(Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)The Phillies entered Thursday's game against the Nationals looking to sweep their division rivals and start the season 3-0, but fell one run short, losing 6-5. Thanks to a poor showing by starting pitcher Kyle Kendrick, the Phils fell behind early and were forced to overcome a 3-0 deficit after the first inning. Despite finally tying the game at 5-5 in the 6th and having a few rallies in the late innings, the Phils fell just short.
Kendrick's outing was particularly disconcerting after his promising spring training. Against the lowly Nationals, Kendrick gave up 5 runs on 6 hits in 4 innings of work. While Kendrick did have a few solid pitches mixed in, he wasn't fooling anyone in the 1st and 4th innings when the Nationals hit everything hard. Kendrick will have a few more starts to figure things out before Joe Blanton comes back but nothing he did today will instill any confidence in Phillies management or the fans.
Despite not winning the game, the Phillies offense showed plenty of fight to keep the game close. The 1-5 hitters combined to go 11-23 in the game with each getting at least two hits. While there were no home runs, the Phils still managed 6 doubles on the afternoon, including 3 by Jayson Werth. Due in large part to the ineptness of the 6-7-8 hitters, who went 0 for 11, the Phillies failed to capitalize with runners on base, where they hit a paltry 2 for 15. Raul Ibanez in particular had a bad game, going 0 for 3 with runners in scoring position.
There is nothing to worry about, Phillies fans. Sure, it's embarrassing when the Phils lose to the Nationals, but it's just one game. Besides, the Phillies go from playing one bad team to another when they travel to Houston for a 3 game series starting tomorrow. The Astros just got swept by the Giants so they should be easy pickings for the Phillies. I guess 161-1 is still a possibility!
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