The Phillies and their pitching staff will have their work cut out for them if Zack Wheeler, the club's long-time ace, is not available for the remainder of 2025.

That is where the Phillies found their bats. Philadelphia scored six runs in the first two innings. Despite seeing Washington tie the game at 6, the Phillies dominated the middle innings, scoring the next five runs, and holding on to 11-9 victory.

SportsLine's model simulated Philadelphia vs. Washington 10,000 times and revealed its MLB picks and predictions

With Wheeler on the 15-day injured list with a right extremity blood clot and no real timeline on his return, having Nola back in the rotation could have been a boost for the Phillies as they entered Sunday with a five-game lead over the New York Mets in the National League East.

"We’ll see how it all works out moving forward. I think it’s good this time of year to get guys days off,” manager Rob Thomson said.

The Philadelphia Phillies aren't entering their divisional matchup with the Washington Nationals with much momentum after getting stifled during their series lo

Jose Tena hit a go-ahead, two-run single in the seventh inning, Paul DeJong homered for the third time in five games and the Washington Nationals rallied past the Philadelphia Phillies 3-2.

Orion Kerkering allowed the go-ahead two-run single to Washington's José Tena after Jesús Luzardo loaded the bases in the seventh inning.