Washington Nationals Face Tall Task as Philadelphia Phillies Roll into D.C.
Philadelphia is one of the most complete teams in all of baseball. With Cy Young contenders Cristopher Sanchez and Zach Wheeler at the top of the rotation, and newly acquired Jhoan Duran at the end of the bullpen closing games, this team is built to win the World Series.
This is an important series for Philadelphia as they try to extend their lead in the National League East and push for a first-round bye.
Let's dive deeper into the Philadelphia Phillies.
TEAM STATS
OFFENSE
This lineup is one of the best lineups in the sport with superstars from top to bottom. Trea Turner and Bryce Harper are consistently one of the best players at their positions and Kyle Schwarber has inserted himself into the National League MVP conversation with fourth-two home runs. As a team, they are batting .254 (6th), scored 556 runs (9th), hit 143 home runs (12th), an on-base percentage of .325 (7th) and a slugging percentage of .417 (9th).
PITCHING
While the offense has been dominate all season, Philadelphia's pitching staff has been ever better. Zach Wheeler (2.68 ERA) and Cristopher Sanchez (2.36) are in the mix for the National League Cy Young award and the bullpen is one of the scariest in baseball. As a team, they have a 3.70 ERA (6th), allowed 130 home runs (12th), 1.23 WHIP (9th), and teams are batting .243 against them (16th).
GAME ONE – Thursday, 6:45 PM EDT
WAS: RHP Brad Lord (3-6) – 39 G (10 GS), 3.28 ERA, 70 SO, 1.21 WHIP, 126 ERA+
PHI: LHP Jesus Luzardo (11-5) – 24 G, 4.20 ERA, 151 SO, 1.35 WHIP, 105 ERA+
Brad Lord has been a great arm for Washington in 2025. He has split time in the bullpen and in the rotation as a starter and he has adapted tremendously. In his last seven games, which includes four starts, he has a 2.49 ERA with a 0.95 WHIP. His last start was a great one, throwing six innings and allowed just four hits and one earned run in a win against the San Francisco Giants.
Luzardo was acquired this past off-season from the Miami Marlins and started off the season fantastic. Since that hot start, he has struggled throughout stretches. As of late, he is on a great stretch, allowing just four runs in his past three starts. In his last start, he threw six innings and allowed seven hits and just one earned run in a victory vs the Texas Rangers.
GAME TWO – Friday, 6:45 PM EDT
WAS: LHP MacKenzie Gore (5-12) – 24 G, 4.09 ERA, 158 SO, 1.33 WHIP, 101 ERA+
PHI: RHP Zach Wheeler (10-5) – 23 G, 2.68 ERA, 189 SO, 0.93 WHIP, 165 ERA+
MacKenzie Gore had one of the best first halves in baseball, showing why he should be considered one of the best lefties in the sport. However, since participating in his first All-Star game, he has been one of the worst pitchers in baseball. In his last seven starts, he has a 7.09 ERA with a 1.73 WHIP. However, his last start looked like 'first half' Gore. He threw six innings and allowed three hits and no runs while striking out ten batters in a much needed performance.
Wheeler has produced yet another Cy Young worthy season. As he consistently performs at a high level, he will continue being the ace for this incredible team. In his last seven starts, he has been great with a 3.15 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP. In his last start, Wheeler threw a quality start, going five innings and allowed three hits and two earned runs while striking out seven batters in a win.
GAME THREE – Saturday, 4:05 PM EDT
WAS: RHP Cade Cavalli (0-0) – 2 G, 3.86 ERA, 9 SO, 1.50 WHIP, 111 ERA+
PHI: RHP Taijuan Walker (4-5) – 25 G (14 GS), 3.39 ERA, 62 SO, 1..29 WHIP, 131 ERA+
Cade Cavalli has had one of the roughest journeys of any MLB player. After not pitching since 2022, Cavalli has a chance to earn a spot in the rotation as a long-term option. Cavalli was stellar in his first start, throwing 4.1 innings and allowing no runs. However, his last start was more rough, allowing seven hits and four earned-runs.
Walker has been in-and-out of the rotation throughout the season, seeing twenty-five games but just fourteen starts. However, he has turned back the clock, performing very well this season, arguably the best since 2022 with the New York Mets. In his last seven games (six starts), he has a 2.70 ERA. In his last start, he threw six innings and allowed six hits and just one earned run.
GAME FOUR – Sunday, 11:35 AM EDT
WAS: LHP Mitchell Parker (7-13) – 24 G, 5.55 ERA, 84 SO, 1.46 WHIP, 74 ERA+
PHI: TBD
Parker has continued to regress from his 2024 season. He has been one of the worst pitchers in baseball in the second half of the season. In his last seven games, he has a 7.85 ERA and a 1.75 WHIP. In his last start, he threw 5.1 innings, but allowed two hits and five earned runs in a loss to the Kansas City Royals.
Washington looks for bright spots throughout the lineup and the rotation every single game. Luckily for Washington, there are many bright spots throughout the organization and they could build on them in the off-season. With so much young talent on the Major League roster, Washington will continue to see growing pains but this could be good for the organization heading into 2026.
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