Nats keep it interesting but can't rally vs. Phillies (updated)

The Nationals, no matter who remains on their ever-changing roster, continue to play well enough to keep themselves in every game. Give them that.

Whether the organization's goal remains winning in 2021 or not, the players who still comprise the 26-man roster are doing everything in their limited power to try to pull it off.

They managed to take two of three from the equally rebuilding Cubs over the weekend, and though they've now lost two in a row to the semi-contending Phillies, they had a chance to win each game late.

On Monday, a top-of-the-ninth meltdown by Wander Suero spoiled everything. Tonight, a bottom-of-the-ninth rally fell short, leaving the Nationals to suffer a 5-4 loss in a game they trailed by four runs in the seventh.

"These guys are going to get it," said manager Davey Martinez, whose team inexplicably remains only 6 1/2 games behind the Mets (who lost again tonight) in a National League East nobody seems to want to win. "They're playing well. They're playing together. They're pulling for one another. And that's what it's going to take. They don't feel like - and I don't feel like - we're out of it. We're still pushing. We've got to win some of these games now."

A strong but ultimately frustrating start by Patrick Corbin put the Nats in a hole tonight. But after getting shut down completely by Zack Wheeler for six innings, they rallied to score four runs off the All-Star righty (sandwiched around Bryce Harper's key solo homer off reliever Javy Guerra).

That meant they trailed by a run heading to the bottom of the ninth, against erratic Phillies lefty José Alvarado. There was no final rally in them this time, Alvarado retiring the side to end the game and leave the crowd of 17,417 disappointed.

The loss leaves the Nationals at 49-58, matching their season low at nine games under .500.

"I feel like the overall vibe in the clubhouse is: We've got new guys on the roster, younger guys, but everyone is hungry," first baseman Josh Bell said. "Everyone is excited for their chance to come up and hopefully make a name for themselves here. It's just that next-man-up mentality, and we're going to ride with it."

Corbin took the mound at 7:01 p.m. and was ready to go early, throwing the first pitch of the game at 7:04 p.m. Maybe he should've waited, because Jean Segura blasted the 92 mph fastball down the left field line for a leadoff homer that left some in the crowd booing once they got over the initial shock.

What could've been a disastrous start, though, quickly turned into one of Corbin's best in a long time. He responded to the ambush home run by retiring the side on 10 pitches, striking out both Rhys Hoskins and J.T. Realmuto. He then struck out the side in the second, painting the corners with a 95 mph fastball that effectively set up his slider, which he used to induce 13 swings and misses by night's end.

"That was a big (point of emphasis) in between my last start and this one: Trying to really get that slider back, and being able to locate it and get some swings and misses," the lefty said. "I just thought I was staying in my legs more, staying back and trying to repeat my delivery as much as possible. Trying not necessarily to do more when I do throw a slider, and I think that's maybe been causing it to be inconsistent this year. But I thought today was one of my better sliders that I had."

Corbin would go on to retire 11 in a row before Realmuto reached on an infield single and Alec Bohm singled to left in the fourth. No matter, because Corbin got right back to business, retiring seven more in a row to make it through the sixth on 75 pitches.

With the Nationals unable to get anything going at the plate against Wheeler, though, Corbin had zero margin for error. So when he opened the seventh by giving up a homer to Realmuto on a 63 mph curveball - it was only the second home run he's allowed on that slow breaking pitch since he began to throw it in 2018 - things suddenly looked dicey. And when Ronald Torreyes followed two batters later with a towering homer to left-center, that 1-0 deficit was now a 4-0 deficit and Corbin's strong outing no longer even could be categorized as a quality start.

"Take away the seventh inning, the (final) line, and I thought that's the best he's thrown the ball all year," Martinez said. "I mean, his slider was phenomenal. If he can continue to do that, we're going to win some games behind him, that's for sure."

For a good portion of this evening, it was not inappropriate to wonder if the Nationals might be no-hit by Wheeler. They barely made a dent into the right-hander, who through four innings permitted only one baserunner, via a Carter Kieboom walk.

Yadiel Hernandez ensured there would be no ignominy tonight when he led off the fifth with a sharp grounder up the middle for the Nats' first hit. But Wheeler still had a zero in the runs column when he returned to the mound for the bottom of the seventh.

Finally, though, some semblance of offensive life. Hernandez and Kieboom each singled to begin the inning. Then the former scored on Tres Barrera's groundout while the latter scored on Gerardo Parra's bloop single to center.

Then, some more semblance of offensive life in the eighth. Adrián Sanchez led off with a single, and two batters later Bell hammered Wheeler's 105th and final pitch of the night some 442 feet into the second deck in deep right-center.

After all that, Wheeler wound up allowing the same number of runs as Corbin tonight, giving up more hits while striking out fewer batters. Go figure.

"We definitely had our chances tonight," Bell said. "I was just happy to be able to see him that last AB and get a ball in the air and drive it over the fence. He definitely gave us a couple chances."