Nationals vs Phillies: Series Review

Positives and negatives from the Nationals’ opening season series against the Phillies.

The Washington Nationals kicked off the 2025 season against the reigning National League East champions, the Philadelphia Phillies. Washington secured their first win of the season on Sunday, but not before dropping the first two games of their opening series to Philadelphia. However, this Nationals team is giving fans a different feeling than previous seasons.

There will be positives and negatives that come and go throughout a demanding 162-game schedule. In this article, each game will be broken down with positives and negatives from the Washington Nationals and a breakdown of each game.

GAME ONE: PHI 7 – WAS 3 (F/10)

MacKenzie Gore (WAS):

• 6 Innings
• 1 Hit
• 0 Earned Runs
• 0 Walks
• 13 Strikeouts (Career High)

Zach Wheeler (PHI):

• 6 Innings
• 2 Hits
• 1 Earned Runs
• 2 Walks
• 8 Strikeouts

KEY BATTERS:

Washington Nationals:

• Keibert Ruiz- 2-4, RBI, HR
• Luis Garcia Jr.- 2-4, RBI

Philadelphia Phillies:

• Kyle Schwarber- 2-4, RBI, HR, BB
• Alec Bohm- 2-5, 2 RBI (Go-ahead 2 RBI double in the 10th inning)

GAME TWO: PHI 11- WAS 6

Jake Irvin (WAS):

• 5 Innings
• 7 Hits
• 2 Earned Runs
• 2 Walks
• 2 Strikeouts

Jesus Luzardo (PHI):

• 5 Innings
• 5 Hits
• 2 Earned Runs
• 2 Walks
• 11 Strikeouts

KEY BATTERS:

Washington Nationals:

• C.J. Abrams- 2-4, BB
• James Wood- 2-5
• Amed Rosario- 3-5, RBI, HR
• Nathaniel Lowe- 2-5, 3 RBI, HR
• Keibert Ruiz- 2-3, 2 RBI, HR

Philadelphia Phillies:

• Kyle Schwarber- 2-5, 3 RBI, HR
• Bryce Harper- 2-5
• Alec Bohm- 2-5, BB
• Bryson Stott- 2-3, 2 RBI, HR, 2 BB
• Brandon Marsh- 3-5, 3 RBI, HR
• Edmundo Sosa- 2-4, RBI, BB

GAME THREE: WAS 5- PHI 1

Mitchell Parker (WAS):

• 6.1 Innings
• 7 Hits
• 0 Earned Runs
• 2 Walks
• 5 Strikeouts

Aaron Nola (PHI):

• 5.1 Innings
• 6 Hits
• 5 Earned Runs
• 0 Walks
• 8 Strikeouts

KEY BATTERS:

Washington Nationals:

• Nathaniel Lowe- 3-4, 2 RBI, HR
• Josh Bell- 1-4, 3 RBI, HR
• Paul DeJong- 3-3

Philadelphia Phillies:

• Edmundo Sosa- 2-4
• Rafael Marchan- 1-4, RBI

SUMMARY

POSITIVES:

• Starting rotation allowed two or fewer earned runs in all three games
• Keibert Ruiz shines (5-10, 2 HR, 1.200 SLG)
• Offense performed against solid pitching
• Veteran Nathaniel Lowe (6-13, 2 HR) proves to be their best acquisition of the off-season

NEGATIVES:

• Dylan Crews struggles (0-11, 8 SO in a row)
• Bullpen struggled in the first series of the season (17 ER)
• Wood (2-12, 7 SO) and Abrams (2-13) struggled to get the offense going

CONCLUSION

Washington was expected to lose this series, but I believe the positives outweigh the negatives. Keibert Ruiz shined offensively and Nathaniel Lowe has provided needed power at first base, a position Washington desperately needed improvement from.

The starting rotation exceeded expectations heading into this rivalry series. MacKenzie Gore dominates on Opening Day while the bullpen struggles in an extra inning loss. Jake Irvin and Mitchell Parker threw well, looking like potential back-end rotation pieces.

Washington’s next series comes on the road against the struggling Toronto Blue Jays. This could be an opportunity to build off the solid offensive performance and show why this team is a different Washington Nationals team.