Losing streaks have been rare for the Philadelphia Phillies.
The National League East leaders haven’t dropped more than two in a row since late June, and they will look to keep that run going when they visit the Washington Nationals for the opener of a four-game series on Thursday.
The Phillies lost the final two contests of a three-game set at Cincinnati this week, falling 8-0 to the Reds on Wednesday after a 6-1 defeat on Tuesday.
“Just two bad games,” Philadelphia first baseman Bryce Harper said. “We didn’t play well the last two (games) … so got to clean that up. Obviously, going to D.C., big weekend ahead and hopefully win the series there.”
The two-game skid comes after a successful stretch that saw the Phillies win seven of eight. It’s only the second time the Phillies have lost consecutive games since the All-Star break. They last lost three in a row when they were swept by the host Houston Astros from June 24-26.
After the Phillies went cold on offense the past two games, they will try to get back on track against the Nationals. It’s the first meeting between the division foes since April 29-May 1, when Philadelphia won two of three at home.
The Phillies also took two of three at Washington to begin the season. Philadelphia scored at least seven runs in each of its victories in both series.
“We’ve got to get the (bats) going, but we faced pretty good pitching on this trip,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “But we’ve got to find a way to beat good pitching.”
Harper, who played his first seven major league seasons with the Nationals, has fared well in his former home park. The 32-year-old veteran has a .331 batting average and a 1.022 on-base-plus-slugging percentage in 46 games at Nationals Park since signing with the Phillies in March 2019.
Jesus Luzardo (11-5, 4.20 ERA) is expected to start the series opener for the Phillies. The left-hander is 2-3 with a 5.05 ERA in eight career starts against the Nationals. He got a win at Washington on March 29 after throwing five innings of two-run ball and striking out 11.
The Nationals, meanwhile, will look to build off an 8-7 win against the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday, a result that salvaged the finale of a three-game series.
Daylen Lile came through in the clutch for Washington, producing the go-ahead RBI with two outs in the top of the ninth inning. The rookie is enjoying a stellar August thus far, slashing .341/.372/.463 through 11 games. His batting average has steadily increased each month — from .208 to .226 to .260 to the current jump — since the 22-year-old outfielder made his major league debut on May 23.
“(Lile) has been, to me, the most improved hitter,” Nationals interim manager Miguel Cairo said. “Since he went to Triple-A and then came back here, he’s on a mission. He wants to be in the big leagues.”
Washington returned him to Triple-A Rochester on June 6. He made the most of what would be a short stint back in the minors, hitting .281, before being recalled 10 days later.
“I have definitely learned a lot,” Lile said. “Coming up here, getting sent down and then just working on the things I needed to in order to become the player I want to be.”
Brad Lord (3-9, 3.28 ERA) will get the nod for the Nationals. The rookie right-hander pitched in relief against the Phillies on March 30, failing to retire any of the three batters he faced, before getting his first career major league win against them on May 1. In the latter contest, he permitted two runs on six hits in five-plus innings.
–Field Level Media
