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The Phillies offense sputtered with runners on base and Kendrick struggled on the hill, as the Phils lose 6-5 to the Nationals.
It's hard to believe that you can score five runs and be very disappointed, but that was the case today. It boils down to this: the Phillies were just 1-for-14 with runners in scoring position and left 11 runners on base. Although they scored 5 runs, they wasted a bunch of opportunities. They stranded a runner on second with one out in the third, couldn't score after a leadoff double from Jayson Werth in the fourth, and Howard got thrown out at the plate to end the fifth. And they couldn't score Utley from third with one out and a chance to tie in the ninth.
The Phils stayed in this game despite untimely hitting and a bad game from Kyle Kendrick. In his first "real" start in quite a while, Kendrick allowed six hits and five runs in just four innings. The Nats scored three in the first with a triple, single and double. Kendrick would settle down for a while, but Willie Harris hit a hanging changeup for a two run homer in the fourth to give the Nationals a 5-2 lead.
The Phillies would actually tie the game in the sixth. Sean Burnett walked Raul Ibanez and Shane Victorino to lead off the inning. With one out, Tyler Clippard hit Ben Francisco to load the bases. Jimmy Rollins' sacrifice fly scored Ibanez, but that was all they scored.
Our good old buddy Nelson Figueroa took the loss in his first game with the Phils. As Ruben Amaro mentioned during yesterday's broadcast, they took Figueroa off waivers and he took a red-eye flight and was here today. Figueroa pitched well, but Ryan Zimmerman hit a bloop double down the right field line to give the Nats a one-run lead.
With Utley on third and one out in the ninth, Ibanez blew a big opportunity. Ibanez, who is now hitting .091 (1-for-11) in his first three games after a miserable spring, popped up. Then Victorino did the same and the game was over.
Oh well, a sweep would have been nice, but a series win on the road to start the season is not a bad thing.
But they still had life. Chase Utley hit a leadoff double in the ninth against Nationals closer Matt Capps, who was 1-1 with a 27.00 ERA in 2 1/3 innings against the Phillies last season when he pitched for the Pirates. Capps intentionally walked Howard to put runners on first and second with nobody out.
Werth flied out to center to move Utley to third, but Ibanez flied out to shallow left and Victorino popped up in the infield to end the game. |
