The Washington Nationals notched another come-from-behind win to make this a 4-game winning streak! An Andres Chaparro homer plus a Daylen Lile‘s 3-run pinch-hit home run sealed the deal for the offense. And Erik Tolman closed the door with a 1-2-3 ninth inning for his 3rd save since his call-up.
The Nats put 5-earnies on All-Star Cristopher Sanchez of the Phillies. Nats’ starter Jackson Kent kept the game close as he gave up three runs, and the Nats bullpen threw 4.0 scoreless against Philadelphia for one of their best performances as they only allowed one base runner.
Another tidbit is this win notched the 71st win of this 2026 season with 10 games to go. Those 71 wins are tied for the most by a Nationals team since 2019. Of course the hope is the Nats can keep winning and finish with many more wins.
The umpiring was poor tonight, and a key missed balk turned into a pick-off of Nasim Nunez that was one of a few questionable non-calls. Dylan Crews was called out at first base and was one of those 50-50 calls that manager Blake Butera decided not to challenge. Also, the homeplate ump, Malachi Moore was challenged on balls and strikes on the ABS system four times. He could have been challenged several more times.
This game was managed so well by Blake Butera to not only bring in Lile to pinch-hit in the 7th inning, but also the way he went to Tolman to close out the game as a lefty due to the Phillies have a bench full of left-handed hitters. It allowed Tolman to face the bottom of the Phillies order, and Tolman got the third out on a leaping catch from Brady House to make it a no-drama 9th inning.
That home run by Lile marked his first pinch-hit of his career. Timing is everything. A sacrifice fly would have scored one run, and Lile delivered three on one shot to give the bullpen breathing room that it turned out they didn’t need.
“We play carefree, and we don’t care what the outside noise says,” said Lile. “We’re going to play for each other. We’re just going to leave our mark and have something for not only us, but also for D.C. to look forward to for next year and the years after that.”
While some might have questioned the line-up construction by Butera, CJ Abrams was unavailable due to a sore neck, and Lile and James Wood came in later in the game in key pinch-hit spots.
“A lot of it was a match-up with Sanchez. … Most of it was knowing that Sanchez is really good against lefties. Tried to go with a right-handed heavy lineup. ”
— Butera said after the game
“We’re setting our sights to create a sustained winner here, and I think that that starts with what we’re doing right now. … I know that we’re eliminated, but at the end of the day, these guys aren’t giving away any games. … They’re showing what they’re capable of doing, and I think they’re building some momentum toward 2027 and beyond that.”
Tomorrow’s game will now be a bullpen game as Cade Cavalli will pitch on Friday on extra rest in St. Louis.
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