Washington Nationals lose to Philadelphia Phillies 2-4 – MLB Recap
Washington Nationals lost to the Philadelphia Phillies 2-4 in the first game of their three-match regular series encounter on Friday, August 24 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.
Phillies’ entire pitching rotation played tremendously well and won the game for their team. They all pitched with complete precision and allowed only two runs.
Starter Kyle Kendrick pitched 6.2 innings and allowed two runs and four hits. He struck-out three and received only one homer on his 4.12 ERA.
"My confidence has always been there, I'm just trusting my stuff, knowing how I am and trusting it,” Kendrick said.
Later Phillies' manager Charlie Manuel said, "He pitched real good, changed speeds and had control of the game, That goes to show you, when you get focused and apply yourself, good things can happen. He's always had to fight to survive. He's proved he can pitch."
Jeremy Horst pitched one inning and maintained his 0.98 ERA with accuracy. He remained calm on the mound and never allowed any loop-holes to the opposing batters.
Antonio Bastardo struck-out one while his 5.40 ERA also helped the Phillies take the game away in style.
Reliever Raul Valdes also played well for the Phillies in his one inning spell. He struck-out one while his ERA remained consistent at 3.10.
Jonathan Papelbon struck-out two while his ERA of 2.75 also remained consistent which proved one of the winning factors for the Phillies.
On the other hand, the Nationals' pitchers did not play their natural game and eventually lost the contest. They could have played much better but the Phillies’ batters consistently kept them under pressure and rattled them with force.
Starter Edwin Jackson was hammered with big hits. He allowed three runs and seven hits on his 3.72 ERA.
"Jackson was all over the place but he had pretty good stuff and kept us in the game, We had the right guys up at the right time but just couldn't get it done," Washington manager Davey Johnson said.
Though he retired eight Phillies' batters but overall he just could not save the game for the Nationals.
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