Bullpen does its job, but P-Nats fall

Cole Kimball pumped his fist into his glove and walked with confidence off Pfitzner Stadium’s mound as the top of the ninth inning concluded.
Kimball had retired both batters he faced, working out of a two-on, one out situation.
Justin Phillabaum also did his job, retiring 12 of the 14 batters he faced.
But the Potomac Nationals’ offense failed to take advantage of their performances as a 4-3 loss to the Lynchburg Hillcats snapped their two-game win streak.
“Phillabaum worked ahead in the count and worked ahead with his fastball,” Nationals manager Trent Jewett said. “But our offense couldn’t get all the way back.”
Phillabaum entered in the fifth after the Hillcats scored their runs. He immediately asserted himself, retiring his first seven batters before allowing a Jose De Los Santos single.
Phillabaum tossed four innings. He combined with Ricardo Pecina and Kimball to keep Lynchburg scoreless for the final five innings.
“[The key was to] throw strikes and make sure to get back in the dugout,” Phillabaum said. “
It marks Phillabaum’s second consecutive scoreless outing. The former Florida Atlantic standout held Kinston’s hitters to no runs during a two-inning appearance on Aug. 28.
He has tweaked his mechanics under the watch of Potomac pitching coach Paul Menhart and tried to get his lead foot down quicker. Phillabaum is also working to keep the ball down and not give hitters anything to chase.
“He did an excellent job,” Jewett said. “I feel our offense should be better than that. Philly really attacked the strike zone.
“When you get five zero’s out of your bullpen, then you have a chance.”
Potomac’s offense tried taking advantage of its relief corps’s outing.
But the Nationals (76-56 overall, 39-26 second half) came up a run short. They scored twice in the fifth as Boomer Whiting scored on Michael Martinez’s double and Jesus Valdez grounded out to score Martinez.
Devin Ivany came home on Tim Pahuta’s groundout in the eighth.
There could have been more runs, though.
Potomac’s two-on, one out first and fourth inning situations produced nothing. Hillcats starting pitcher Justin Wilson fanned Michael Burgess and Ivany to end the first inning scenario. He forced Pahuta to ground out before Stephen King struck out looking for the final two outs of the fourth.
Hillcats reliever Tom Boleska ended the eighth by striking out Martinez with the tying run at second and go-ahead run at first.
As the Nationals quietly sat in their clubhouse eating the post-game spread and watching the Yankees-Orioles game, they know their journey to the postseason was made a bit more difficult thanks to Wilmington’s victory over Myrtle Beach.
The Blue Rocks lead the Northern Division by three and a half games. The Nationals must win the second half title if they are to return to the playoffs and defend their Carolina League title.
“We’ve still got a chance,” Phillabaum said. “We have to play hard everyday and hope they lose some. We hope we can still get there and repeat.”