That gap in direction shows up on the field. The Phillies have won 3 in a row, capped by Derek Hill's go-ahead grand slam and a Bryce Harper blast that sank the Nationals 6-3 in this series' opener. Washington hasn't won since before the calendar flipped to August, and DraftKings has priced this one accordingly, with Philadelphia a heavy favorite to make it 4 straight.
Washington's lineup is thinning by the day. Andres Chaparro is out of Tuesday's lineup with a head issue, and the pitching staff already has DJ Herz, Josiah Gray, Mitchell Parker and a handful of relievers scattered across the 60-day IL. This is a team playing out the string, and it shows in the body of work — 4 losses to Atlanta capped by an 8-3 blowout, then Monday's loss here to open the series.
Philadelphia isn't spotless either. Their offense has been middling for stretches this year, and Luzardo's last outing is a real red flag heading into a start against a lineup that's at least shown it can scratch out runs against him before. But home cooking and a team playing with real stakes in front of them is a tough combination for a Nationals club just trying to get through August.
Health matters here too — Philadelphia is missing Johan Rojas and Adolis Garcia for extended stretches, both out with serious injuries, but their remaining roster has enough pop that it hasn't slowed the winning.