PHILADELPHIA — It’s hard not to acknowledge that the Nationals season should be broken up in halves.

The first half was electric, featuring close games, an explosive offense and genuine optimism that fans haven’t felt in a long time. Expectations rose as James Wood and CJ Abrams delivered All-Star first halves and a strong clubhouse culture instilled resilience into the group. But the Nationals were always more of a long-term project than a team on the cusp of contending.

Frankly, at the trade deadline, president of baseball operations Paul Toboni made tough, measured decisions that needed to be made, in his mind, to build a sustainable winner in Washington.

The past week has seen Curtis Mead, Luis García Jr. and Foster Griffin traded and veteran righty Zack Littell designated for assignment. Losing those players was a blow in production and leadership.

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“It definitely feels like a little bit of a reset,” manager Blake Butera said before Wednesday’s 10-4, 11-inning win over the Phillies. “I’d be naive to say it’s not, for a variety of reasons.”

But those subtractions provide opportunities for the younger players, and that’s what matters for the Nationals in the second half. Seeing who can stick on next year’s team matters more than an outsize chance at a playoff push.

In Wednesday’s win, Brady House hit a pinch-hit, game-tying solo homer in the seventh inning, Clayton Beeter recorded a win and catcher Harry Ford threw out Phillies right fielder Bryce Harper for a caught stealing to end the 10th inning.

Abrams hit a two-run triple in the 11th to give the Nationals a 6-4 lead, and Miles Mikolas added a sacrifice bunt to extend the lead to three. He’s the first Nationals pitcher with an RBI since Erick Fedde in 2021. An Andrés Chaparro two-run double increased the lead to five.

It was a much-needed win for the group to snap a seven-game losing streak. That it began with House tying the game in the seventh and and that the Nationals continued to battle the Phillies had to be even more satisfying.

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Butera said recently that the group had been going through it lately, dealing with the emotional ramifications of the trade deadline and its own skid.

Yovanny Cruz, acquired from the Yankees for García, made his Nationals debut, and the stuff was tantalizing. His fastball sat 100.4 mph, but he struggled throwing strikes and recorded a blown save after allowing a game-tying single to Bryson Stott.

Evaluating the younger players who now populate the roster — Abimelec Ortiz, Will Dion, Ford, Cruz and House — should take precedence now. Even better is if the young players drive winning in the second half.

Butera’s day job is to focus on putting the 26-man roster in the best place to succeed, but it’s likely that the best 26-man roster includes many players who are at Triple-A Rochester. But for fans, and the organization at large, the rest of this season is about deciphering who will help the team next year and beyond.