Comeback Falls Short, Washington Nationals Lose 3-2 vs. Phillies
James Wood nearly drove in the game-tying run as the Washington Nationals ended up dropping a close game on the road against the Philadelphia Phillies
The Washington Nationals threatened, but in the end, it wasn't enough after dropping game two against the Philadelphia Phillies in a 3-2 loss, moving to 3-2 on the season. The Nationals squared off against Andrew Painter in his MLB debut as he finished with eight strikeouts and four hits allowing in 5. 1 innings, opening the game with the tenth strikeout of the season and first of two on the night for James Wood.
Daylen Lile finished 3-for-4 with a pair of singles in the loss, extending his hit streak to open the season to five. Nasim also recorded a pair of hits for his first multi-hit game of the season along with his third consecutive game with at least one hit. Joey Wiemer, who made history once again on Monday, finished 0-for-3 in the loss.
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com/4zrEcBznHP — Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) March 31, 2026 Washington also turned to PJ Poulin to open the game where he tossed a strikeout before Zack Littell made his Nationals debut in the second inning in what proved to be a rough outing, allowing a pair of solo home runs and six hits while throwing just one strikeout in five innings. But the decision to turn to an opener is a new wrinkle under Blake Butera, giving the Nationals a lefty to face the top of the Phillies lineup including Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper. The two solo home runs came in back to back innings after Schwarber belted a 397 foot home run into right field before Adolis Garcia followed it up with a 349 foot home run in the bottom of the fourth, pushing the Phillies up 2-0.