It’s clear what the Phillies’ strength is: The starting rotation. They get a good outing from their starter about 80% of the time. They also have a good closer in Jhoan Duran, provided that the game is not tied when he enters. It’s those innings in between that have proven difficult for the Phillies to maneuver through. I’m not overwhelmed by manager Don Mattingly’s ability to adeptly deploy his relievers, but I also have to admit that the relievers on hand haven’t given him many easy answers.
Orion
Kerkering and Brooks Raley have likely pitched themselves out of consideration, and at the moment, it appears that Mattingly has the most trust in Jonathan Bowlan, Jose Alvarado, and Alex McFarlane. However, Bowlan has shown signs of wearing down, Alvarado – while overall better lately – is still allergic to clean innings, and McFarlane is an untested rookie. It’s hard to feel too confident in any of them.
In the playoffs, the Phillies will likely have Andrew Painter available to pitch out of the bullpen, but counting on a rookie starter to come in and get key outs in relief is no sure thing either. Over the next two weeks, they really need at least a couple of players to assert themselves as a real late-inning option.
Opposition research: Jack Sinclair
The Phillies’ bullpen has been bad, but we can at least say it hasn’t been as bad as the Nationals’. Remember the last time the Phillies visited Washington, and they kept making those late-inning comebacks? That was pretty representative of how the season has gone for the Nationals’ relief corps.
The Nationals have almost completely turned over their bullpen throughout the season and lately have tried out rookie Jack Sinclair in a late-inning role.
Sinclair was a 2021 draft pick who slowly made his way through the Nats’ minor league system. He’s never put up great numbers in the minor leagues, mostly due to a high walk total. But considering that everyone else they’ve used in relief has failed, the Nationals figured why not give him a shot.
Early returns have been strong as he had scoreless outings his first four appearances, and then against the Angels, he was givn his first save opportunity which he converted despite allowing a run.
Will Sinclair allow the Nationals to avoid the late-inning meltdowns against the Phillies this time around? It’s worth remembering that he’s a 27 year old rookie with a mid-90s fastball who had problems with walks in the minors.
In other words, if the Phillies are trailing late, I wouldn’t necessarily turn the game off.
Hating on the Nationals
Are the Nationals going to be an actual threat in the National League East in the coming seasons? It looks like they have a couple of good building blocks in James Wood and C.J. Abrams, but would it shock anyone if those two found their names in trade rumors once again this offseason?
Wood has had a strong season but has spent a large chunk of the second half on the IL, so there are worries about him holding up for a full season after his performance trailed after the break in 2025. And the team has already gotten fed up with Abrams’ defense and is trying to move him to second base.
Considering they already traded emerging players in their mid-20’s in Luis Garcia, Jr. (who has been great for the Yankees) and Curtis Mead (who has been injured), you wonder how attached the Nationals are to any of their players.
If the Nationals want to carry out a perpetual rebuild, it’s fine by me.
Remembering a guy who played for both the Phillies and Nationals
Matt Stairs certainly got around in his career. He began his major league career in 1992 with the Montreal Expos, and by the time he was done, played for 12 (or 13 if you want to consider the Expos and Nationals as separate entities) teams.
It isn’t clear why he couldn’t find a long-term home. Maybe teams were disappointed because it seemed like he should have hit for more power, since he only topped 30 home runs once in his career. He might have started his career a little too early before on-base percentage became more valued, which is especially ironic since he spent five seasons on the A’s.
In August 2008, the Phillies traded for him, hoping to bolster their bench for the stretch run and playoffs. He hit two home runs in the regular season and then hit another in the playoffs which you might remember.
After 2009, the Phillies chose to move on from the 42-year-old Stairs. He moved to San Diego for a season, and then to Washington for 2011. Unfortunately, at 44 years old, Stairs couldn’t hit anymore. After 74 plate appaearances in which he batted .174, the Nationals released him, and his career was done.
Additional thought about the series
There’s a debate whether you’d rather face a team that’s out of contention, or a team that’s already clinched a playoff spot. For the stretch run, the Phillies are going to get a taste of both. Their next six are against the Mets and Nationals, while they have to finish up against the Brewers or Rays.
Obviously the Brewers and Rays are far better teams, but they might be coasting along or trying to conserve some innings for their top players by the team the Phillies face them. On the other hand, I’m sure the Mets and Nationals would love to salvage some pride by hurting their division rival’s playoff chances.
Regardless of how much the Nationals want to play spoiler; when it comes down to it, the Phillies have Cristopher Sanchez and Zack Wheeler scheduled to start against a team that’s eleven games under .500. They need to win these games.
