The Phillies are one game over .500 and a game out of first place in the underperforming National League East. After letting a weekend series in Atlanta slip away, the Phillies have yet to win a road series this season. In fact, the last time they won a series on the road was September 2019.

The Phillies lost two straight games to the Braves after winning five in a row. They played 17 games in 17 days and went 9-8 over that span. Tonight, they will open up a series in D.C. against the Nationals. The Phillies did get a road series win last year against the Nationals, but it was only a two game series.

Starting the season 5-11 on the road, the Phillies need to capitalize on a weak Nationals team, who sit at the bottom of the NL East. Turning things around on the road could be the key for the Phillies to make the postseason for the first time in over a decade.

Since the start of the 2018 season, the Phillies are 81-125 on the road, which is good for second worst in the National League. Only Miami (79-132) has a worse road record over that span.

Looking at the numbers, the Phillies have the fourth-best home record in the National League since 2018. The Phillies play in a hitters park at Citizens Bank Park, which definitely can be a factor in their success at home. They have also pitched better at home. Over his career, Nola is 35-17 with a 2.90 ERA in 75 home starts. On the road, he’s 26-25 with a 4.14 ERA in 72 road starts. The Phillies are 11th in Major League Baseball with 4.87 runs scored per game at home since 2018. On the road, they fall the whole way back to 23rd in the MLB with 4.19 runs scored per game. The Phillies have hit 296 home runs at home, which is 7th in the MLB during the 2018-present span. On the road, they have hit 226, which ranks 27th. The Phillies hit .246 at home and .237 on the road since 2018.

Expanding on Phillies pitching, the team has a 4.11 ERA at home as opposed to 4.80 on the road. They have let up 292 home runs at home and 262 on the road during the same 2018-present timeframe.

Looking back over the last three years, starting the season 5-11 on the road and still sitting a game above .500 is a glaring issue for the Phillies. If the Phillies want to snap their decade-long postseason drought this season, they need to improve their road woes as quickly as possible. They are currently on pace to go 25-26 on the road this season and that surely won’t be enough to keep pace in the NL East and have a shot at the playoffs.

Tonight would be a perfect time to make up ground on the road. The Nationals have lost five of their last six games while the Phillies have won five of seven. To expand on that, the Phillies have beaten the Nationals seven out of their last 10 games they have played each other.

Chase Anderson will take the mound tonight, followed by Zack Wheeler and Zach Eflin. The Phillies had a much needed day off yesterday and need to take the field rested and ready to go tonight at 7:05pm tonight.

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Mandatory Credit: AP Photo/Mike Carlson