Phillies Lose Second-to-Last Regular Season Game to Nationals as Playoffs Approach
Nick Wass/AP Photos
With a 6-3 loss in today’s game, the Philadelphia Phillies are limping to the finish line, losing the series to the lowly Washington Nationals. They have now lost seven of their last 10. With several hitters currently struggling in their lineup, fans are understandably concerned for the playoffs.
Phillies’ ace Zack Wheeler pitched a scoreless game until the bottom of the sixth when he gave up a two-run home run. Wheeler went 6.1 innings, giving up 2 runs, pitching a pretty solid game overall. With 11 strikeouts for Wheeler in this game, the ace completes a stellar 2024 with 224 total strikeouts.
Tough One to Watch
Nationals’ pitcher MacKenzie Gore blanked the Phils’ bats through six innings, allowing just two hits. Washington’s bullpen then held the offense scoreless until the top of the 8th. Trea Turner finally seemed to break the squad out of its recent slump with a two-run homer of his own.
Orion Kerkering pitched a scoreless seventh inning, but Hoffman gave up four runs in the eighth to bring the score to 6-2 in favor of the Nationals. The lack of offense for the Phightins is concerning, and so is how Hoffman pitched in this game.
Will The Offensive Woes Continue in the Playoffs?
Even though Nick Castellanos hit a triple and Alec Bohm knocked him in to make it 6-3, the Phils still dropped this game, bringing their season record to 94-67. Some questions exist going into the postseason, most importantly about their offense. This loss ensures the Dodgers will own the #1 seed in the postseason.
This is not how most fans wanted to see Philly enter the postseason. Hopefully, the relative lack of momentum heading into Red October doesn’t necessarily mean it will continue in the playoffs. As fans, let’s try to focus on all of the positive things this team has done instead of focusing on their lackluster play to end the regular season.
Philadelphia will play their last regular season game tomorrow (Sunday) at 3:05 p.m. ET.
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