Phillies Fail to Sweep Nationals, Fall Short 4-2
May 1, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies third base Alec Bohm (28) reacts after striking out to end the sixth inning against the Washington Nationals at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
After winning the first two in the series, the Phillies dropped tonight’s finale against the Nationals. 4-2, in a fairly close battle throughout.
There was a continuation of the good and bad we saw throughout the series, and many new topics to bring up. Bats continued to show up, starting pitching was great, and the bullpen had another night of dominance.
Overall, this game wrapped up a series that proved a lot about this team and what the near future can hold for them down the stretch. Players such as Trea Turner, Johan Rojas, and Max Kepler were able to find a rhythm and get on base when needed, which was not certain at the start of the year.
Another Hit With Runners In Scoring Position
An area the Phillies failed to execute in was solid contact with runners in scoring position. The Phillies started the scoring tonight with a base hit into center from Alec Bohm with a runner on second base. Without overdoing it, a soft liner got a run home and put the Phillies on top. We have been able to see this trend more and more this year, as fewer Phillies are trying to force the ball far and out, and are trying to simply put it in play.
Another hit came from the bat of Nick Castellanos, who, with less than two outs and a runner in scoring position, reached on an infield single. Castellanos had another hit with RISP in last night’s game to add to the Phillies’ insurance.
The Phillies need to see this kind of hitting with guys like Bryce Harper and Turner, but for now, the Phillies are finding a way to get these runners home.
Turner and Rojas Continue Their Hot Streaks
As of late, two Phillies who have greatly contributed to recent success, Turner and Rojas. It was essential to them that they both finished this series, despite tonight’s loss, with good numbers to enter May with.
With three hits, Turner has now brought up his batting average to .298, closer to his standard. He had a four-hit night in the series, showing that the bat is alive and well for Trea, with seven hits this series.
Rojas has had similar success, but he has shown for himself that he can slug. Rojas hit his first home run of the year in game one of the series, and slugged a triple in tonight’s game in the ninth inning. He has finally shown that he can put the ball in the right place at the right time.
More is yet to come for the lineup, but sudden inclines show major growth and potential for this club.
Another Decent Outing from Walker
If you were to tell a Philadelphia sports fan that Taijuan Walker would, as of May 1st, have an ERA of 2.54, they probably would doubt, but here we are.
Walker was solid tonight, with only one earned run due to the error by Harper at first. He went five and two-thirds with eighty-five pitches total, which seems to be the line for him this year. Walker also showed the leather with a highlight reel play to get the speedy CJ Abrams out at first base
After tonight’s performance, Walker has played well above expectations and hopes to contribute more to this team.
Two Series Victories in a Row for the Fightins
Despite the loss, the game still showed much of what the Phillies have worked on and improved after their series in New York.
The Phillies currently sit at 17-14, as they welcome the Arizona Diamondbacks to Philadelphia for a weekend series between two teams in the early hunt.
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Luke Raidy
Luke has covering the the Flyers and Phillies for Philly Sports Reports since 2025. He is a junior at North Penn and being a huge Philly sports fan has brought so many experiences, such as going to the NLDS, NLCS, and even the World Series in 2022. He has also met former superstars in the city of Philadelphia, such as Wayne Simmonds from the Flyers. Though being a student-athlete, Luke enjoys his time where he is writing and reporting on Philadelphia sports.
