Phillies begin crucial playoff push vs. Nationals
The Philadelphia Phillies begin a crucial stretch in their postseason race Tuesday when they visit the Washington Nationals for the opener of a two-game series.
Philadelphia enters the final two weeks of the regular season with little room for error. After dropping two of three games in Atlanta over the weekend, the Phillies were five games behind the Braves in the National League East with 12 games remaining.
While the division title has become increasingly difficult to reach, Philadelphia remains in control of its path to a wild-card berth. The Phillies are competing with the Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks for the National League’s three wild-card spots.
The upcoming schedule will be critical. After two games in Washington, Philadelphia travels to New York for four games against the Mets before returning home to close the regular season against the playoff-bound Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays.
“We’ve just got to take care of business,” Philadelphia’s Bryce Harper said. “We can’t worry about what other teams are doing, especially when you’re in this situation. We’ve got to play better baseball. If we don’t, we’re not going to be in.”
Washington enters the series with momentum after completing a three-game home sweep of the Los Angeles Angels. The Nationals rallied late in all three victories, a notable turnaround after going 0-7 on a road trip against the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres.
“We wanted to bounce back from that California trip, and we did,” center fielder Jacob Young said. “Three pretty gritty wins. Nothing was easy about them, and we found a way to do it, which is something we’ve been preaching for a while now.”
Philadelphia will send left-hander Cristopher Sanchez to the mound in the series opener. Sanchez enters at 17-5 with a 2.79 ERA and is tied for the major league lead in victories and shutouts with one. He also ranks among MLB’s top 10 in ERA, innings pitched (187 1/3), and strikeouts (210).
Sanchez struggled in his most recent outing, allowing six runs on 10 hits over six innings, although Philadelphia went on to defeat the Houston Astros 11-7.
In 14 career appearances against Washington, including 11 starts, Sanchez is 4-2 with a 3.99 ERA. He has gone 1-0 with a 4.70 ERA in three starts against the Nationals this season.
Washington will counter with rookie left-hander Jackson Kent, who enters with a 1-4 record and a 6.59 ERA.
Kent will make his seventh major league start and has struggled in his two most recent outings, going 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA. He allowed five runs on eight hits over three-plus innings against San Diego on Wednesday.
“I think right when you get to the big leagues, that’s when you really start learning,” Kent said. “Learning who you are, learning how to get guys out. Every outing, they’re going to adjust to me, and I have to make adjustments to them.”
The Phillies avoided a series sweep against Atlanta with a 9-4 victory Sunday. J.T. Realmuto hit a two-run homer and finished with three RBIs, while Alec Bohm tied it up with a two-run double in the eighth inning.
“At this point you’ve got to try to win a game every day,” manager Don Mattingly said. “Just keep fighting. Get yourself to the finish line.”
Washington also enters the series following a comeback victory. The Nationals erased a 4-2 deficit with four runs in the eighth inning Sunday and held on for a 6-5 win over the Angels.
Daylen Lile delivered an RBI triple and later scored during the rally, while Young doubled home the go-ahead run.
With the regular season nearing its conclusion, every game carries added significance for Philadelphia as the Phillies try to secure their place in the postseason.
