September 29 – James Wood hit a homer and a triple and drove in two runs, and in the eighth inning Joey Gallo hit a three-run homer and drove in four runs to beat host Washington, 6–3.
Keibert Ruiz also had two hits and an RBI, and Dylan Cruz went 2-for-3 with a stolen base and a run scored, helping Washington (71-90) win its second consecutive series. Jose Ferrer (1-0) easily earned the win.
Trea Turner homered and Nick Castellanos tripled to score Philadelphia (94-67). Jeff Hoffman (3-3) lost the game after allowing four runs on four hits in one inning. The loss means the National League East champion Phillies, who already have a bye in the National League Division Series, fall behind the Los Angeles Dodgers (96-64) in the battle to stay in the race for home advantage as the National League’s second seed.
Washington took a 2-0 lead in the sixth inning on Wood’s ninth home run, a 385-foot hit down the left side of the opposite field line that singled off Luis Garcia Jr. Hitts scored.
When Ferrell pitched against Ferrell in the eighth inning, pinch hitter Edmundo Sosa was hit by a pitch on Turner’s 21st home run and went to the left field bullpen, with Ferrell’s game tied 2–2.
The Nationals took the lead in the bottom of the eighth on Wood’s triple to the right corner and scored on a single by Ruiz. With two outs, Cruz hit a single and Gallo hit a highlight-reel three-run homer from the right field bullpen.
The Phillies tied the score at 6-3 in the ninth inning. Castellanos drove in three runs and Alec Bohm scored, but Washington reliever Kyle Finnegan threw out JT Realmuto on the rebound and scored on Bryson Stotts to end the game. .
Philadelphia starter Zach Wheeler allowed two runs on three hits in 6 1/3 innings. He gave up two walks and struck out 11, marking the fourth time this season he has struck out 10 or more batters in a game.
It was Wheeler’s 11th consecutive start in which he pitched six innings and allowed two or fewer runs. He is the first Phillies pitcher to accomplish the feat since 1893, when the mound was moved to its current distance, according to MLB Network statistician Sarah Langs.
Washington starter MacKenzie Gore gave up only three singles in six scoreless innings. He has one walk and nine strikeouts in his last three starts and has allowed just one earned run in 19 innings, including six walks and 23 strikeouts.
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