It Starts in the Nation's Capital: Preview of Phillies Opening Series Against the Nationals
The Philadelphia Phillies will start its 2025 season against a divisional opponent in the Washington Nationals. This season is a pivotal year for the Phillies due to its aging and expensive core that has yet to reach its goal of winning the World Series. The group of players highlighted by Bryce Harper, JT Realmuto, Zach Wheeler, and Trea Turner are the fourth highest payroll in the MLB and due to their lack of success, something needs to change if results aren’t achieved. Even with the expensive core, the Phillies return one of the best offenses in the league along with a top-tier rotation, there is a lot to be excited about. So how will the Phillies jump out to the 2025 season in their matchup?
Opening Day: Thursday 3/27 at 4:05 p.m. EST
The Phillies will roll out their ace in the opening matchup of the series in Zack Wheeler. Wheeler started opening day last season and had a dominant performance. In the matchup against the Braves last season, Wheeler went six innings and gave up zero runs despite five hits. The Phillies will look for a similar performance today from Wheeler, except hope for a different result from its offense, who struggled last year in the season opener. As for the Nationals, the team will trot out 26-year-old Mackenzie Gore. This season is Gore’s third season with the Nationals and has improved each season with the team. In 2023, Gore pitched 136.1 innings and earned a 4.42 ERA. Last season, Gore jumped up to 166.1 innings and lowered his ERA to 3.9 ERA. The Phillies are familiar with Gore as they have faced off against him five times and have found success, forcing a 4.71 ERA for Gore across those games. Look for the Phillies to jump out to a hot start offensively after their success at the plate during Spring Training.
Saturday 3/29 at 4:05 p.m. EST
In the second game, there is no official word on who the Nationals will send out yet, however, for the Phillies, they will roll out a new acquisition Jesús Luzardo. Luzardo arrived to the Phillies from the Marlins where he succeeded early in his career. With that, however, Luzardo struggled last season with injury problems resulting in only 66.2 innings pitched. In Spring Training, Luzardo also struggled with a 1-1 record to go along with a 9.49 ERA across 12.1 innings pitched. The Phillies will look for Luzardo to return to his 2023 form where he pitched 178.1 innings with a 3.58 ERA. Offensively, Nationals Park has been tough for the Phillies at times, with a 3-3 record on the road against the Nationals last season with three of those games having under three runs as a team.
Sunday 3/30 1:35 p.m. EST
In the final game of the series, the Phillies will start home-grown talent Aaron Nola. Nola last season struggled at times but, overall, had a good season with a 3.57 ERA in 199.1 innings. Against the Nationals specifically, Nola was 3-0 across those four games while giving up only five runs across the four games. Even with the down year, Nola was very reliable in being available for his starts and taking up innings as he was fifth in the MILB in innings pitched. There is no official announcement of who the Nationals will pitch in the opening series final game but the Phillies will need to be ready. There are still questions of who the Phillies will start in the leadoff spot against right-handed pitchers and left-handed pitchers so there could be a lot of moving pieces for the Phillies offense.
Final Thoughts and Predictions
Opening Day is usually unpredictable, but the Phillies have the talent to make it more of a definite answer, especially with Wheeler starting the season. On the other hand, the Nationals have a great group of young talent with Shortstop CJ Abrams and Right Fielder Dylan Crews, MLB’s fourth-ranked prospect. The core has a lot of potential to make some noise in the NL East division and make a playoff push, but the team is still trying to grow together. Still, there is a talent gap between the two teams in the series, especially in the potential pitching matchups. Expect close and tight games in the beginning, especially in the second game, potentially with the Phillies forcing a late lead.
