Phillies Search for Answers as Bullpen Blows Another Late Lead Against Nationals
Sep 15, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Luis Arraez (4) hits an RBI double against the Washington Nationals during the third inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
The Phillies, who are in desperate need of a turnaround, dropped their eighth game in their last 12 with a 6-3 loss as the Phillies’ bullpen broke down — shrinking their lead over the San Diego Padres for the second wild card spot to half a game.
On Roberto Clemente Day, the Phils needed to get back to winning ways with what has become a very important series against the Washington Nationals. With a lefty starter on the mound, the Phils would have to break the season-long pattern of having trouble against southpaw starters.
They jumped out to a 1-0 lead quickly on a base hit by Alec Bohm, scoring Kyle Schwarber. The Nationals scored two in the bottom of the first when Yohandy Morales doubled home Brady House, and Jorbit Vivas drove him home on a single. Luis Arraez tied the game in the third, and Schwarber put the Phillies ahead in the fifth with a solo home run in the fifth.
That was short-lived as Andres Chaparro tied the game with a home run in the bottom of the fifth. In the seventh, Daylen Lile hit a pinch-hit three-run home run off of Jonathan Bowlan to give the Nationals a 6-3 lead, and the Phillies failed to respond.
Schwarber Keeps Bombing
Schwarber has had another magical season, with some iconic game-winning home runs, and in this game, he had another huge home run to take the lead, albeit a short-lived lead. He has come up in the clutch constantly all season with the long ball when they’re needed the most. In this game, it was no different. The Phils hadn’t really gotten anything started against Nats starter Jackson Kent, but Schwarber had good swings coming into the at-bat in the fifth.
Schwarber worked Kent into a 2-2 count and forced him to come in to him with a low curveball, and Schwarber didn’t miss. He has been hitting low breaking pitches all season, and this one was no exception. Though this was not the deciding blow of the game, at the time, it was a huge shot. The Phils need to keep him rolling and get runners on for him to maximize the damage he’s been doing all season.
Bullpen Lets Down Phils Again
In the seventh, Cristopher Sanchez had two on, and after Nasim Nunez sacrificed Harry Ford and Andrew Pinckney over to second and third. With 98 pitches in the evening, Don Mattingly chose to bring in Bowlan, who gave up his third first-pitch home run of the season, establishing a pattern for Bowlan. The Nationals lead the league with 38 blown saves, but the Phillies bullpen was the one that took the loss in this game.
The Phillies bullpen has been an area of concern all season. Going from the starters to Jhoan Duran has been an issue all season, and in this game, like in the Braves series, this was again an issue. Losing a game on a pinch-hit home run stings, especially with the Phils needing wins; this is not the way to start the series in the nation’s capital. This will be an area to look out for in this series and moving forward.
Sanchez Not Sharp in No Decision
Sanchez was not sharp all game and had trouble spotting the slider, which has been a sign of him having trouble all season. When he can’t spot the slider, he tends to lean too much on the sinker, which was the pitch that Chaparro deposited into center field tying the game in the fifth. He tends to force the sinker when his kill pitch isn’t effective, and in this game it bit him.
He pitched better than his line will show, giving up five earned runs, two of those coming on the home run given up by Bowlan. Without the top hitters starting, it should have been a game where Sanchez could have done more to get deeper in the game, but without his slider, he struggled and had another rough outing, giving up 11 earned runs in his last two starts. This is something that needs to turn around if the Phils have any hopes of getting past the wild card round of the playoffs.
With a Nationals bullpen game in Game 2 of this series, the Phils will have to get the bats going to salvage a split in this short series.
Steve Hamilton
Steve may have been born in California, but don’t let that fool you. After dating a local woman and clashing with her and her family over sports for decades, he has an affinity for Philly sports. Balancing love for Philly and Bay Area sports teams may seem impossible; we can all agree that the Cowboys are the true evil.
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