Phillies' Jhoan Duran Blows First Save in Loss to Nationals

Phillies closer Jhoan Duran blew his first save with Philadelphia in a 5-4 loss to the Washington Nationals, surrendering two runs in the ninth inning after a one-out double by Dylan Crews and a game-tying RBI single by Daylen Lile. Lile then stole third base and scored the winning run on a throwing error by catcher J.T. Realmuto. Despite the blown save, Duran's impressive performance this season, including a 1.35 ERA and no walks over 6.2 innings, remains notable, with Phillies manager Rob Thomson comparing Duran's occasional lapses to those of Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera. Duran himself expressed confidence in bouncing back, acknowledging that mistakes happen even to the best closers. The Nationals' rally ended the Phillies' four-game winning streak, while Riley Adams and Bryson Stott contributed home runs for the Phillies. The game highlighted the unpredictable nature of baseball, underscored by defensive miscues and clutch hitting from Nationals rookies.