Nationals 2, Phillies 0
WP – Gio Gonzalez (6-1, 1.98)
LP – Kyle Kendrick (0-4, 5.23)
SV – Sean Burnett (2)
PHILADELPHIA — The life above .500 was short-lived for the Phillies.
They fell back under .500 with their 2-0 loss to Washington, a loss that should be pitted on a pitiful display by the offense. It was also the Phillies third straight loss, following up on a six-game winning streak that got them over .500.
The bottom of the 6th inning was probably the defining inning of the game for the Phillies offense.
Placido Polanco walked and got to third on a double by Shane Victorino to start off the 6th. But a pair of base-running blunders by Polanco quickly ruined the inning.
Hunter Pence hit a sharp liner to center field that Rick Ankiel had to dive in order to catch. Polanco went halfway on the play, having to retreat. If he would have tagged he could have scored regardless if the ball was caught.
Carlos Ruiz followed up with a hard hit ground ball to first base. Polanco broke on the pitch right away and was gunned out at the plate by first baseman Adam LaRoche.
It helped waste another fantastic outing by Kyle Kendrick. Kendrick went seven innings, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out four. He threw 104 pitches and retired the last 11 batters he faced.
The two runs Washington squeezed out of Kendrick came in the 2nd and 4th inning on an Ian Desmond home run and RBI single in each inning respectively.
The 8th inning was another example of the offense disappearing with runners in scoring position. Polanco and Victorino hit back-to-back singles again but Pence and Ruiz popped out and grounded out to end the threat.
The Phillies did get a run in the 9th on a sacrifice fly by Ty Wigginton but they stranded a runner on first and second, ending their last chance to score. They finished the game 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position, stranding 10 on the night.
2B: Victorino (7).
TTB 