The Phillies’ previous opponent was expected to be a contender but is mired in last place. Now, they’ll head south to take on a Nationals team that many expected to finish in last place but instead finds itself in the mix for a playoff spot.
It seems unlikely that the Nationals will remain in that mix as the pitching staff is a weakness and their league-leading offense is being fueled by some players with a history of falling off in the second half of the season. But for now, this four-game series is shaping up to be much tougher than most would have expected when the season began.
Opposition research: C.J. Abrams
There’s a strong argument that C.J. Abrams has been the best shortstop in the National League this season. Yet if you believe the scuttlebutt around baseball, it seems like there’s still a non-zero chance that he gets traded within the next year.
Abrams, pitcher MacKenzie Gore and outfielder James Wood were the centerpieces of the Juan Soto trade a few years ago. But this past offseason brought in a regime change in Washington, and the new president of baseball operations was not as invested in those players as his predecessor. Gore was traded, and there were plenty of rumors that the other two could be moved for the right price as well.
Abrams has had his moments in the big leagues, but there have also been maturity concerns, as well as questions if his defense will eventually force him to a different position. He has also performed dramatically worse in the second halves of the season. His career second half OPS is .150 points lower than in the first half, and the split was even more pronounced in 2025 (.836 vs. .633).
With Abrams likely headed to the All-Star Game, and the Nats currently sitting above .500, it seems unlikely that Abrams will be traded this season. But if the Nats’ weak pitching catches up with them, and Abrams has another poor second half, it’s quite possible that Abrams’ name will once again be a hot one in trade rumors come October.
Either way, Abrams comes into this series hot, having hit a home run in each of his last three games.
Remembering a guy who played for both teams
For some reason, I was very high on outfielder Roger Bernadina during his brief tenure with the Phillies. The speedy outfielder spent his first five and a half years with the Nationals, never establishing himself as much more than a passable backup. In August of 2013, the Nats released him, and the Phillies gave him a look.
In hindsight, I’m not sure what enamored me of Bernadina. He batted .187 with two home runs and played solid, if unspectacular defense in centerfield. He was a free agent at season’s end, and the Phillies didn’t make much of an effort to retain him. He caught on with the Reds the following season but did little to justify my belief that the Phillies should have kept him.
Hating on the Nationals
There’s another reason that Abrams is still being mentioned in trade rumors: People don’t think the Nationals will pay him enough to stick around once he reaches free agency.
After the Nationals fluked their way to a World Series win, they decided that their success was fueled by the head of their starting rotation: Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, and Patrick Corbin. Strasburg had an opt-out in his deal which he exercised, and the Nats responded by giving him a seven-year extension.
Strasburg was considered a long-term injury risk, and sure enough, he got injured almost as soon as the ink had dried on that new deal. He made just eight more appearances for the team, and combined with Corbin turning into a pumpkin, the Nats were paying an extraordinary amount of money for two guys who provided a combined negative value.
It’s strange that they chose to pay Corbin and Strasburg, while deciding that offensive stars like Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner, Anthony Rendon (to be fair, they dodged a bullet on this one), and Juan Soto were not worth paying market value for. Sure, in many of those cases, they offered contract extension, but the offers almost always included a large amount of deferred money.
Deferred money can be used as a weapon for some teams (The Dodgers in particular), but for the Nationals, it just seems like a way to save some money.
Also, the Nationals’ stadium is boring, their announcers are lame, they’ve never been able to figure out a good uniform combination, and the fans still boo Bryce Harper. Get over it, guys.
With the series during the week and the Nationals doing better than expected, we probably won’t get a full Phillies takeover this time around. But with nice weather expected (aside from possible Monday rain) and schools out of session, I imagine there will still be a decent representation by Phillies fans over the next few days.
Additional thought about the season
With Andrew Painter demoted, the Phillies have yet to announce a starter for Monday’s game. It seems likely that Alan Rangel will be called up to work multiple innings, if not given the start. It would be nice if the Phillies had a promising prospect or two waiting in AAA for this situation, but unfortunately, a 28-year-old minor league journeyman is probably their best option at this point.
Rangel has made six major league appearances over the past two seasons and has a 2.57 ERA despite allowing 19 baserunners in 14 innings. Maybe he’s just got a knack for stranding runners? (We can hope, right?)
It seems like the Phillies’ offense will need to continue to hit like they have over the past two games. On Monday, they’ll face lefthander Foster Griffin who is having a successful season after spending three years in Japan. The Phillies actually hit well against a lefty start on Sunday night. Do we dare dream that they can do it two nights in a row?
