Nationals Edge Phillies 4-1 Behind Mead and Garcia Jr. Home Runs, Griffin's Strong Pitching

The Washington Nationals defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 4-1 on Monday night in the opener of a four-game divisional series, with Curtis Mead and Luis Garcia Jr. providing offensive firepower through home runs. Foster Griffin delivered a stellar pitching performance, allowing just one run on four hits over 7 1/3 innings while striking out nine batters without issuing a walk. The game was delayed by one hour and 32 minutes due to rain before the first pitch.

Griffin (8-2) continued his recent dominance, marking his fourth consecutive start in which he pitched at least five innings while allowing only one earned run. Clayton Beeter closed out the game with his sixth save. Additional offensive contributions for Washington came from Dylan Crews, James Wood, and Keibert Ruiz, who each recorded a double and a single. The Nationals, who had lost three of their previous four games, scored twice in the first inning when Wood doubled and scored on a Crews single, and twice more in the second when Garcia homered off Alan Rangel.

Brandon Marsh provided the Phillies' lone offensive highlight with a seventh-inning home run that briefly narrowed the deficit to 2-1. However, Wood's ensuing single set up Mead's two-run homer in the bottom half that put the game out of reach. The Phillies' offensive stars from their previous two games, Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper—who had combined for 12 hits and six home runs—struggled in this matchup, going 2 for 8 combined, with Harper collecting two singles.

Philadelphia's pitching staff was unable to contain the Nationals' attack. Starter Tim Mayza allowed one run in one inning, while bulk reliever Alan Rangel, recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley, gave up a run on five hits over five innings. Despite winning two straight games and four of their last six prior to Monday, the Phillies fell short in this divisional contest.