Washington clinches a sub-.500 finish for the seventh straight year with its 82nd loss.
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Wednesday’s game was an opportunity for the Washington Nationals to secure the most victories in a season since their World Series-winning 2019 campaign.
Instead, they set a dispiriting mark.
Washington fell to the visiting Philadelphia Phillies, 3-0, for its 82nd loss and solidifying a seventh straight season below .500. The Nationals had delayed the feat with a four-game winning streak before Wednesday, but they failed for the third time in 2026 to earn their first five-game streak.
“Physically, it’s a long season, so bodies might be running down a little bit,” outfielder James Wood said.
The loss dropped Washington (71-82) to 27-39 since the start of July — a stark downturn after it went 44-43 over the season’s first four months. It was eliminated from postseason contention Sunday.
Ace Zack Wheeler stifled the Nationals, surrendering just four hits across seven scoreless innings for the Phillies (84-68). The 36-year-old earned his 15th career win over Washington — his most against any team.
Outfielder Daylen Lile, who hit the game-winning three-run home run Tuesday, got two hits against Wheeler. But he never reached scoring position. And Washington floundered against Philadelphia’s bullpen, failing to muster a hit over the final two innings.
“We know that our chances are going to be probably minimal against a guy like Zack Wheeler, we got to take advantage,” Manager Blake Butera said. “We just didn’t get that hit.”
The Nationals’ pitching largely kept a dynamic Phillies offense in check.
The success came despite Washington matching a club record with 13 walks issued. Five of the six Nationals pitchers allowed at least one walk, including five by reliever Luis Perales.
“If I throw a ball, it kind of gets into my head that, ‘Ah, that shouldn’t be a strike,’” Perales said through an interpreter. “It’s more on the mental side.”
Opener Jared Simpson started in place of Cade Cavalli, whose start was pushed to Friday for extra rest.
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After failing to record an out in his previous outing against the San Diego Padres, Simpson collected just one Wednesday. The 26-year-old left-hander allowed five of the Phillies’ first six batters to reach base, including four via walks. Washington fell behind 2-0 on an RBI single by first baseman Alec Bohm and an RBI walk by third baseman Bryson Stott.
Relievers Riley Cornelio and Will Dion then combined for 5⅓ scoreless innings before the Phillies got another run in the seventh on an RBI double by second baseman Luis Arraez.
Still, it was an overall strong pitching performance for Washington.
The Nationals entered Wednesday with the fourth-highest ERA (4.72) in MLB, along with the second-worst bullpen ERA (5.28). They have already set an MLB record with 39 blown saves.
The pitching woes have hampered a breakout season by the offense.
Washington came into Wednesday with the third-most runs in MLB (776) after ranking in the bottom third in that stat each of the previous four seasons.
Young talent has fueled the ascension.
Wood is hitting .265 with 30 home runs and 75 RBI. CJ Abrams, like Wood an all-star this season, has 30 home runs with a team-high 96 RBI.
Abrams belted his 30th double in the fourth inning Wednesday off Wheeler. He and Lile were the only Nationals to reach scoring position, as they were shut out for the seventh time in 2026.
With one more win, the Nationals will reach 72 for the season, their most since 2019,
But key offseason decisions loom. Improvements must be made — especially on the pitching side — to give them a strong chance at finally clearing the .500 plateau in 2027.
“How we’ve played throughout the year, it’s been a lot different than the rest of my time up here,” said Wood, who is in his third season with the Nationals. “We’re still one of the youngest, if not the youngest, team in the major leagues right now. So I feel like guys are only just going to keep improving.”
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