Instant Analysis: Phillies 6, Nats 5 (10)
The Nationals carried a four-run lead into the late innings behind CJ Abrams' seventh-inning homer, but the bullpen couldn't finish it off
PHILADELPHIA – The Nationals put themselves on the cusp of another impressive road series victory to begin the season. But they couldn’t put the finishing touches on this one, done in by the Phillies with a disastrous bottom of the ninth and 10th.
Leading by two runs in the ninth, left-hander PJ Poulin (Tuesday night’s opener) was summoned to face Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper with the game on the line. Poulin managed to retire Harper but walked both Schwarber and Alec Bohm. So in came Cole Henry with the bases loaded, and the righty surrendered a game-tying, two-run single to Edmundo Sosa before at least escaping without suffering any more damage and sending this one to extra innings.
The Nationals couldn’t get their automatic runner home in the top of the 10th, with Daylen Lile doubled-up on Sosa’s leaping catch of CJ Abrams’ liner to second. Henry then re-took the mound for the bottom of the inning and surrendered a single to J.T. Realmuto and a first-pitch, game-winning single to Justin Crawford to officially spoil what had been shaping up to be an encouraging afternoon.
Behind six effective innings from Cade Cavalli and a patient approach against left-hander Cristopher Sánchez, the Nats kept the game close before taking the lead in the sixth. Jacob Young and Drew Millas, the bottom two hitters in the lineup, combined to manufacture the go-ahead run. Lile then ignited a two-out rally in the seventh by hustling to beat out a chopper to short, the Nationals winning their replay challenge after Lile initially was called out. Joey Wiemer extended the rally with a conventional single. And Abrams went yard, driving a Brad Keller slider on the outer edge of the zone to right-center for a three-run homer and a 5-1 lead.
Blake Butera then watched as relievers Andre Granillo and Cionel Pérez each served up a solo homer and Luis Garcia Jr. failed to catch two low throws to first base that considerably tightened things up. Clayton Beeter managed to get the last two outs of the eighth with a 5-3 lead intact and recorded the first out in the ninth, but his bullpen mates could not close it out there.
HITTING HIGHLIGHT: Though they scored only one run off Sánchez, the Nationals did the next-best thing by making the Philly ace work for every out he got. Five times in five innings, one of their hitters fell behind in the count 0-2 only to get themselves all the way back to a 3-2 count. The result: Sánchez’s pitch count soared to 93 after five innings, allowing the Nats to reach the Phillies bullpen by the sixth inning … at which point they scored the go-ahead run, courtesy Millas’ two-out RBI single. And then three more, courtesy Abrams’ big blast in the seventh.
PITCHING HIGHLIGHT: Look at a strike zone plot of Cavalli’s pitches today and you’ll see a guy who was all over the place, missing inside, outside, up and down. Look at his final pitching line and you’ll see a guy who gave up only one run in six innings. How did Cavalli pull that off? He pitched his way out of several jams, twice getting Trea Turner to make the final out of an inning with multiple runners in scoring position. Jacob Young helped make the first one possible with a sliding catch in shallow center field, but Cavalli did it himself when he got Turner to pop up in the fourth, leaving the crowd booing their hometown shortstop. Maybe the most-impressive aspect of today’s start: He retired his last seven batters, each of them facing him for the third time in the game.
NOTABLE: The Nationals traded left-hander Jake Eder to the Dodgers today for cash considerations. Eder, who was acquired by interim general manager Mike DeBartolo last summer in the trade that sent relievers Andrew Chafin and Luis Garcia to the Angels, was designated for assignment over the weekend when the club needed to a clear a 40-man roster spot for Curtis Mead.
UP NEXT: At long last, it’s the 2026 home opener, with the two-time defending champion Dodgers coming to town Friday for a 1:05 p.m. first pitch. Right-hander Emmett Sheehan starts for L.A., while the Nats say it’s “TBA.” Might we see an opener in the home opener? TV: Nationals TV RADIO: 106.7 FM
Probably the first lost of the season that Im truly upset about.
Pissing away Cavalli’s performance and against the Phillies of all people is so aggravating
Loss hurts but if you told me we’d start 3-3 with this schedule on the road, I wouldn’t have believed you.
Edit: One other thing that I really do appreciate is that we’re not getting destroyed like we have in past years. Philly genuinely had to EARN those wins. Those were not cakewalks.