Derek Hill hit a go-ahead grand slam in the seventh inning to highlight the Philadelphia Phillies’ 6-3 comeback victory over the visiting Washington Nationals on Monday.
Bryce Harper also homered for Philadelphia, which has won three in a row following a stretch of eight losses in nine games. Aaron Nola allowed three runs and six hits in six innings for the Phillies before Kyle Backhus (2-1), Orion Kerkering and Jhoan Duran closed it out.
Duran fanned two in a scoreless ninth inning for his 25th save.
The Nationals received a strong effort from Andrew Alvarez, who was recalled from Triple-A Rochester earlier in the day. The left-hander allowed two runs, three hits and three walks with five strikeouts before exiting in 6 1/3 innings.
Abimelec Ortiz and Daylen Lile homered for Washington, which has lost six consecutive games.
Trailing 3-0 in the seventh, the Phillies began the go-ahead rally when Bryan De La Cruz was hit by a pitch from Alvarez with one out. Bryson Stott then walked on five pitches before Alvarez gave way to Tom Cosgrove (0-1), who immediately walked Edmundo Sosa on five pitches.
Hill took strike one from the left-hander before launching a sweeper into the seats in left-center field for the Phillies’ first grand slam since Kyle Schwarber cleared the bases 364 days earlier.
Hill hit his only previous slam for the Miami Marlins in 2024.
Kerkering breezed through the eighth, aided by Hill’s running catch in center field, before Harper’s two-run homer in the bottom half gave the hosts a bit of breathing room.
After Ortiz socked his first career major league homer against Nola in the first inning, Alvarez retired Philadelphia in order in the bottom half. Lile hit a two-run shot in the second, following a leadoff single from Keibert Ruiz, to put the visitors ahead 3-0.
Alvarez utilized a double play to get through the second inning and sent down the Phillies in order in the third and fourth. He then benefited from another double play in the fifth.
Alvarez had no major issues in the sixth, but he quickly ran into trouble in the seventh.
