been an adventure all season for the Phils, especially late in the game getting to Jhoan Duran. In this game, the bullpen shined, and when Kyle Backhus came in to take the ball from Nola, he made a big error that led to Nasim Nunez ending up on third base. In a redeeming, heads-up moment on the next play, Brady House grounded back to Backhus, who noticed Nunez was breaking for the plate, and threw the ball to Garrett Stubbs, who made a spectacular play to erase the error. He ended up getting out of the inning unscathed.
Orion Kerkering came in to take the ball for the eighth, and absolutely dominated the Nats, recording two impressive strikeouts. Duran came in for the ninth in a save situation, and made the game as eventless as possible, securing the Phils’ third win in a row.
This is the blueprint of how the Phillies bullpen needs to play from this point forward. They made several trades to fortify the bullpen, so this should, in theory, give the bullpen a little breathing room for the playoff push.
Steve Hamilton
Steve may have been born in California, but don’t let that fool you. After dating a local woman and clashing with her and her family over sports for decades, he has an affinity for Philly sports. Balancing love for Philly and Bay Area sports teams may seem impossible, we can all agree that the Cowboys are the true evil.
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