Nationals Bullpen Implodes to Cost Them Series Win Against Phillies
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The Washington Nationals sat in the driver's seat when it came to winning their first two series of the season. Leading 5-1 entering the bottom of the seventh inning on Wednesday, it looked like they were going to take two out of three from the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.
Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. The bullpen, which has seen improvement compared to last year, reverted back to their old habits in the finale against the Phillies and cost the Nationals a chance to begin this season with two straight series wins.
Every single reliever that was called upon after Cade Cavalli left the game allowed an earned run. And the one who didn't -- Cole Henry -- was credited with the loss after he gave up the walk-off hit in the bottom of the 10th inning, which came after he gave up the tying runs in the bottom of the ninth.
It was a tough showing for this unit, and it might have produced some deja vu for the fanbase. Hopefully things can be fixed, because there were two main culprits that were the cause for the bullpen's issues on Wednesday.
Home Runs Created Momentum
When CJ Abrams ripped his three-run homer in the top of the seventh to give Washington a 5-1 lead, it felt like that was the dagger. But the Nationals gave up their own longballs coming down the stretch that kept the Phillies in the game and gave them hope that a win could still be had.
Immediately after Abrams' longball, right-handed reliever Andre Granillo came into the contest for the bottom of the seventh and gave up a solo shot to JT Realmuto. While that only made things 5-2 and Washington got out of the rest of the frame cleanly, it sparked some life in the opposing dugout.
Then, after Cionel Perez closed out the seventh inning by getting Kyle Schwarber to fly out, he opened up the bottom of the eighth by allowing a solo home run to Bryce Harper. Considering Harper had been ice-cold at the plate to start the year, that was a turning point in this game from a confidence standpoint, and it put Philadelphia within striking distance.
Walks Cause Damage
Relievers have to come in and throw strikes, and that did not happen for PJ Poulin. In the bottom of the ninth inning, he was handed the ball with a two-run lead. Set to face Schwarber after Trea Turner singled and caused manager Blake Butera to pull Clayton Beeter from the game, Poulin issued a walk to the slugger and put runners on first and second.
While he was able to rebound and get Harper to fly out, he threw wild pitch that put the tying runs into scoring position. Then, he issued a walk to Alec Bohm that loaded up the bases and eventually resulted in Henry giving up the tying runs.
All in all, Washington's relievers allowed four earned runs in three innings pitched, which doesn't include the ghost runner for the walk-off. They also gave up two home runs, issued two walks and struck out just one batter.
It's just one game for the Nationals, but hopefully they don't let this result cause a snowball effect where the positives that were built to start the season get erased because of this showing against the Phillies.
Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he worked at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad became the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continued to cover Penn State athletics. Currently, Brad is the Publisher for Washington Nationals On SI and covers multiple teams across the On SI network. He is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, where he and his co-host discuss topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai