While MacKenzie Gore dominated, the rest of the pitching really struggled with the Phillies lineup. The bullpen allowed seven runs on seven hits and six walks in their four innings of dismal work. A combination of poor performance and some questionable moves by Davey Martinez came back to bite the Nationals.
The Nationals bullpen was a question mark heading into the season. Many people including myself were calling for veteran additions in the offseason. While they did bring in some vets in Lucas Sims, Jorge Lopez, Colin Poche, and the returning Kyle Finnegan, they did not bring in any lockdown options.