WASHINGTON -- The Phillies were within 90 feet of potentially tying the game in the ninth inning, but they dropped their third straight with a 3-2 loss to the Nationals on Thursday night.
With two out and a runner on third, Trea Turner battled during an eight-pitch at-bat, but he struck out on an inside sinker by Jose A. Ferrer to end the opener of a four-game set at Nationals Park.
“We wish we could have pulled it out,” Turner said. “The effort was there which was nice, but we just couldn’t get enough offense going.”
The lack of offense has been a recurring theme for the Phillies as they entered Thursday with a minimal eight hits and one run over their previous two games against the Reds at hitter-friendly Great American Ball Park. Philadelphia has now recorded two or fewer runs in each of its last three games and went 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position against Washington.
Despite the loss, the Phillies maintained their five-game lead in the National League East race with the Mets’ 4-3 loss to the Braves at Citi Field.
“I think we’re probably trying to do a little too much at the plate,” manager Rob Thomson said. “We got to get back to using the entire field, doing the little things, and big things will happen.”
Phillies starter Jesús Luzardo tossed six-plus innings of three-run ball on four hits, three walks and seven strikeouts. The lefty, who was cruising until a decisive two-run seventh, has now logged at least six innings and allowed three earned runs or fewer in three straight starts.
Five of Luzardo’s strikeouts came by way of the sweeper, a pitch he debuted this season.
“Being able to land the sweeper has been big all year,” Luzardo said. “Being able to throw it for strikes, for chase, throwing it in high-leverage counts, has been a good weapon for me. I went through a rough stretch where I didn’t have a good feel for it and lately it’s been good for me.”
Luzardo’s lone run allowed through his first six innings occurred in the fourth, when Paul DeJong capitalized on a fastball that caught the middle of the zone and sent it a Statcast-projected 381 feet into the visitors’ bullpen in left for a solo shot to tie the game at 1.
“I thought tonight went well, it felt really good,” Luzardo said. “The first six innings were great, we got through a good lineup and kept them off.”
While Luzardo held Washington’s hitters in check, Philadelphia’s starting nine provided run support early in the third inning.
With the left side of the Nationals’ infield shaded toward second base, Bryson Stott led off the third with a dribbler down the third-base line and hustled to second for a double. Then, Turner advanced Stott to third with a slow-rolling ground ball to shortstop for a single. With runners on the corners, Stott scampered home on a fielder’s choice for an early 1-0 Phillies lead.
Tied in the fifth inning, Philadelphia regained the lead when Kyle Schwarber stung a two-out RBI double with an exit velocity of 105.1 mph off the right-center-field wall to plate Turner for a 2-1 lead.
Luzardo’s rhythm was disrupted in the seventh inning when he allowed a leadoff walk to DeJong, followed by a double from Riley Adams. A walk by Daylen Lile loaded the bases with none out. With his pitch count at 97, Luzardo was lifted and Orion Kerkering took the ball.
After inducing a shallow flyout to Luis García Jr. for one out, Kerkering allowed a two-run single to José Tena that gave Washington a 3-2 lead.
“Going into the seventh, I’m frustrated the way it ended with walking two guys and allowing the double,” Luzardo said. “The hits happen, but the walks are what rubbed me the wrong way about the outing.”
The Phillies managed just two singles over the final two innings.
“We’ve just got to get back to hitting simple,” Thomson said.