Nationals Blow Late Lead Again

**Corey** (0:00)
It's June 25th. I'm Corey with the story, and this is Washington Nationals News Today, your AI-powered team report. The Washington Nationals are facing a tough stretch, losing another game to the Philadelphia Phillies in a way that felt all too familiar. Just one day after blowing a lead in the ninth inning, they found themselves in a similar spot. A pitcher named Orlando Ribalta was on the mound, one out away from closing out the inning, but ended up walking a key batter after a long fight.
This led to a pitching change, with manager Blake Butera bringing in a different arm from the bullpen. The Phillies then sent up a hitter, who managed to hit a two-run home run, ultimately sealing the win for Philadelphia. It's a tough pill to swallow when a late game decision seems to backfire like that.
The manager mentioned that part of the reason for the pitching change was to avoid overextending Ribalta, referencing past injuries and the pitchers. Workload, he felt Ribalta had given everything he had in that previous at-bat, and wanted to protect him from further strain. However, it's also noted that the manager felt the matchup with the reliever he brought in was more favorable.
So, while pitcher health was a factor, the strategic matchup also played a role in the decision-making process. Ribalta had only thrown 23 pitches, a number he surpassed in many of his previous outings. Regardless of the reasoning, the Nationals let another win slip through their fingers against a division rival. After being so close to winning the first three games of the series, they now need to win the final game just to get a split.