Coming in Hot — Series Preview: Nationals at Phillies, August 22-24

After a 3-game sweep of the Seattle Mariners, the Phillies are set to play their final 3 games against the divisional rival Washington Nationals.

The last time these 2 teams played was only 4 days ago when they split a 4-game series in Washington. Despite managing a series split, it felt like a disaster for the Phillies. Not only would they have liked to take 3 or even all 4 games from a struggling team like Washington, but it was announced that their ace, Zack Wheeler, was placed on the injured list due to a blood clot.

As the Phillies look to gain ground on the Brewers to take the No. 1 seed in the NL and extend their lead in the NL East against the Mets, they should expect better results this time around.

The Trea Turner show

Former National Trea Turner has been the best hitter in baseball over the last week’s worth of games. Turner, who has quietly been one of the best shortstops in baseball all season, is 21 for his last 34 at-bats with a batting average of .617 in his last 7 games.

While it isn’t just Turner and much of the lineup has been hot during August, he has stolen the spotlight with his performances in the last week. The Phillies’ offense in August has been the 5th best in baseball and the 3rd best in the NL.

Bryson Stott has also been one of the main reasons the offense has caught fire like it has. Stott is hitting .354 in August with a home run and 10 RBIs and has been a threat in the 9 hole, adding tremendous depth to the lineup while still playing gold glove caliber defense.

Brandon Marsh and even Max Kepler have both been performing well at the plate in August as parts of the Phillies’ outfield platoon. Marsh, who’s been on fire since his return from the IL, has continued his hot hitting to the tune of a .292 batting average this month with 2 home runs and 4 RBIs. Even Kepler, who has been one of the worst outfielders in all of baseball at the plate this season, has seemingly turned his year around and is hitting .324 in August with 2 home runs and 7 RBIs.

With Nick Castellanos in the midst of a brutal slump, the resurgence of Kepler couldn’t have come at a better time. It feels like Bryce Harper is having a somewhat underrated August himself. He’s hit a respectable .253 in 19 games and has hit 6 home runs and knocked in 15 RBIs.

And of course, you haven’t been able to talk about this offense without mentioning how good J.T. Realmuto has been these last few months. Realmuto, who has one of the highest batting averages in baseball since June, is hitting .328 with 2 home runs and 5 RBIs so far this month. While it’s been a slower month for guys like Castellanos and even Kyle Schwarber to an extent, the rest of the lineup has stepped up big time, and it’s been a huge factor in the Phillies building up their division lead over the Mets.

Total opposite side of the spectrum

For the Nationals, it’s been a very, very different story. After selling at the trade deadline, they’ve had the 5th-worst offense in all of MLB in August. Offense has been a struggle for the Nationals all season long, as they rank 10th worst in terms of runs scored since the start of the season. The struggles have just been made even worse with 2 of their best players in James Wood and CJ Abrams, going through slumps.

Wood has been mired in a brutal slump going all the way back to the start of July. He’s hitting just .203 in his last 40 games, and his renowned power that saw him get into the home run derby has disappeared, with only 3 home runs since July.

Abrams has also been stuck in a rut in the last month and a half. After hitting .308 the month before, his batting average since the end of June is .233.

In a moment that really encapsulated their struggles, they released 1st baseman Nathaniel Lowe, a good chunk of their power hitting. Lowe was then signed by the Red Sox, and in his first game with the team, he hit a game-tying 2 run home run to send the game to extra innings.

NATHANIEL LOWE, MEET THE WALLY HEAD. pic.twitter.com/ERCHJ9tgTr

— Red Sox (@RedSox) August 20, 2025

Pitching matchups

If the offense has been bad for the Nationals this season, the pitching has been catastrophic. On the season, they’re the 2nd-worst in team ERA behind only the Rockies.

In game one, however, they’ll send out a 27-year-old right-handed pitcher who has flashed since coming back from injury. After missing the entire 2024 season due to injury, Cade Cavalli has made his return loud so far in his 3 starts back. Cavalli is 1-0 with a 2.20 ERA, and in his last start against the Phillies, he dominated with 7 innings of scoreless baseball.

He’ll be up against the resurgence of Taijuan Walker. Walker has turned himself from the worst starting pitcher on the team last year to an extremely reliable arm in the rotation this year with a 3.34 ERA. His last start was also against the Nationals, and he pitched well, going 6.2 innings and allowing 2 earned runs. In

In Game 2, you can anticipate a lot of offense from both sides. For the Nationals, it’s the left-handed Mitchell Parker who will be getting the start. Parker has been struggling all season, and the Phillies shelled him for 6 runs in 1.2 innings the last time Parker started. Parker’s already high ERA has skyrocketed thanks to a 12.38 ERA in August.

Aaron Nola will make his first home start since mid-May for the Phillies to face Parker. In a disaster season for Nola, his return start last Sunday was somehow one of his worst. Against the slumping Nationals offense, Nola was crushed, allowing 6 runs in 2.1 innings. Hopefully, his fortunes will change for the better back in front of the home crowd.

In the 3rd and final game, the Phillies have the clearest advantage on the mound. Right-handed Jake Irvin will make the start for Washington. Irvin has a 5.30 ERA on the season and a 9.31 ERA in his 4 starts in August. For the Phillies, it will be Ranger Suarez. While he is known to struggle in the 2nd half of seasons and has so far this year, Suarez looked sharp in his last appearance against the Mariners. Suarez pitched 6.2 innings, allowing only 2 runs and striking out 10 Mariners batters.

Game Times and Broadcasts

Friday, August 22nd, 6:45 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Philadelphia, 1210 WPHT, WTTM 1680

Saturday, August 23rd, 6:05 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Philadelphia, 94.1 WIP, WTTM 1680

Sunday, August 24th, 1:35 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Philadelphia, 94.1 WIP, WTTM 1680

Probable Pitching

Game 1: Taijuan Walker (RHP, 4-6, 3.34 ERA) vs. Cade Cavalli (RHP, 1-0, 2.20 ERA)

Game 2: Aaron Nola (RHP, 1-7, 6.92 ERA) vs. Mitchell Parker (LHP, 7-13, 5.83 ERA)

Game 3: Ranger Suarez (LHP, 9-6, 3.25 ERA) vs. Jake Irvin (RHP, 8-8, 5.30 ERA)

By The Numbers

• Records
  • Phillies: 74-53
  • Nationals: 52-75
• Run Differential
  • Phillies: 99
  • Nationals: -151
• Runs Scored Per Game
  • Phillies: 4.76
  • Nationals: 4.26
• Runs Allowed Per Game
  • Phillies: 3.98
  • Nationals: 5.51

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