Aug 24, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Ranger Su‡rez (55) throws a pitch during the second inning against the Washington Nationals at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images Eric Hartline
Ranger Suárez dazzled and Rafael Marchán drove in three runs as the Phillies defeated the Washington Nationals 3-2 Sunday afternoon to earn a series victory.
Marchán got the scoring started in the home half of the second inning, as the backup catcher doubled into the right-center field gap to plate both Nick Castellanos and Bryson Stott:
Rafael Marchán gives the Phillies the lead!
pic.twitter.com/C2rDCp5sNQ
An inning later, Marchán recorded his third RBI of the game when he drew a bases-loaded walk against Shinnosuke Ogasawara, who had inherited a mess from starter Jake Irvin.
That was enough for Suárez, who struck out a career-high 11 batters and allowed just three hits over seven scoreless frames for the Phillies:
It was a spectacular afternoon for Ranger Suárez, who set a new career high with 11 strikeouts. 🤠
(Via @PitchingNinja)
pic.twitter.com/dIGpYC8980
Suárez made two excellent starts during this homestand, as Sunday's outing followed up a strong performance against the Seattle Mariners this past Monday that saw him strike out 10 batters and allow two runs over 6 2/3 innings. The consecutive strong starts for Suárez are a welcome sign considering the lefty had a 6.59 ERA over his first five outings after the All-Star Break.
The Phillies did run into a sticky situation in the bottom of the eighth inning, as José Alvarado loaded the bases to open the inning. But Tanner Banks came on in relief of Alvarado, and immediately got James Wood to roll into a 4-6-3 double play. A run did score, but that was the lone one Banks allowed to cross, because he then finished off the inning by getting CJ Abrams to fly out Harrison Bader.
With Jhoan Duran and Matt Strahm seemingly unavailable, Orion Kerkering got the call for the save attempt in the ninth inning. Luis García Jr. did take Kerkering deep with a one-out solo home run, but Kerkering ultimately was able to nail down the save.
With the win, the Phillies improve to 76-54. The Phillies will now head to Citi Field for a three-game series against the division-rival New York Mets, with ace Cristopher Sánchez set to take the ball Monday evening against Kodai Senga.
