WASHINGTON — Just about the only thing that could cool off this red-hot Phillies lineup was a 92-minute rain delay.
And, as it turns out, a solid left-handed starter. Again.
The Phillies have masked their struggles against southpaw starters lately, but the larger issue remains.
The only lefties they have scored three or more runs against this season are Kyle Freeland (7.36 ERA), Nick Lodolo (6.12 ERA), Anthony Kay (4.61 ERA), Patrick Corbin (4.73 ERA), Shane Drohan, who has made only five starts, Sean Manaea (4.64 ERA) and David Peterson (6.09 ERA).
Not exactly a list of pitchers thriving this season.
In their other 17 games against left-handed starters, the Phillies have scored just 11 earned runs.
One of those outings came against one lefty who carved them up earlier this year, Foster Griffin.
On March 30, Griffin held the Phillies down over five innings, while the Nationals pounced on Taijuan Walker in a 13-2 Washington win.
A lot has changed since then, except for their issues against lefty hurlers.
Almost three months later, the Nationals left-hander had everything working again in the Phillies’ 4-1 loss to Washington. He attacked the Phillies all evening, starting 20 of the 26 batters he faced with a first-pitch strike.
That is a difficult formula for hitters against Griffin, who developed a seven-pitch repertoire during three seasons in Japan.
He is not overpowering, and it works. He’s got a 3.15 ERA in 16 starts this year.
Griffin threw 71 percent strikes, kept the Phillies off balance and worked 7 1/3 innings of four-hit, one-run ball. He walked nobody and struck out nine.
Superb.
The Phillies finally broke through in the seventh on a Brandon Marsh solo homer. Marsh continues to give the offense quality at-bats against lefties, and his shot cut Washington’s lead to 2-1.
It also gave the Phillies some hope as they prepared to face one of baseball’s shakier bullpens.
That hope did not last long.
With James Wood leading off the bottom of the seventh and two right-handed hitters set to follow, Don Mattingly turned to right-hander Seth Johnson rather than lefty Kyle Backhus.
Wood singled. Then former Phillies farmhand Curtis Mead hit a two-run homer.
The Nationals’ lead grew to 4-1, and that was the final.
For the Phillies, it was a tough finish because they got nearly everything they could have asked for from Alan Rangel.
The club recalled Rangel from Triple-A Lehigh Valley earlier in the day, then used Tim Mayza as an opener before handing the ball to the 27-year-old right-hander.
Rangel was not dominant.
But he delivered one of the more encouraging outings the Phillies have gotten from this spot in the rotation in about a month.
He allowed one run over five innings and gave the Phillies a chance.
Rangel brings a new look to the staff with a funky, hide-the-ball delivery from a steep over-the-top slot. His 69-degree arm angle would be the most vertical in Major League Baseball among qualified pitchers, even steeper than Blue Jays right-hander Trey Yesavage at 66 degrees.
The Phillies’ right-handed starters behind Zack Wheeler have struggled this season. Rangel’s first outing offered a possible sign that the club has another internal option worth exploring.
He filled the zone. Rangel threw first-pitch strikes 62 percent of the time, landed 71 percent of his pitches for strikes and generated a 41 percent chase rate.
For him, it will likely come down to execution more than simply throwing strikes.
Several Nationals hitters swung through or fouled off changeups above the zone. They also chased fastballs out of the zone. That could have something to do with Rangel’s unusual release point, which makes the ball tougher to pick up.
His next chance to start, or work in bulk behind an opener, will likely come Saturday in Queens against the Mets.
That lineup could have Francisco Lindor back by then.
Monday’s result did not go the Phillies’ way.
But Rangel gave Mattingly something to carry into the next turn.