To begin a stretch of 11 straight days with a game, the Phillies played host to the Washington Nationals for three games this weekend, looking to make up for a lackluster four-game set in Washington, D.C. last weekend in which the Phillies split with the last-place Nationals.

Friday's game looked like it would be the ideal opener to a series. Taijuan Walker allowed a three-run home run and threw 38 pitches in the first inning, then buckled down and tossed four scoreless frames to keep his bullpen fresh and his offense in the game. Bryson Stott tied the game with a two-run shot in the sixth inning and J.T. Realmuto hit one out in the following frame to put the Phillies ahead. But for the first time, Phillies manager Rob Thomson handed the ball to Jhoan Duran in a save situation and got bur

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