The Washington Nationals fell to 0-2 on the young season, unable to keep pace with the Philadelphia Phillies in an 11-6 defeat on March 29, 2025, at Nationals Park. Despite a late rally sparked by home runs from Amed Rosario, Keibert Ruiz, and Nathaniel Lowe, the Nats couldn’t overcome a bullpen collapse that saw Philadelphia pull away with nine runs across the sixth and seventh innings.
The Phillies, now 2-0 and atop the NL East, showcased their offensive depth with 14 hits, including three home runs. Bryson Stott ignited the attack with a two-run shot off Jake Irvin in the fourth, while Kyle Schwarber’s three-run blast off Lucas Sims in the sixth broke the game open. Brandon Marsh capped the surge with a three-run homer off Diogenes Ribalta in the seventh, finishing with three hits and three RBIs. Jesús Luzardo earned the win for Philadelphia, improving to 1-0 with five innings of two-run ball, striking out 11.
For the Nationals, Irvin held steady through five innings, allowing two runs on seven hits with a pair of strikeouts. But the relief corps unraveled, starting with Colin Poche, who took the loss (0-2) after surrendering three runs in just one-third of an inning. Sims and Ribalta combined to allow six more runs, ballooning Poche’s early-season ERA to 54.00. “It’s tough when you can’t stop the bleeding,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez said postgame, per the team’s official site. “We’ve got to tighten up out of the ‘pen.”
Washington’s bats showed life despite the loss. Ruiz crushed a two-run homer in the second off Luzardo, giving the Nats an early 2-0 lead. Rosario, signed this offseason to bolster the infield, went 3-for-5 with a solo shot in the sixth—his first as a National—cutting the deficit to 5-3. Lowe, acquired in a December trade from Texas, added a two-run homer in the eighth off Cristopher Hernández, finishing 2-for-5 with three RBIs. CJ Abrams chipped in with two hits and a stolen base, but top prospect Dylan Crews went 0-for-5 with five strikeouts in his second MLB game.
The turning point came in the sixth. With the score tied at 2-2, Poche loaded the bases with two walks and a single before Sims entered, only to serve up Schwarber’s homer on a 2-1 fastball. A wild pitch from Sims scored another run, and Philadelphia never looked back. “We had them where we wanted them,” Rosario said through an interpreter. “Then it just got away from us.”
Philadelphia’s Stott, Marsh, and Edmundo Sosa each had multi-hit games, while Bryce Harper and Alec Bohm added two hits apiece. The Phillies capitalized on 5-for-12 hitting with runners in scoring position, leaving nine on base but still amassing 11 runs before 38,446 fans under overcast skies.
For Washington, the loss drops them to fourth in the NL East, a sobering start after an 71-91 finish in 2024. With a revamped roster featuring Crews, Lowe, and Rosario, the Nats aimed to compete in a tough division, but early pitching woes—15 strikeouts surrendered to Philly hitters—suggest work remains. The series finale looms Sunday, offering a chance to avoid a sweep.
