Aaron Nola rebounds as Phillies hold off the Nationals to win 6-4
Aug 23, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola (27) delivers a pitch against the Washington Nationals during the first inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
After struggling mightily in his return from the injured list on Sunday, where he gave up 6 earned runs, Aaron Nola put together one of his best starts of the season against the Nationals.
His fastball velocity saw a noticeable uptick, which helped lead the way to 6 quality innings and his 2nd winning decision of the season in the Phillies’ 6-4 victory over the Nationals. The Phillies had an offensive explosion in the 4th inning and, despite a late scare due to the bullpen, never let go of the lead en route to the win.
Nola flashes in 6 innings
After a disaster start last Sunday against these same Nationals, Nola looked much sharper Saturday night. In 6.0 innings pitched tonight Nola allowed only 5 hits and 2 earned runs while striking out 6 batters.
After a 1-2-3 1st inning, the Nationals first tested Nola in the 2nd inning. A leadoff single by Luis Garcia Jr. gave Washington its first hit of the game. He’d make it over to 2nd base with 2 outs because of a fielder’s choice. Nola got out of his 2-out trouble by striking out Brady House to end the inning.
Nola got through the 3rd and 4th innings with almost no resistance, only James Wood got a base hit, and he would be gunned down trying to steal 2nd base.
The 5th inning saw some more trouble with runners on base for Nola. The inning opened with Dylan Crews reaching on a swinging bunt infield single. A throwing error from Weston Wilson allowed Crews to make it over to 3rd base and Drew Millas to take 2nd base with no outs in the inning. Crews would score as an unearned run for Nola on a groundout from House. Nola prevented the disaster inning by striking out the next 2 batters and keeping the score a comfortable 5-1.
The wheels fell off a little after the 5th inning. CJ Abrams led off the 6th inning with a solo home run off the pole in right field. 2 batters later, Garcia hit the 2nd solo home run of the inning out to center field, making the lead 6-3.
You don’t want to overreact after just 1 successful start, but tonight, Nola made major strides. With Zack Wheeler out for the next 6-8 months, the Phillies are going to need the remainder of their rotation to step up and fill the hole. If Nola can become a reliable arm in the rotation, it will do wonders for the Phillies in their race for the first-round bye with the Dodgers and Padres.
After Nola’s night was over, David Robertson made his 7th appearance of the season to pitch the 7th inning. Robertson, who’s looked great since joining the team, struck out the side to lower his ERA on the season to 1.59.
Matt Strahm got the ball to pitch the 8th inning and had some struggles. Wood opened the inning with a leadoff double. Strahm nearly made it out of the jam by striking out the next 2 batters, but Garcia brought Wood home with a 2 out double, cutting the lead to 6-4. After hitting Daylen Lile with a pitch, Orion Kerkering was brought on to finish the inning. Kerkering did his job and got Crews to ground out.
Jhoan Duran was tasked with closing out the game after blowing his first save as a Phillie last night. The Nationals gave Duran trouble yet again with House shooting a 1-out double down the right field line. Robert Hassell III put runners on the corners with a 1-out single, bringing the go-ahead run to the plate. Duran was able to get out of the jam this time by striking out Wood and getting a lineout off of Abrams for the win.
They love Sosa
Despite it being exactly one week since we last saw Edmundo Sosa appear for the Phillies, he didn’t skip a beat at the plate. Sosa, who’s built a reputation for always being ready to play, hit his 7th home run of the season to help blow the game open for the Phillies in the 4th inning.
However, before we got to the 4th inning, it was a frustrating start to the game against Nats starter Mitchell Parker. Parker, who had an ERA of 5.83 entering the game, had allowed just 1 baserunner through the first 3 innings, and the Phillies had yet to get a hit.
After 3.1 innings without a hit, Bryce Harper finally broke through with a 1-out single that would start the Phillies’ rally. The very next at bat, J.T. Realmuto broke the goose egg with an RBI double to left center field, making it 1-0. Alec Bohm followed it up with another double to score Realmuto and make it 2-0. Parker did rebound by getting Nick Castellanos out, but Harrison Bader kept things going right after that with a single to put runners on the corners.
With 2 on and 2 out, Sosa opened the floodgates with a 3-run bomb just over the left field wall, making it 5-0.
After 5 runs in the 4th inning, Trea Turner kept the offense rolling with his 2nd home run in Citizens Bank Park this season, making it 6-1.
After 5 straight outs, the Phillies’ next runner in scoring position came via Bader with 2 outs in the 6th inning. He got a single to extend the inning and reached 2nd base thanks to a balk.
Bader wouldn’t score then, but wasn’t done causing trouble for the Nationals. He’d be the man behind the next Phillies scoring opportunity in the 8th, when he ripped a double into the corner in left field with Bohm on 1st base. Bohm was waved around 3rd but was thrown out at the plate. Despite not getting credited with the RBI, Bader had arguably his best game as a Phillie tonight.
Bader, who had been hitting just .196 since being acquired by the Phillies at the trade deadline, now has 2 multi-hit games in his last 2 starts. If he is able to build off of his recent success, it will provide tremendous depth to the Phillies’ lineup as the postseason approaches.
Ethan Whitney
Ethan is a writer for Philly Sports Reports and a Color Commentator for Rally Sports Network. He has been a massive fan of all Philly Sports for as long as he can remember and wants to share that passion with the world. He is looking for a long career in the sports media sphere.
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