Schwarber, Phillies beat up on Nationals bullpen in one-sided affair

No, the loud boom that shook the District, Virginia and Maryland was not the home run Kyle Schwarber smashed in the sixth inning of Washington’s 11-3 loss Sunday to the Philadelphia Phillies. 

But no one would have been blamed for thinking that it was. 

Schwarber’s 391-foot blast soared into the right field stands and quickly changed what had been a competitive contest between the Nationals and Phillies. The three-run home run, coincidentally, came shortly after a thunderous, explosion-like sound rocked the region. The noise, it turned out, was the result of an authorized Defense Department flight in which the aircraft went supersonic. 

At Nationals Park, Schwarber’s home run — the first of two on the afternoon as the former Nationals slugger jacked another 3-run shot in the ninth — proved to be the turning point of Washington’s loss. And it was also another problem for the Nationals’ bullpen. 

This season, the Nationals have surprisingly got better-than-expected results from a young pitching staff that has helped Washington stay in games. Washington’s relievers, however, have been much more inconsistent — with manager Dave Martinez lacking a surplus of reliable arms he can turn to in a jam. 

Sunday was the latest example. Starter Trevor Williams managed to keep Washington within striking distance through the first five innings as the Nationals trailed only 2-1. But in the top of the sixth, the veteran hit a snag: With two outs and two runners on, Martinez called on reliever Andres Machado. Machado, who entered the game with a 6.75 ERA, didn’t end up being a solution. The 24-year-old left a 96.7 mph sinker up in the strike zone — a key spot for Schwarber to take the distance. 

“We kind of liked the matchup going in with Machado and (his) fastball being up and his change-up,” Martinez said. “But he didn’t throw the change-up.” 

“I missed the pitch,” Machado said. 

According to FanGraphs, the Nationals entered the game with the sixth-worst bullpen ERA in the majors at 4.50. That ranking is likely to be worse by the conclusion of Sunday’s action. After Schwarber’s home run made it 5-1, the Phillies continued to pile on Washington’s bullpen. A wild pitch from Machado advanced Bryson Stott to third base in the top of the seventh, and Philadelphia outfielder Brandon Marsh brought the runner home with a sacrifice fly to left field. Then, two batters later, third baseman Drew Ellis slugged a 389-foot, 2-run home run to make it 8-1. The shot was his second homer of the game.  

In the ninth, Schwarber took reliever Thad Ward deep to further expand the lead. The Nationals, though, managed to narrow the gap with a two-run homer from Ildemaro Vargas in the bottom of the ninth.   

In all, the Nationals gave up a season-high five home runs.

“Once they get going, that’s how they generate runs,” Martinez said of Philadelphia. “They hit homers.” 

The outing marked a disappointing end to a strong series from Washington. Though the Nationals dropped two of the three games, Washington began the series with a gutsy 8-7 win in which the Nationals recovered late from blowing a 6-0 lead. Then, on Saturday, the Nationals got another respectable performance from rising pitcher MacKenzie Gore en route to a 4-2 loss.

More than $150 million, too, separates Philadelphia Phillies and the Washington Nationals in payroll. And heading into this season, that made complete sense. The Phillies, with a price tag of $244.3 million, were coming off an appearance in the World Series. The Nationals, by contrast, were a 107-loss team in 2022, so it was no wonder that Washington has one of the league’s lowest payrolls ($93.2 million). 

But this year hasn’t gone the way many predicted for both teams.  The Phillies have surprisingly struggled and Sunday’s win improved them to 27-32 — good for fourth place in the National League East. 

The Nationals, at 25-34, aren’t far behind. But while last place was expected for Washington, many pegged the rebuilding Nationals for another 100-loss season. More than two months in, that doesn’t appear to be the case. Before the contest, Martinez said he was proud of the development of Washington’s younger players and how the group approached the ins and outs of a long season. 

After a one-sided drubbing, however, it was clear there was still more work to be done. 

“I think we have a very competitive team on this side,” designated hitter Joey Meneses said. “Unfortunately there was one big inning for them that kind of just opened the game and the floodgates.”