PHILADELPHIA -- J.P. Crawford did not figure to be a storyline for the Phillies over the final few weeks of the season because he had not been a factor since he broke his left hand in June and was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley in August.
Philadelphia figured to play Asdrubal Cabrera and Scott Kingery at shortstop the rest of the season as it pursued its first National League East title since 2011. But following Wednesday night's 5-1 loss to the Nationals at Citizens Bank Park, the Phillies, who have lost five straight games, are 7 1/2 games behind the first-place Braves with 17 games to play.