PHILADELPHIA -- An already demanding 10-game road trip was extended a bit longer on Sunday, when the Nationals spent more time sitting in the visiting clubhouse than in the dugout at Citizens Bank Park.
On a day when a third-inning rain delay lasted longer than the game itself, the Nats unfortunately suffered an all-too-familiar fate against the rival Phillies in a 7-5 loss. It marked a disappointing end to a trip that began by taking three out of four from a pair of first-place teams in the Mets and Cardinals.
Despite that encouraging run to kick things off, Washington finished 4-6 in that stretch after being swept in Philadelphia. The final loss came in a 3-hour, 29-minute ballgame that featured a 3-hour, 36-minute rain delay after the second inning.
"It's a good thing we've got a day off coming up tomorrow," said manager Dave Martinez, who was forced to use five relievers behind starter Aníbal Sánchez following the lengthy delay. “That's a lot, for both teams.”
Like the road trip as a whole, there was plenty to like during the Nationals' three-game set against the Phillies.
For starters, CJ Abrams continued to flash his remarkable all-around game. In what has seemingly become a daily occurrence, he made a remarkable diving stop with the infield playing in to save a run and keep the game tied in the fifth inning -- but he also got it done with his bat. He went 2-for-4 at the plate to finish 13-for-37 (.351) on the road trip.
But it wasn't just Abrams who swung the bat well against the Phillies. Four of his teammates -- Lane Thomas, Joey Meneses, Luke Voit and Ildemaro Vargas -- also turned in multihit games on Sunday. In fact, the Nats outhit the Phillies, 11-10, for a second straight game, and they racked up double-digit hits in all three games.
Unfortunately, that's been the trend in the head-to-head series for most of the 2022 season. While the Nationals have gone nearly hit-for-hit with the Phillies, the latter have made their knocks count a lot more.
The Phils have outhit the Nats just 137-126 this season, but they have a 34-9 edge in home runs. That continued on Sunday, when Rhys Hoskins hit a game-tying three-run homer in the fifth inning off Erasmo Ramírez and Alec Bohm hit the decisive two-run shot off Kyle Finnegan in the seventh.
"It's just who makes the big play, and it was them tonight," Finnegan said. "Bohm gets the big hit for his team, and that's the difference maker. In a tight game, that's how it goes. Who's going to make the pitch? Who's going to get the big hit?"
More often than not this season, the answer to those questions has been the Phillies. The Nationals are just 2-13 against their rival after dropping their eighth straight in the head-to-head series.
"We've got a good team ourselves and we've been playing well lately, keeping ourselves in ballgames," Finnegan said. "We showed it this road trip, staying with all these good teams. But like I said, games like this, it just comes down to who makes the big play for their team."
The Nationals will have plenty more chances to be on the other side of that down the stretch.
After completing this stretch of 10 straight against NL postseason contenders, Washington returns home Tuesday to face the AL Wild Card hopeful Orioles. They will also play 13 of their final 16 games against teams currently in the NL postseason picture, including four more against the Phillies from Sept. 30-Oct. 2 at Nationals Park.
“I thought we played really well,” Martinez said of the road trip. “Defense has played well, we swung the bats well -- we've just got to keep our heads up and keep going.”
But first, the road-weary Nationals need a breather.
“They deserve a day off,” Martinez said.