Look at the pitcher matchup card and you basically have your preview right there. Sánchez (9-3, 1.80 ERA) is in historically rare company this season — through 16 starts, his numbers put him alongside Pedro Martínez, Clayton Kershaw, and Justin Verlander. The Nationals counter with Cavalli (4-4, 4.07 ERA), who had quietly built a quality-start streak before Tampa Bay tagged him for 6 hits and 3 walks in just 2.2 innings on June 20. One of these guys is in a Cy Young race. The other couldn't get through 3 innings.
The Phillies have outscored Washington 19-13 across the first 3 games of this series after dropping Monday's opener 4-1. They are 4-1 over their last 5 and playing their best baseball of the season — they put up 15 runs on the Mets the weekend before rolling into D.C. At 44-36, Philadelphia is playing like a team that knows what it is. The Nationals at 41-40 are still alive in the NL East picture, but they have dropped 2 straight and are now in a spot where they need their shakiest recent starter to go toe-to-toe with the most dominant arm in the league.
The biggest health question heading into 6:45 PM ET is Kyle Schwarber, who sat out Tuesday and Wednesday with lower back tightness. Don Mattingly described it as precautionary — Schwarber walked in his only plate appearance Wednesday and said he felt better quickly — and the expectation was he'd return for the Thursday finale. His availability matters: he leads the majors with 29 home runs. Even shorthanded, the Phillies won 5-4 on Wednesday, but that kind of lineup punch is hard to replace. The longer-term losses of Adolis Garcia (torn right lat, likely done for months) and Johan Rojas (UCL surgery) have quietly thinned the roster around the edges.
- Day-To-DayKyle Schwarber DH — Schwarber (back) walked in his lone plate appearance during Wednesday's 5-4 win over the Nationals.
- Day-To-DayLiover Peguero SS — The Phillies reassigned Peguero to minor-league camp Sunday.
- Day-To-DayAndrew Bechtold 3B — no
- Day-To-DayAndrew Walling RP
- Day-To-DayCarson DeMartini SS
- Day-To-DayDaniel Robert RP — Robert suffered a cardiac incident Sunday while preparing to throw a bullpen session and was taken to a local hospital, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.
- Day-To-DayMark Kolozsvary C — Kolozsvary (undisclosed) agreed to a minor-league contract with the Phillies on Friday that includes an invitation to spring training, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.
- 15-Day-ILBrad Keller RP — Keller picked up the save Wednesday against the Athletics, allowing no runs on one hit and two walks in the ninth inning. He struck out one.
- Day-To-DayJarlin Susana RP — Susana threw from a mound this week for the first time since undergoing lat surgery last September, Jessica Camerato of MLB.com reports.
- Day-To-DayTyler Stuart SP — no
- Day-To-DayTyler Baum DH — Baum has not pitched this year due an undisclosed injury.
- Day-To-DayTravis Sykora SP — Sykora will undergo a UCL reconstruction on his right elbow in two weeks, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.
- 15-Day-ILJake Irvin SP — Irvin (shoulder) will throw a bullpen session Tuesday, Kyle Williams of TheBanner.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILDJ Herz SP — Herz (elbow) was diagnosed Monday with a left flexor strain, Kyle Williams of TheBanner.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILMax Kranick RP — Kranick (elbow) began a rehab assignment with Single-A Fredericksburg on Sunday, striking out two over 1.2 perfect innings.
- 60-Day-ILKen Waldichuk RP — Waldichuk (elbow) underwent Tommy John surgery and an internal brace procedure April 21 and is hopeful to return to game action at some point early in the 2027 season, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Washington's best argument in this game is James Wood, who is building an MVP-caliber year with a .932 OPS and 20 home runs. The Nationals have demonstrated they can put up crooked numbers — 9 runs in Tuesday's loss shows the lineup is functional — but consistently hitting Sánchez is a different ask than hitting the other guys they've faced this week. The Nationals' starting pitching situation is also the worst in the division: Jake Irvin, DJ Herz, Josiah Gray, and Trevor Williams are all on the injured list. That's part of why Cavalli's recent rough outing stings more than it would elsewhere — there is no real depth behind him.