Washington Nationals cruise to 15-1 win, take 2 of 3 from Philadelphia Phillies in CBP...

One-time Washington Nationals’ prospect Nick Pivetta was off to a rough start this season, before he went up against his former team tonight, and gave up seven hits and seven runs over just 3 ²⁄₃ innings in Citizens Bank Park, in what ended up a 15-1 loss, as Philadelphia’s Phillies dropped 2 of 3 at home to their NL East rivals...

Hellboy vs Philly: Jeremy Hellickson had a strong Spring, going (4-0) with a 0.95 ERA, 19 Ks, and six walks in five Grapefruit League starts, but with the off days in the schedule early this season, the Nationals’ No. 5 starter got skipped the first few times through the rotation.

Hellickson made just one relief appearance before tonight’s outing, giving up three hits and two runs, on a Bryce Harper home run, in two innings of work against the Phillies in the two-game set in D.C.

In his first start of the 2019 campaign, the veteran right-hander took the mound with a 3-0 lead, and he had a 9-0 lead to work with by the time he came out for the fifth and worked his way out of a bases-loaded jam in a 23-pitch frame which left him at 88 overall after five scoreless.

Hellickson came back out for the sixth inning and walked Bryce Harper, his fourth free pass, but got Rhys Hoskins looking with a 2-2 cutter and got a 4-3 DP out of J.T. Realmuto to end a 22-pitch frame that left him at 100 total after six scoreless.

Jeremy Hellickson’s Line: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 6 Ks, 100 P, 60 S, 8/1 GO/FO.

Former Nats’ prospect: In two starts before tonight’s, one-time Nationals’ prospect Nick Pivetta, who was acquired by the Phillies in the trade that brought Jonathan Papelbon to D.C. in July of 2015, got knocked around a bit, giving up 17 hits and eight runs, seven of them earned, in just 9 ²⁄₃ IP.

It didn’t start well for the 26-year-old right-hander against the Nationals either...

Three consecutive singles (by Adam Eaton, Brian Dozier, and Anthony Rendon) loaded the bases with no one out, and a walk to Juan Soto forced in a run, 1-0. Matt Adams’ sac fly to left-center made it 2-0, and an infield single by Yan Gomes brought Rendon in, 3-0, before Pivetta got out of a 39-pitch first.

Rendon hit a bases-loaded double in the fourth to drive in three more, 6-0, and a walk to Juan Soto on his 94th pitch ended Pivetta’s outing.

Nick Pivetta’s Line: 3.2 IP, 7 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 3 BB, 6 Ks, 94 P, 58 S, 4/2 GO/FO.

Rendon is Streaking: Anthony Rendon doubled in the sixth inning of last night’s game, and with the hit, extended his hit streak to nine straight games, over which he’s gone 16 for 34 (.471 AVG) with six doubles, four home runs, 11 RBIs, five walks, and 13 runs scored, with an extra base hit in seven straight. A single in his first at bat tonight, which loaded the bases with no one out, got the extending-the-streak part of his night out of the way early, 10 in a row, 17 for 35, and he scored one of three runs the Nationals put up in the top of the first.

Rendon extended his extra-base hit streak to eight-straight with a three-run double in the top of the fourth, making it a 6-0 game...

BULLPEN ACTION: Juan Nicasio took over on the mound for Nick Pivetta with two on and two out in the Nationals’ fourth, and promptly surrendered an RBI double by Matt Adams, who drove Anthony Rendon in to make it a 7-0 game in the Nats’ favor.

Jeremy Hellickson took a one-out walk from Nicasio in the top of the fifth, and scored from first on a triple to center by Victor Robles, 8-0. Robles came in on an RBI line drive over the right side of the infield by Adam Eaton, 9-0.

Nicasio got two outs in the sixth before he was replaced on the mound by Edubray Ramos, who got out No. 3 to keep it a 9-0 deficit.

Ramos issued back-to-back walks to Wilmer Difo and pinch hitter Michael A. Taylor in the top of the seventh, and a wild pitch/passed ball/wild pitch combination in the next two at bats moved both runners up and allowed Difo to score to make it 10-0.

Taylor came home on a swinging bunt by Adam Eaton, 11-0, and a single by Brian Dozier ended Ramos’s outing. Jose Alvarez came on to face Howie Kendrick, and gave up a run-scoring single, 12-0, and it was 13-0 when a run scored on a bases-loaded groundout by Matt Adams, and 14-0 after an RBI single by Yan Gomes.

Juan Soto and Victor Robles: FUTURE IS NOW in the Nationals’ outfield...

LINK: Get a new Soto/Robles The Future t-shirt from BreakingT NOW!!!

Tony Sipp got the seventh for the Nationals, and got one out before he was lifted after a visit from the trainer and manager Davey Martinez. No word on the issue ... and nothing obviously wrong with him on the mound. Wander Suero came on to get two quick outs, sending it the eighth.

Suero came back out in the bottom of the eighth inning and struck out three around a hit-by-pitch.

Aaron Altherr was oddly impressive pitching in the 9th, and hitting 90 MPH, though he did give up a run, which didn’t do much outside of making us have to change the Nats’ run total in like 15 places... 15-0.

Trevor Rosenthal had a 15-run cushion when he came on in the ninth looking record his first out of the season... and issued a five-pitch walk to the first batter he faced, Rhys Hoskins.

Rosenthal threw a 100 MPH 2-2 fastball by Andrew Knapp to end his streak of batters faced without an out at 10-straight, but he issued back-to-back walks to the next two batters and loaded the bases with one out. A run scored on a groundout, 15-1, and Rosenthal got out of the inning after 33 pitches. Ballgame.

Nationals now 6-5