Nationals' Brad Lord Flourishes in Most Recent Start Against Phillies

The Washington Nationals had a solid outing against the Philadelphia Phillies, led by young starter Brad Lord.

Jul 22, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Nationals starting pitcher Brad Lord (61) throws to the Cincinnati Reds during the second inning at Nationals Park. | Brad Mills-Imagn Images

The Washington Nationals might have a burgeoning star on their hands in 25-year-old Brad Lord who is now getting his chance to step in as a starter.

He has primarily been used as a reliever this season, but with the organization having traded some starting pitching at the deadline, Lord is getting the chance to step up in a consisent starting role down the stretch of this season.

In Thursday's start against the Philadelphia Phillies he was one of the top performers of the night as the team went on to win the first game of their series. Lord finished six innings for the Nationals and even though he allowed seven hits, he struck out three, and gave up just two earned runs.

Lord's First Season

Lord stepped onto the mound in a Major League game for the first time in his career earlier this season. He has been primarily used out of the bullpen, but recently he has been getting the opportunity to take on more of a workload, which he is handling with poise and consistency.

In his last two starts, against the Phillies and before that against the San Francisco Giants, he has been exceptional. Lord got the win against the Giants when he struck out five, walked two, and allowed a single earned run after six innings of work. This was the turning point in the series which the Nats went on to win after being shut out of the first game.

Aug 3, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Nationals starting pitcher Brad Lord (61) pitches against the Milwaukee Brewers during the second inning at Nationals Park. | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Lord may have taken the loss in his first start of the month back on Aug. 3, but it was against the best team in baseball, the Milwaukee Brewers. After only 4.2 innings he was able to strike out six and walk two. He is proving to be an incredible asset for the starting rotation.

This year the ballclub has used him in 40 games (11 starts). He has posted a 3.26 ERA, but he has gotten better and better as the year has gone on. In his last seven games, five of which were starts, he has gone 1-1 with a 2.45 ERA. In his last 29 innings of pitching he has struck out 19 and walked six.

The Nationals just took down the Phillies in the first game of their four-game series. This has been by far one of the better stretches the organization has had this season as they have won four of their last six and are poised to keep building on this positive momentum.