After dropping two of three to the Texas Rangers, the Phillies opened a three-game series against the Washington Nationals, hoping to get back on the winning track. Here’s how the series unfolded at Citizens Bank Park.
Loud boos echoed throughout the stadium on Monday evening as the Phillies dropped their third straight game in a 13–2 rout. Washington jumped on the Phillies early, scoring four runs in the first inning, and from that point on, you had a sense it was going to be a long night at the ballpark. The Nationals kept the pressure on throughout the evening, piling up 17 total hits.
Right-hander Taijuan Walker took the loss, lasting just 4.2 innings while surrendering 10 hits and seven runs, along with three walks. His ERA now sits at 11.57 after one start.
Walker is in the final year of a four-year, $72 million contract, and outings like Monday will only bring more questions about his spot in the rotation.
The struggles weren’t limited to the mound. Manager Rob Thomson was ejected in the first inning, and the Phillies managed only two hits through 4 2/3 innings (seven total) while committing two errors.
Bryce Harper, who drew some boos from the home crowd, went 0-for-5 and left six runners on base.
Despite the loss, there were a few bright spots, including a home run from catcher Rafael Marchán in his first start of the season and two hits from Brandon Marsh.
On Tuesday, the Phillies turned to rookie phenom right-hander Andrew Painter, who made his long-anticipated Major League debut. Painter, a first-round pick in the 2021 amateur draft who will turn 24 on April 10, averaged 95.6 mph on his fastball in the minor leagues last year and reached as high as 100.2 mph. During Spring Training, Painter impressed, pitching 11 2/3 innings while allowing just seven hits, walking two, and striking out eight.
Painter carried that strong Spring Training performance into his debut in Philadelphia, providing the spark the team needed to begin climbing out of an ugly three-game losing streak. The 6-foot-7 rookie went 5 1/3 innings, allowing four hits and just one run while striking out eight. He threw 84 pitches, 57 of them for strikes. It was an impressive debut for Painter and an encouraging sign for Phillies fans, both now and moving forward.
The final score was 3–2, with two of the Phillies three runs coming via home runs from Kyle Schwarber, his second of the season, and Adolis García, his first of the year.
Jhoan Durán recorded the save, his second of the season, striking out two to close out the ninth.
On Wednesday, with a chance to win the series, Cristopher Sánchez (1-0, 0.00) took the mound in the finale and gave the Phillies a solid outing, going five and a third innings while allowing one run and striking out seven, despite issuing four walks. However, it was the Phillies’ offense late in the game that became the biggest storyline, an offense that had clearly been struggling.
J.T. Realmuto launched his first home run of the season in the seventh inning, providing the spark the Phillies desperately needed. Harper built on that momentum in the next inning, and after starting the season 2-for-24, delivered his first home run of the year at a crucial moment, cutting the Nationals’ lead to 5–3.
In the bottom of the ninth, Edmundo Sosa came through with a two-run single with the bases loaded and two outs, tying the game and sending the crowd of 37,469 into a frenzy.
All eyes were on the 10th inning, when rookie sensation Justin Crawford stepped to the plate with runners on the corners and showed exactly why he belongs in the starting lineup. The 22-year-old delivered a walk-off single, capping his first career three-hit day and raising his batting average to .412. He also became the youngest Phillies rookie since Scott Rolen in 1997 to record a walk-off hit.
It was the youngsters, Painter and Crawford, in a veteran lineup who helped deliver much-needed wins on Tuesday and Wednesday, securing the series victory after an ugly loss on Monday.
The Phillies will now open a three-game series against the Colorado Rockies on Friday, with Aaron Nola scheduled to take the ball.
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