Knapp hit a game-ending pinch-hit homer just inside the right

At the end of a sweltering afternoon Daniel Jones Jersey , Andrew Knapp kept the Philadelphia Phillies on a red-hot streak.


”That was cool,” Knapp said. ”That was a huge team win – huge team series.”

The win was the Phillies third in this four-game set with Washington. All the wins have come by one-run margins. Over the past two weekends, Philadelphia has gone 5-2 against the two-time defending National League East champions, increasing their edge on the Nationals to three games for second place in the division.

”It shows we’re here to stay,” Knapp said. ”Obviously, there’s a lot of games left, and we have to keep playing well. But we’re up there with a lot of those teams. This was a huge series win for us, especially coming off the series win in Washington. They wanted to come here and sweep us. For us to take 3 of 4 was cool.”

The Nationals are now 6-15 in their past 21 games dating back to June 8. Washington is six games behind Atlanta for the lead in the NL East.

On Sunday, Washington managed only four hits in eight innings against the Philadelphia bullpen, never moving a baserunner past second base in that stretch while striking out seven times.

”We’ve got to start striking out less, putting the balls in play, driving in runs when we have the ability to drive in runs Dexter Lawrence Jersey ,” Washington manager Davey Martinez said. ”But it’ll turn. Our offense is good. I know it’s good. And I truly believe that it’ll turn around.”

Knapp ended the game when he turned on a Justin Miller fastball and lofted it into the bleachers in right field. Miller (5-1) gave up the run in 1 1/3 innings of work.

Nick Pivetta (5-7) got the win pitching a scoreless inning. Pivetta- normally a starter- was roughed up for seven runs in 1 2/3 innings of work on Friday night. He entered the game as the final pitcher that Philadelphia had available.

”He wanted the opportunity bad,” Phillies manager Gabe Kapler said. ”I asked him and pushed him to make sure that this is something that he was going to fight for and he did.”

Washington jumped out early, scoring an unearned run in the fourth on an Anthony Rendon sacrifice fly. In the fifth, the lead expanded to 3-0 when Adam Eaton singled to right to score Daniel Murphy and Mark Reynolds.

However, Gio Gonzalez labored in the bottom of the fifth after cruising through the first four innings with only one hit and one walk allowed. He walked three guys in the fifth inning, including Cesar Hernandez with the bases loaded, that put Philadelphia on the board. Rhys Hoskins‘ sacrifice fly to right made it 3-2 then Odubel Herrera singled to score Carlos Santana to tie the game.

GAME NOTES

Knapp became the first Phillie to hit a walk-off, pinch-hit homer since Cody Asche did it back on Sept. 12, 2015 against the Chicago Cubs. Ryan Howard hit the last walk-off homer for Philadelphia back on April 29, 2016. . The Phillies bullpen posted a 0.60 ERA with 13 strikeouts in 15 innings pitched on Saturday and Sunday. .. Nationals starter Gio Gonzalez has never allowed more than three earned runs in 14 career starts at Citizens Bank Park. He has tossed five or more innings in every start.

TRAINERS ROOM

Philadelphia placed right-handed starting pitcher Vince Velasquez on the 10-day disabled list on Sunday with a right forearm contusion.

Velasquez was hit in the second inning just below the elbow on a liner back up the middle by Washington’s Adam Eaton. Velasquez would eventually record the out by picking the ball up and throwing it lefthanded to first base to get Eaton to end the inning, saving a run from scoring during Philadelphia’s 3-2 victory.

This is the fourth trip to the disabled list for Velasquez in three seasons since Philadelphia acquired him.

In addition to Velasquez’s trip to the disabled list, the Phillies optioned lefthanded reliever Zac Curtis to Triple A Lehigh Valley. They recalled right-handed reliever Jake Thompson and reinstated reliever Pat Neshek from the 10-day disabled list. Neshek Deandre Baker Jersey , who was signed by the Phillies during the off-season, has been on the disabled list since Opening Day with a forearm injury.

UP NEXT

Nationals: Washington returns home on Monday night to begin a three-game interleague series against the Boston Red Sox. RHP Max Scherzer (10-4, 2.04 ERA) will face former Detroit teammate Rick Porcello in a battle of former Cy Young Award winners.

Phillies: Philadelphia has Monday off, but will begin a brief two-game interleague series at home against the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday night. Zach Eflin (6-2, 3.02 ERA) will get the start against Baltimore’s Alex Cobb.

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ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — The big plays were there for Tampa Bay and its top-five offense on Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys. So were plenty of penalty flags and fumbles.The result: Another prolific offensive performance, and another Buccaneers loss.The Cowboys (9-6) clinched the NFC East with a 27-20 win over Tampa Bay, capitalizing on two critical Buccaneers turnovers and 85 yards rushing from Ezekiel Elliott. Dak Prescott completed 20-of-25 passes for 161 yards and a touchdown, and rushed for another score.Anytime the Buccaneers (5-10) seemed to generate momentum, they were derailed by a flag or turnover.The costliest play came late in the first quarter, when Jameis Winston escaped pressure only to be caught from behind and strip-sacked by Cowboys defensive end Randy Gregory. Dallas linebacker Jaylon Smith scooped up the ball and returned it 69 yards for a touchdown.It was Winston’s first fumble since returning to the starting lineup in Week 12 against San Francisco.“Yeah, that just can’t happen Oshane Ximines Jersey ,” Winston said. “That’s the bottom line. It can’t happen.”A series in the third quarter epitomized the Buccaneers’ day. A 33-yard run by Peyton Barber was nullified because of a holding penalty on tight end Antony Auclair. On the next play, a botched handoff from Winston to wide receiver Bobo Wilson was recovered by Gregory at the Tampa Bay 4.The Cowboys scored two plays later to take a 27-13 lead.“Two huge plays in that game really swung it,” Tampa Bay coach Dirk Koetter said. “We’re moving it, going in to possibly score, then fumble and they take it all the way back. And then we fumbled on the handoff (to Wilson), and they get the ball on the goal line. That’s a 14- to 17-point swing right there.”Turnovers were only part of the story. Tampa Bay also committed nine penalties for 72 yards, many of them at crucial moments.On the opening possession, wideout Mike Evans beat Cowboys cornerback Byron Jones deep down the left sideline for a 38-yard completion, putting the Bucs in scoring position. But one play later, center Caleb Benenoch was flagged for holding, and Tampa Bay had to settle for Cairo Santos‘ field goal.On the Cowboys’ subsequent drive, defensive tackle Vita Vea sacked Prescott for a 10-yard loss but was flagged for a facemask Julian Love Jersey , setting up first down from the 7. Prescott rushed for a touchdown on the next play.“We moved the ball consistently all day, and penalties put us in a bind sometimes,” Koetter said. “We overcame some of them. It’s frustrating to move the ball like that and not get touchdowns. Against good teams, that’s what you’re supposed to do.”Winston hobbled a Bucs first-half drive on a rare block-in-the-back call against the quarterback. And in the 4th quarter, facing a 4th-and-1 from the Dallas 2, Winston lost track of time and Tampa Bay was flagged for delay of game.“I thought we were going to get the ball snapped,” Koetter said. “We didn’t do a good job there.”Winston scrambled for 5 yards on the next play, stretching just short of the first down and turning the ball back over to Dallas.“I don’t know what happened with the clock,” Winston said. “I just have to call it faster and get the ball out. I’ve got to do a better job with operations.”Winston finished 34 of 48 for 336 yards and a touchdown, surpassing Ryan Fitzpatrick in the first half for passing yards for the season. Tampa Bay gained just 63 yards on 24 carries. The team’s longest run went for just 8 yards.