Photo by Jake Stephens/TalkNats
There are a few words I can come up with to describe what we just saw, and I believe the best one is ‘beautiful.’ The Nationals, fresh off an improbable series win in Chicago, came into Citizens Bank Park and kept the good times rolling in a major way. The Nats jumped on Phillies’ starter Taijuan Walker early, tagging him for four runs in the first, one in the second, and two in the third to give Foster Griffin a 7-0 lead in what was a stellar Nationals’ debut for the lefty. All of this came en route to a 13-2 victory that has the Nats’ record up to 3-1, two games over .500 for the first time since the 2021 season.
Possibly even more impressive was the fact that the Nationals scored 13 runs on 17 hits and didn’t hit a single home run. The top of the first inning saw some pretty immediate offense, as James Wood walked to start the game, and then came around to score on a botched fielder’s choice groundball hit by Daylen Lile. That was followed by an RBI single by CJ Abrams, another by Jose Tena, and a sacrifice fly by Jorbit Vivas to make it 4-0 Washington before newcomer Foster Griffin even touched the mound. Also important to note, we had a really wild call in the top of the first that originally signified the end of the inning: Joey Wiemer grounded into what was thought to be a groundout, as Wiemer was called out at first. The Phillies caught Drew Millas walking back towards the dugout, thinking the inning was over, and tagged him with the ball just to ensure they’d get an out. The Nationals challenged the play at first, and Wiemer was ruled safe, meaning Millas was safely allowed to return to third, as there was no way to include the continuance of the play, which the Phillies were arguing should have resulted in Millas being out. Philadelphia manager Rob Thomson felt so strongly about it that he ended up arguing to the point of being ejected, leaving Don Mattingly in charge of the team for just about the entirety of the game.
Griffin sat down the side to start his season, and then his lead was bolstered in the top of the second by an RBI fielder’s choice by Drew Millas. After skating out of trouble in the bottom of that inning, the Nats added on some more in the third, once again thanks to a couple of RBI groundouts, this time coming from Luis Garcia and Brady House.
Foster Griffin and Simon Mathews by Jake Stephens/TalkNats
The 7-0 lead that had been built lasted until the bottom of the fifth when the Phillies finally got on the board against Griffin, thanks to a two-run homer by Rafael Marchan. Foster Griffin’s return to the big leagues would end after five gutsy innings, in which he flirted with danger multiple times but just about always made a pitch to get himself out of it. His outing tonight was a huge encouragement to a Nationals pitching staff that desperately needs guys like him to step up and perform.
- Foster Griffin: 5 innings, 5 hits, 2 runs (both earned), 0 walks, 5 strikeouts, 86 pitches
- Taijuan Walker: 4.2 innings, 10 hits, 7 runs (6 earned), 3 walks, 2 strikeouts, 99 pitches
The offensive onslaught continued in the top of the sixth against the Philly bullpen, as Jose Tena came through with a two-out RBI single through a hole in the right side to make it 8-2. The Nationals stole another run on a first-and-third steal play, where Jorbit Vivas took off from first base on the pitch, drew a throw down to second, and stayed in a rundown long enough for Tena to score before Vivas was tagged out to end the inning. A great play call by Blake Butera gave the Nats a 9-2 lead, and the bullpen took it from there.
While we’re on the topic, I’ll go ahead and give the bullpen its flowers. Brad Lord and Cole Henry were phenomenal tonight. Lord especially did a tremendous job, pitching three scoreless innings, allowing just one hit while striking out three. He turned it over to Henry for the bottom of the ninth, who shut the doors without trouble.
The offense punctuated the night with a four-run ninth inning to really put an exclamation mark on the Nats’ first divisional win of the season. James Wood made it 10-2 by drawing a bases-loaded walk, which was followed by a two-run single by Garcia, and later an RBI groundout by Lile to give us what would be our final score of 13-2.
With an offensive output like tonight’s, it feels like shoutouts could be endless, so let’s start with the pitching trio of Foster Griffin, Brad Lord, and Cole Henry, who kept the Philly bats silent all night. Offensively, James Wood, Jose Tena, Jorbit Vivas, and Joey Wiemer all found their way on base three times tonight. Vivas led the way with a three-hit night, while Luis Garcia, Brady House, Daylen Lile, CJ Abrams, Jorbit Vivas, and Joey Wiemer all registered two-hit games.
As much fun as tonight was, the greatest reality of baseball is that tomorrow’s coming. Game two of this series will get underway at 6:40 tomorrow night, with PJ Poulin getting the start in what may be an opener situation for the Nats, as the bats at the top of the Philly lineup are primarily lefties. If I’m speculating, as of right now, I’d say it’s likely we’ll see Zack Littell make his team debut tomorrow night, but nothing is official as of when I’m writing this, so take that for what you will. Either way, the Nats will have their work cut out for them, as they’ll face Andrew Painter, the most hyped up prospect the Phillies have had for quite awhile, and for good reason. The right-hander possesses a rocket for an arm, with a fastball that can touch triple digits, and some nasty breaking stuff to go with it. Regardless of the outcome, it’ll be good for us to see this rapidly improving lineup take on a challenger with heavy velocity. Until then, the Washington Nationals are 3-1 with all the hype in the world right now! Bask in it, enjoy it, and let’s get another one tomorrow!!
