Phillies Beat Nationals In 5th Straight Game After Infamous Tweet

PHILADELPHIA, PA — They might be the defending World Series champions, but they're no match for Philadelphia in 2020.

The Phillies shut out the Washington Nationals for the second straight night on Wednesday, riding again a stellar effort from starting pitcher Zach Wheeler. It was the fifth straight victory for the Phillies over the Nats, who vaulted into second place and solidified their playoff position with the victory.

But not to be lost in the rush is the hubris coming out of the social media department down there at Citizens Bank Park South, the stadium formerly known as Nationals Park. The Phillies dominance over Washington began the day their division rivals, now infamously, said this:

The Phillies have since cleaned up on the reigning champs, and that bit of trash talk has begun to look like a curse for Washington and something of a totem for Philly.

On Tuesday night ace Aaron Nola threw eight shutout innings, and he was followed by Wheeler on Wednesday, who fired 6.2 shutout frames.

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Wheeler outdueled former Cy Young Max Scherzer, who pitched six strong frames but surrendered a two-RBI single to Neil Walker in the 4th, and a solo home run to a fresh of the injured list Jay Bruce in the sixth.

The newly revamped Phillies bullpen — the team has traded for four new relievers in the past two weeks — continued its strong run, with newcomers David Phelps and Brandon Workman getting the final seven outs.

The Phillies improved to 17-15, which is their best winning percentage of the year. They've won eight of their last nine games and are now in sole possession of second place in the NL East.

Their record would put them as the fifth seed in the 2020 playoff field of eight teams, if the postseason began Thursday.