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Aaron Nola's Dominant Start in Vain as Phillies Fall to Red Sox in 13 Innings

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BOSTON - Poor defense hurt the Phillies yet again on Monday night as their losing streak swelled to four games.

Aaron Nola pitched an absolute gem - eight innings, four hits, one run, six strikeouts - but came away with nothing to show for it as the Phillies suffered a 2-1 loss to the Boston Red Sox in 13 innings at Fenway Park.

The Red Sox rallied for the winning run on a one-out double in the bottom of the 13th by Blake Swihart against Luis Garcia. The hit scored Eduardo Nunez, who had led off with a single against Austin Davis and stolen second base.

Nola and Boston lefty David Price hooked up in a tense pitchers' duel. Price also went eight innings and allowed just a run. Nola was brilliant in the eighth inning, pitching around a leadoff double to keep the game knotted at 1-1.

The Phillies took a 1-0 lead into the fifth inning. The Red Sox tied the game when Odubel Herrera misplayed a catchable line drive to center field into an RBI triple in the bottom of that inning.

It was not a good night for Herrera. Earlier in the game, he made a costly base-running mistake to take the Phillies out of a potential rally.

The Phillies have scored just seven runs during this four-game losing skid and just one run in the last two games.

The Phils have not lost five in a row this season. They are 58-48 on the season and their lead in the NL East is down to a half-game over Atlanta.

The Red Sox have the majors' best record at 75-33.

The Phillies left 12 men on base and were 2 for 9 with runners in scoring position.

They had chances late in this game.

They mounted a threat in the top of the eighth inning after Herrera doubled with two outs and Carlos Santana walked. The next batter, Asdrubal Cabrera, hit the first pitch on the barrel but his hard line drive to right field was caught by Mookie Betts.

In the top of the ninth, Roman Quinn reached base on a two-out single then was thrown out trying to steal second.

In the top of the 10th, Rhys Hoskins and Herrera drew two-out walks. Carlos Santana then grounded out to second base.

They left two runners on base in the top of the 13th.

The Phillies jumped to a 1-0 lead in the second inning. Cabrera, the designated hitter, stroked a double, his first hit with his new team, to lead off the inning and scored on a hit by Maikel Franco.

The Phillies had a chance to put more runs on the board in the third inning but the potential rally died when the Red Sox capitalized on poor base running by Herrera and turned a 5-2-6-5 double play. Hoskins broke from third for the plate on Santana's one-out ground ball to third. When Hoskins realized he was going to be an easy out at the plate, he started back to third base. Herrera, who was on first base, needed to get to third on the play and Santana to second. However, Herrera hesitated just before getting to third base and he did not slide. He was alertly tagged out by shortstop Xander Bogaerts and Hoskins was also snuffed out as the threat ended abruptly and painfully for the Phillies.

Herrera's misadventures continued in the fifth inning, this time in the field when he misplayed a liner to center by Nunez into an RBI triple that tied the game at 1-1.

It was the latest bit of poor defense for a team that has been plagued by it all season.

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