Thursday, October 1, 2026
79 ° Clear
79 ° Clear
For the first time since the All-Star break, the Philadelphia Phillies have won a series. A wet and miserable 8-0 win against the Baltimore Orioles pushed the Phillies back to six games over .500. They find themselves tied with the Arizona Diamondbacks, grasping onto a Wild Card spot.
Now with reinforcements on the way, the Phillies will look to take a four-game series against the Nationals.
Both the Phillies and the Nationals have been active prior to the MLB trade deadline. On Sunday, the Nationals sent 2B Luis Garcia Jr. to the Yankees for a few prospects and reliever Jake Bird. Garcia was in the midst of his best season with career highs in homers and slugging %.
On Monday, the Phillies went the opposite direction and added a few important pieces to the team. Paramount among them is four-time All-Star Luis
MORE: Phillies reportedly acquire Luis Arraez from the San Francisco Giants
Currently hitting .323 in 2026, Arraez is expect ot play at 2B for the Phillies. Bryce Harper will make a long-awaited return to right field for the first time since 2022. Alec Bohm will shift to 1B and Bryson Stott to 3B.
The Phillies also add two relievers to their bullpen: RHP Caleb Kilian from the Giants and LHP Brooks Raley from the Mets.
The last time these two clubs met, things could've gone completely differently for the Phillies. The Phillies dropped the first game 4-1 but in each of the next three games they rallied in the ninth inning to beat the Nationals.
Even without Garcia in their lineup, the Nats are still dangerous. They lead all of baseball in runs scored (607). They're second in team OPS only to the vaunted Los Angeles Dodgers.
They lead all of baseball with 164 home runs. James Wood and CJ Abrams remain one of the great young offensive duos in baseball.
Their bullpen, on the other hand, has been the worst in baseball. Their staff has a combined 27 blown saves, and they've posted a 5.17 ERA. If the Phillies fall behind in any of these games, they'll still have a chance to pull out a come-from-behind win.
