Nationals shut out by Phillies 3-0 as Wheeler dominates Washington

The Washington Nationals could not solve Zack Wheeler on Wednesday night, falling 3-0 to the Philadelphia Phillies at Nationals Park. Wheeler delivered seven scoreless innings and Philadelphia’s pitching staff held Washington to only four hits, snapping the Nationals’ four-game winning streak and splitting the two-game series. Washington dropped to 71-82, while Philadelphia improved to 84-68.

Washington’s pitching staff actually limited Philadelphia to only five hits, but control problems proved costly. Nationals pitchers issued 13 walks, tying the franchise’s single-game record since the franchise relocated to Washington in 2005. Philadelphia turned two of those walks into first-inning runs and never relinquished the lead.

Rough beginning for Simpson

The Nationals used Jared Simpson as an opener in his first career Major League start, but the experiment quickly ran into trouble. Simpson retired Kyle Schwarber to begin the game before walking Trea Turner, Bryce Harper and Luis Arraez consecutively to load the bases with one out.

Alec Bohm followed with an RBI single to center field that brought Turner home and gave Philadelphia a 1-0 advantage. Simpson then walked Bryson Stott with the bases loaded, forcing Harper home and increasing the Phillies’ lead to 2-0. Washington manager Dave Martinez went to Riley Cornelio, who struck out J.T. Realmuto and retired Brandon Marsh on a fly ball to escape the inning without allowing Philadelphia to add another run.

Simpson’s final line reflected how quickly the game got away from him. The right-hander recorded only one out while allowing one hit, two earned runs and four walks. He threw 26 pitches and took the loss, dropping to 1-1.

The frustrating part for Washington was that its bullpen performed well after Simpson’s departure. Cornelio pitched 2 2/3 scoreless innings without allowing a hit, and Will Dion followed with 2 2/3 scoreless frames. Those performances kept Washington within two runs through six innings and gave the offense plenty of time to get back into the game.

Wheeler shuts down Nationals

Washington simply could not generate enough offense against Wheeler.

The veteran right-hander scattered four hits across seven scoreless innings, walked only one and struck out five according to the official MLB game summary. He threw 91 pitches and improved to 13-5 while lowering his season ERA to 2.99.

Daylen Lile was Washington’s most productive hitter, going 2-for-4. CJ Abrams supplied the Nationals’ only extra-base hit with his 30th double of the season, while Dylan Crews accounted for Washington’s other hit. James Wood, José Tena and the rest of the Nationals’ lineup were unable to generate sustained pressure against Wheeler.

Washington’s best opportunities never developed into the type of extended rally needed to erase Philadelphia’s early advantage. The Nationals finished 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position and stranded five runners overall. With Wheeler consistently throwing strikes and preventing free baserunners, Washington had very little margin for error offensively.

The outing continued an excellent stretch for Wheeler. He has allowed just three earned runs across 26 innings over his past four starts, producing a 1.04 ERA during that span.

Nationals bullpen keeps Washington alive

Washington’s relievers deserve considerable credit for preventing the game from becoming lopsided.

After Simpson departed, Cornelio immediately stabilized the game. He did not allow a hit across his 2 2/3 innings and worked around two walks while striking out one. Dion then covered another 2 2/3 innings, surrendering two hits and one walk while striking out three without allowing a run.

That meant Philadelphia remained stuck on two runs from the first inning all the way into the seventh. Considering the Phillies continually placed runners on base, Washington’s ability to limit the damage was significant.

Philadelphia ultimately left 13 runners on base. The Phillies had only five hits but received an extraordinary 13 walks from Washington’s pitching staff, giving them baserunners throughout the evening.

Phillies finally add insurance

Philadelphia finally broke through against Richard Lovelady in the seventh inning.

Harper opened the inning with a single and Arraez followed with a double to right-center field that scored Harper, extending Philadelphia’s lead to 3-0. It was Arraez’s 33rd double of the season and his 61st RBI.

Bohm was Philadelphia’s most productive hitter, finishing 2-for-2 with an RBI while also drawing three walks. He reached base in all five of his plate appearances. Arraez went 1-for-2 with the RBI double and three walks, while Harper scored twice despite recording only one hit.

Philadelphia did not hit a home run and managed only five hits, but the Phillies did enough with the opportunities Washington gave them.

Phillies bullpen finishes shutout

Wheeler turned the game over to Philadelphia’s bullpen after seven innings, and Washington did not find any more success there.

José Alvarado pitched a scoreless eighth inning, allowing a walk while striking out one. Jhoan Duran then took the ninth and retired Washington in order, recording two strikeouts and earning his 31st save of the season.

Philadelphia’s three pitchers combined for nine scoreless innings, allowing four hits and two walks while striking out eight.

For Washington, the shutout represented a sharp change from Tuesday night’s 6-3 victory over Philadelphia. The Nationals had entered Wednesday riding a four-game winning streak after Daylen Lile’s pinch-hit three-run homer powered them past the Phillies in the series opener.

That momentum disappeared against Wheeler.

Washington’s pitching deserved a better result

The final score does not completely reflect how effectively Washington pitched after the first inning. Once Cornelio entered the game, Nationals pitchers held Philadelphia to one run over the final 8 2/3 innings.

The problem was the walks.

Washington issued 13 of them, matching the Nationals’ franchise record for a game since 2005. Philadelphia’s lineup did not need to consistently string together hits because Washington repeatedly provided free baserunners.

The Nationals still held the Phillies to five hits and no home runs. Under normal circumstances, that type of pitching performance would give Washington an excellent opportunity to win. Against Wheeler on Wednesday, however, two first-inning runs proved to be more than enough.

Nationals’ four-game winning streak ends

Washington’s loss snapped a four-game winning streak and dropped the club to 71-82. It also guaranteed the Nationals their seventh consecutive losing season since their 93-69 World Series championship campaign in 2019.

There have still been encouraging signs during Washington’s recent stretch. Lile continued producing with another two-hit performance Wednesday, while the bullpen demonstrated an ability to cover almost an entire game after the opener struggled.

Washington will remain at Nationals Park and begin its next series against the St. Louis Cardinals. Cade Cavalli is scheduled to start Friday for the Nationals.

MSB Take

This was a frustrating game because Washington’s bullpen gave the Nationals every opportunity to make it competitive. After Simpson’s difficult first inning, Cornelio and Dion immediately settled things down and kept Philadelphia at two runs through six innings. Allowing only five hits over nine innings should normally put a team in position to win.

The 13 walks were simply too much to overcome. Washington repeatedly gave Philadelphia free opportunities, and even though the Phillies struggled to capitalize on many of them, two first-inning walks eventually became runs. Against a pitcher performing as well as Wheeler, falling behind 2-0 before the Nationals even came to the plate was a major obstacle.

Washington also needed more from its offense. Four hits, no runs and only one extra-base hit will rarely be enough, especially against a veteran starter capable of controlling a game the way Wheeler did Wednesday.

The Nationals have still played considerably better baseball recently, and one shutout should not erase the progress made during the four-game winning streak. The next step is developing more consistency. Washington needs to pair the type of pitching it received from the bullpen Wednesday with the aggressive offense that carried the club during its recent victories.