The Washington Nationals dropped the last two games and lost their second series of the year against the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Nationals entered the series 2-1 after a series win against the Chicago Cubs. They improved to 3-1 after a 13-2 win on Monday, but would lose the next two in close fashion. The Nationals lost on Tuesday, 3-2, and lost the series decider, 6-5, in extra innings on Wednesday.

Foster Griffin made his first Major League start in their Monday night win. Griffin pitched five innings and allowed five hits, two earned runs, and no walks. Brad Lord and Cole Henry came in for the next four innings. Lord pitched three innings and allowed only one hit and a walk, while Henry closed the game in the ninth.

In between breaks from the mound, the Nationals' offense was on fire. Joey Wiemer tied the record for at-bats to safely reach base to start a season, with 10 straight at-bats. He finished the game 2-for-4 with two runs and a walk. The team finished with a combined 17 hits and 13 runs.

The next two games would not go as smoothly on either side. The Nationals went with an opener on Tuesday in their 3-2 loss. PJ Poulin came in to face two lefties at the top of the Phillies bullpen. He finished the inning in only nine strikes, retiring the first three batters.

Zack Littell would pitch the next five innings, where he allowed six hits, two walks, and three earned runs. Littell's signing with the Nationals came late, agreeing to terms on March 8. Littell only had one Spring Training game with the Nationals, and the belief is that he will be making starts down the line for the Nationals. 

For the Phillies, starting pitcher Andrew Painter threw the Nationals for a spin. The 22-year-old pitched 5.1 innings, where he allowed the Nationals only four hits, a walk and one earned run. The Nationals would produce more with Painter off the mound, finishing the last 3.2 innings with four hits, a walk and an earned run. 

Ken Waldichuk did his part and kept the game in arm's reach by not allowing another run in the seventh and eighth innings, but the Nationals could not bat in another run to tie the game. 

James Wood was the final out, and he had a chance to take the lead with Nasim Nuñez on second base. Wood hit a deep line drive, but the Phillies’ Brandon Marsh made a game-ending grab.

Cade Cavalli pitched another excellent game in the Nationals series closing loss. He went six innings, where he allowed only one run. He allowed five hits and two walks, but was strong with runners in scoring position. 

Phillies’ ace Christopher Sanchez pitched 5.1 innings and only allowed one run. The Nationals were very patient with Sanchez on the mound. He finished off seven at-bats with a strikeout, but he also gave up four walks. He finished with a pitch count of 97 and was forced to forgo the last two outs of the sixth inning, where the Nationals would take the lead 2-1.

The Nationals extended their lead in the top of the seventh with CJ Abrams hitting a two-out three-run home run. That was Abrams' first home run of the season and the Nationals' first home run of the series. 

The bullpen finally cracked for the Nationals, who lack star power in their relief effort. Five pitchers came in for the Nationals in the last three innings and all allowed a run. The Phillies scored a run in both the seventh and eighth innings on solo home runs. They were down 5-3 in the ninth but had bases loaded after a single and two walks. Cole Henry came in and allowed a base hit that would drive in the tying run.

In extra innings, the Nationals would fail to score after a strikeout and a double play when CJ Abrams lined out to the second baseman, Edmundo Sosa. 

Henry would allow the walk-off single in the 10th inning, and the Nationals' 5-1 lead withered into a series-losing loss. 

Foster Griffin's strong outing. Griffin was a big question entering the season. The 30-year-old dominated overseas, but the transition to the Major Leagues is not easy. Griffin had an amazing start against a great Phillies’ lineup.

Cade Cavalli was much more efficient than in his Opening Day performance. Cavalli threw 75 pitches in 3.2 innings on Opening Day. On Wednesday, he made it to the sixth inning, throwing only 84 pitches.

Brad Lord looks like the real deal in the bullpen. He has pitched multiple innings in both appearances and has looked very solid in both of them. The 26-year-old has space to grow, and a good season from him could mean a lot to the bullpen as a whole.

Daylen Lile continues to impress. The 23-year-old is a hit machine through his first six games of the season. He, along with Wood, led the Nationals in at-bats with 27. Lile is currently batting .407/.448/.519 with a .967 OPS. 

Brady House continues to look good. House is third on the team of batters with over 10 ABs with a .348 batting average through the start of the season, and has impressed at third base during the series.

Wood has continued to struggle through his second series. He has started every game for the Nationals and is now hitting .111 on the season with one home run to go with it. Although his at-bats have looked better, he still struck out five times and only hit 2-for-14 in the series. He made good contact while looking more patient against the Phillies than he did against the Cubs, but the production is still low.

First base looks like a big issue for the Nationals. Luis García Jr. already has a negative-two OAA (outs above average) in 2026, according to Baseball Savant. What he lacked on the defensive end was not overcome on offense either. García finished the series batting 3-for-12 with three RBIs. 

New addition, Curtis Mead, took a start at first base as well, but we’ll have to see more of him before we can tell if he is a viable option. 

Bullpen depth looks weak. The Nationals entered the year with no proven star power in the bullpen. Through the first five games, the Nationals were able to cover the cracks, but the problems could not be hidden away on Wednesday when the Nationals' bullpen withered away a late 5-1 lead. 

Andre Granillo, Cionel Perez, Clayton Beeter, PJ Poulin, and Cole Henry all allowed a run in Wednesday’s loss. 

ABS challenges look like a problem. The Nationals look like they are yet to get a good read on the new ABS challenges. The Nationals are tied as the second-lowest team in total challenge success rate, with only 30%. But the Nationals aren’t just missing meaningful challenges–they are losing their challenges early in the game and don’t have them for later, when the game gets close. 

The Nationals are now 3-3 and will look forward to their home opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday, April 3, at 1:05 p.m.