WASHINGTON — One night after having eight runs cross the plate with two outs in the ninth, Derek Hill came to the plate with his typical toothpick in his mouth and the Phillies down to their final strike. Again. Kyle Schwarber, who came in to pinch-hit, had kept the inning alive with a 10-pi tch walk. The Nationals then turned to left-hander Richard Lovelady, making his third straight relief appearance, and Don Mattingly sent Hill up from the bench. On a 1-2 pitch, Hill drove Lovelady’s pitch into the first row above the high wall in right field for a go-ahead two-run homer. As soon as he knew it had enough, he leaped between second and third base, pointing toward the Phillies’ bullpen in celebration. Déjà vu. Jhoan Duran closed out the ninth, and the Phillies held on for a 5-4 win over the Nationals on Wednesday night at Nationals Park. It was Hill’s first homer as a Phillie, 13 days after the club acquired him in a trade to give its lineup another right-handed option against left-handed pitching. He had family in the stands to see it. “It’s incredible to be over here [with the Phillies],” Hill told the television broadcast. “They’ve welcomed me in with open arms. The fans are amazing here, as everybody knows around the league.” Hill had been in the cage with Schwarber as the ninth inning unfolded, both preparing for possible matchups. Schwarber had been scratched before Tuesday’s first pitch with lower back tightness and was out of Wednesday’s starting lineup. But he felt better as the day went on, took swings in the cage and told the Phillies he could be available off the bench. Mattingly waited for a spot where Schwarber would likely be pitched to. “We kind of knew he had that in the bag,” Mattingly said. “Just wanted to get it in a spot where he was going to get pitched to.” Schwarber delivered the walk. Hill, also pinch-hitting, got the matchup the Phillies wanted. “Schwarber was amazing coming off the bench, giving an incredible at-bat,” Hill said on the Phillies’ radio broadcast. “He went out there and put everything he had into that at-bat and gave me an opportunity to go out there and succeed.” Hill was looking to pass the baton. “Honestly, I was just trying to drive something over second base and get the next man up,” he said. “I was just trying to get the next man up.” Instead, he put the Phillies ahead. The club acquired Hill knowing he could play all three outfield spots, run and help against left-handed pitching. Mattingly said the Phillies have also quickly learned that Hill stays ready for the role. “He’s been a good guy in our clubhouse,” Mattingly said. “He’s a guy that’s prepared. He’s low-maintenance, ready to go at all times.” Along with Edmundo Sosa, Hill gives the Phillies another right-handed bench option who can affect a late game in different ways. The Phillies needed Hill’s swing because the Nationals grabbed the early edge. Luis García Jr. homered six pitches into Aaron Nola’s outing. Washington added another solo shot three pitches into the second inning. It was Nola’s third straight start allowing two homers. But like he did against the Mets last time out, Nola worked through five innings and allowed only those two runs. Mattingly has grown to appreciate how Nola works through outings like this. “He may bend a little bit, but he just doesn’t give in and stop pitching,” Mattingly said. “He’s a guy that keeps working. I’ve really come to appreciate what he does.” The Phillies answered in the fourth. Brandon Marsh led off with a single. Alec Bohm reached on a fielding error after fouling a ball off his foot earlier in the at-bat. Bryson Stott then turned on a low-and-in slider from Miles Mikolas. His 106.2 mph drive sailed over the head of Nationals right fielder James Wood, bringing Marsh home. J.T. Realmuto followed with a sacrifice fly to score Bohm and tie the game. Rookie Gabriel Rincones Jr. jumped on Mikolas’ first pitch and lined a run-scoring single through the middle, giving the Phillies a 3-2 lead. Nola allowed plenty of hard contact. Of the 13 balls put in play against him, 54 percent were hit at least 95 mph. His average exit velocity allowed was 95 mph. Still, he got through the fifth and handed the bullpen a lead. “I was trying to make pitches,” Nola said. “I got behind a little bit tonight. My pitches weren’t where they needed to be, but they were two solo home runs. I was trying to get the guys in the dugout as soon as I could.” Washington moved back ahead in the sixth. Former Phillies prospect Curtis Mead pinch-hit with a runner on, and Mattingly went to Jonathan Bowlan. Right-handed hitters entered the night slashing .167/.167/.214 against Bowlan with one extra-base hit. But Bowlan left a sweeper up. Mead sent it into the left-field seats for his second homer in three games during the series, putting the Nationals ahead 4-3. That lead held into the magical ninth. This Phillies team has shown fight like none other in recent memory. And Mattingly made clear that this reinforces a lesson players have to experience for themselves. “It’s them understanding this game’s never over,” the skipper said. “If we keep it close, we’re down a couple runs in the seventh or whatever, it’s not like a game that’s over.” Schwarber said the Phillies should carry the confidence from these finishes without expecting anything to come easy. “When you’re able to do it in a little bit of a dramatic fashion, you want to ride that momentum,” Schwarber said. “But when we come in tomorrow, there’s going to be a lot of different situations thrown at you. You’ve got to be prepared for those, but still keep those good memories in the back of your head.” For Hill, Wednesday’s ending was already one he will remember. “It’s up there,” he said. “I could not lie. That was a special moment right there.” ...read more read less