Phillies Blanked by Nationals
By Matt Veasey
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | |
| Nationals | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Phillies | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The Philadelphia Phillies were shut out at home by the division rival Washington Nationals in the opener of a three game series on Monday night.
The Phillies returned home to Citizens Bank Park, but it was the visiting division rival Washington Nationals who made themselves at home with a 4-0 whitewashing down in South Philly.
With the victory the Nats opened up a full nine game lead in the National League East Division standings over the 2nd place Miami Marlins.
Meanwhile the Phillies dropped to 11 games below the .500 mark on the season with their 8th loss in the last dozen games.
The Phils only recorded four hits on the night against Nats starter Tanner Roark and a pair of relievers, two of those coming off the bat of center fielder Odubel Herrera.
Roark went seven strong innings in this one, allowing just four hits while striking out five batters and walking just one. Mark Rzepczynski and Mark Melancon wrapped it up with a pair of scoreless innings each.
On the mound for the Phillies, rookie starter Jake Thompson ultimately had an encouraging outing, but it didn’t look like that at the beginning.
The second batter of the game, former Phillies star Jayson Werth, blasted his 19th homer of the season out to left field to put the Nationals up 1-0. Anthony Rendon later in the frame provided an RBI single to give the visitors an early 2-0 lead.
But Thompson would then settle down, shutting the Nationals out for six innings while scattering six more hits. He struck out three on the day, and had one walk, that coming in the first inning.
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“What a job he did after the first inning,” Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said per MLB.com contributors. “In the first inning, it was more of the same. He hung a breaking ball to Werth and gradually, as the game went along, he got better and better. … A real positive outing.”
Unfortunately for Thompson, his teammates provided no support whatsoever. The Phillies never really challenged to score in this one.
In the top of the 9th inning the visitors doubled their lead and put the game away. Clint Robinson and Trea Turner each provided RBI singles off ineffective Phillies reliever Frank Herrmann.