See You Next Year, CBP Top 5:
5. Quick Recap: In 26 starts this season, 30-year-old Philadelphia Phillies' right-hander Kyle Kendrick allowed 28 earned runs, (9.69 ERA), six doubles and eight home runs with opposing hitters putting up a .361/.409/.613 line against him in the first innings of his outings.
The Washington Nationals made it 29 earned runs allowed for Kendrick in 27 first innings this season two batters into his 27th start.
Denard Span singled to center field in Citizens Bank Park and scored from first on a double to left field off Anthony Rendon's bat. Rendon's 32nd two-base hit of the season gave the Nats a 1-0 lead early in the series finale with the Phillies and he too scored two outs later on an RBI single by Ian Desmond that made it 30 runs in 27 first innings for Kendrick, and 2-0 Nationals.
WATCH: #TonyTwoBags doing what he does, getting the #Nats on the board: http://t.co/tRL8I31YPH
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) August 27, 2014
Jimmy Rollins cut the Nationals' lead in half with a solo home run to right off Doug Fister with one down in the bottom of the first and the Phillies tied it up at 2-2 when Chase Utley and Ryan Howard hit back-to-back line drives to center with Howard's getting by Denard Span, allowing Utley to score.
Watch @JimmyRollins11 put the #Phillies on the board by knocking one out: http://t.co/LGs4esDSRp
— Phillies (@Phillies) August 28, 2014
The Nats retook the lead with Span doubling to start the top of the third and scoring one out later on a broken bat, RBI single to left by Jayson Werth, 3-2.
WATCH: Want to see Jayson Werth smack an RBI-single to give the #Nats the lead? Of course you do: http://t.co/6fnvxB5jsY
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) August 28, 2014
Denard Span's second home run of the season bounced off the facade of the second deck in right field in Citizens Bank Park. The Nats' outfielder crushed a 2-2 sinker up in the zone from Kendrick and left himself a triple away from a cycle, 3 for 3 after three at bats. 4-2 Nats.
Yeah, @thisisdspan went upper tank at Citizens Bank Park!! #Nats #BombsAway http://t.co/LpHGjC0Tjn
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) August 28, 2014
The Phillies got back within one in the bototm of the sixth, however, with Marlon Byrd singling to center to start the sixth and scoring on a hard-hit double to the right-center gap off Domonic Brown's bat. 4-3 D.C. in Philly. Brown was thrown out on a bit of a TOOTBLAN, but Grady Sizemore hit a two-run home run off Fister to put the Phillies ahead 5-4 after six. Sizemore's fourth of 2014.
Take a look at the go-ahead, 2-run blast off the bat of Grady Sizemore in the 6th: http://t.co/VIkXRj7tqk #Phillies
— Phillies (@Phillies) August 28, 2014
Marlon Byrd hit an opposite field home run to right in the bottom of the seventh, taking Ross Detwiler deep to right after Ryan Howard singled to start the frame. 7-4 Phillies.
Watch @mjbsr6 pad the lead with this 2-run, opposite-field shot in the 7th: http://t.co/ybUoAhtujj #Phillies
— Phillies (@Phillies) August 28, 2014
The Phillies added a run on a bases-loaded line drive to center by Ryan Howard in the bottom of the eighth. 8-4.
That's how it ended...
#Nats vs. #Phillies: Span CF, Rendon 3B, Werth RF, LaRoche 1B, Desmond SS, Harper LF, Ramos C, Cabrera 2B, Fister P pic.twitter.com/i8rTJXXZMu
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) August 27, 2014
4. Fister vs the Fillies: After three starts and 21 ⅓ innings on the mound over which he gave up three runs but didn't allow a single earned run, Nationals' starter Doug Fister gave up four earned runs in six innings last time out against the San Francisco Giants, in a 10-3 loss last Friday night in the nation's capital in which he dropped his fourth decision, (L, 12-4).
It was just the third start of nineteen this season in which Fister allowed more than one home run, and the first since June 15th in St. Louis.
All four runs he gave up came on the home runs, a three-run blast by Travis Ishikawa and a solo homer by Giants' rookie Joe Panik.
The loss was Fister's second in seven second-half starts, over which he's (5-2) with a 1.53 ERA, a 3.05 FIP and a .238/.267/.311 line against in 47 IP, down from a 2.90 ERA, a 3.05 FIP and .248/.282/.403 line against in 77 ⅔ IP in the first half of his first season with the Nats following the trade that brought the 6'8'' right-hander over from the Detroit Tigers.
Talked to bunch of folks about my preseason sleeper Cy Young, @Nationals Doug Fister and why he's so good in 2014- http://t.co/B83DgETamA
— Mark Simon (@msimonespn) August 27, 2014
"I've got to be better," Fister said after the loss to the Giants.
"I just wasn't sharp, left too many balls over the plate."
"It's not a bad start," Nats' skipper Matt Williams said after the game. "They took two really good swings and that gave them their four runs. But nobody is going to be good every single time. And I'm sure if you ask him he wasn't as crisp as he'd like to be, but he battled."
The loss to the Giants left Fister (2-2) in five starts this month, with a 1.57 ERA, 3.28 FIP, four walks (1.05 BB/9), 23 Ks (6.03 K/9) and a .233/.257/.318 line against in 34 ⅓ IP.
Tonight he was facing the Philadelphia Phillies for the third time this season, the fourth time in his six major league campaigns and the first time in Citizens Bank Park.
In the previous three outings, Fister was (2-1) with a 1.64 ERA, three walks (1.23 BB/9) and 16 Ks (6.55 K/9) in 22 IP over which he's held Phillies' hitters to a combined .169/.210/.286 line.
His first start in CBP began with a groundout...
1st: Ben Revere rolled one out to short for the first out of the game. Jimmy Rollins cut the Nats' lead in half with a high fly to right that cleared the scoreboard/wall in CBP. 1-0. Chase Utley singled on a line drive to center in the next at bat, and scored when Denard Span let a line drive to center by Ryan Howard get by him and roll to the wall. 2-2 game. Marlon Byrd lined out to third for out no.2. Domononic Brown K'd swinging to end a 21-pitch frame.
2nd: Wil Nieves started the Phillies' second with a swinging K. Cody Asche grounded out to first, Fister got over to cover. Kyle Kendrick K'd swinging to end a 12-pitch frame. 33 total.
3rd: Ben Revere grounded out to second to start the Phillies' third. Jimmy Rollins walked with one down, taking the first free pass of the game from Fister. Chase Utley sent a fly ball to center for out no.2, but Rollins moved up on a wild pitch to Ryan Howard. Howard's groundout to Ian Desmond at second in the shift ended a 15-pitch frame that left Fister at 48 total after three.
The #Phanatic got his dance on with @taneybaseball! pic.twitter.com/auEt2yQXnL
— Phillies (@Phillies) August 28, 2014
4th: Marlon Byrd lined a single to left on an 0-1 fastball from Fister, but he was doubled up on a grounder to first when Adam LaRoche started a slick 3-6-3 DP. Wil Nieves lined a two-out single over a leaping Ian Desmond and into left. Cody Asche's pop to third ended a quick nine-pitch frame that left Fister at 57 pitches.
5th: Kyle Kendrick grounded out to third to start the bottom of the fifth. Ben Revere lined out to center. Jimmy Rollins popped to right and it dropped in between three converging fielders. Chase Utley followed with a single to right that put two runners on, but a check-swing grounder to the mound by Ryan Howard ended a 17-pitch frame by Fister, who was up to 74 total.
6th: Marlon Byrd singled to start the Phillies' sixth and scored when Domonic Brown doubled to the right-center gap in the next at bat. 4-3 Nats. Brown was running and thrown out at third on a grounder to short by Wil Nieves. Cody Asche's fly to Bryce Harper in left gave Fister two outs. Grady Sizemore stepped in for Kendrick... and hit a two-run blast to right to give the Phillies a 5-4 lead. Ben Revere took a fastball on the elbow on what ended up being Fister's final pitch...
• Doug Fister's Line: 5.2 IP, 10 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 3 Ks, 2 HR, 100 P, 68 S, 8/2 GO/FO.
3. Kendrick vs the Nats: In two starts this season against the Phillies' NL East rivals from the nation's capital, one in Citizens Bank Park and one in Nationals Park, 30-year-old right-hander Kyle Kendrick was (0-2) with a 6.39 ERA, five walks and seven Ks in 12 ⅔ IP.
In a June 5th start in D.C., Philadelphia's 2003 7th Round pick gave up six hits, five walks and four earned runs in seven innings of work in a 4-2 loss.
Five weeks later, Kendrick surrendered five hits and five runs in 5 ⅔ IP in a 10-3 loss on July 13th in Washington.
Those two starts left the veteran in his eighth major league campaign (5-10) in 26 games and 24 starts against the Nationals in his career, with a 5.00 ERA, 42 walks (2.84 BB/9) and 69 Ks (4.66 K/9) in 133 ⅓ IP, over which Nats' hitters have put up a combined .278/.341/.437 line against him.
In seven second-half starts before tonight's, Kendrick was (2-2) with the Phillies' 4-3 in his outings, in which he's put up a 5.85 ERA, a 5.26 FIP, 12 walks (2.70 BB/9) and 19 Ks (4.28 BB/9) in 40 IP over which opposing hitters have put up a .284/.349/.468 line against him.
At home in Citizens Bank Park this season, Kendrick was (4-5) with a 4.32 ERA and a 4.48 FIP in 13 starts before tonight's, holding visiting hitters to a combined .274/.336/.437 line.
His fourteenth start of the year, third start vs the Nationals this season and 25th start vs the Nats in his career, began with a single to center by Denard Span. Anthony Rendon doubled to left in the next at bat to bring Span around and give the Nationals a 1-0 lead early in the series finale. Two outs later, Rendon scored on an RBI single to left by Ian Desmond. 2-0 Nats after a 21-pitch first by Kendrick.
Kendrick needed just 12 pitches to retire the Nats in order in a 1-2-3 second. 33 total.
Denard Span battled for eight pitches before doubling to right to start the Nationals' third and scored one out later when Jayson Werth lined to left for a broken-bat, RBI single, 3-2. 26-pitch frame by Kendrick, 59 total after three.
Just another day in Philly. #WerthGoesGnome pic.twitter.com/IJvs9qLWBS
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) August 27, 2014
The Nationals went down in order in a seven-pitch fourth that left Kendrick at 66 pitches.
Denard Span absolutely crushed a 2-2 sinker from Kendrick in the fifth, however, sending a one-out solo home run into the second deck in Citizens Bank Park to give the Nationals a 4-2 lead. Three outs later, Kendrick was through a 20-pitch frame at 86 pitches overall after five.
Ian Desmond singled with one down in the top of the sixth and stole second one out later with Wilson Ramos up, but a fly to center by the Nats' catcher ended a 13-pitch inning that left Kendrick at 99 pitches total.
• Kyle Kendrick's Line: 6.0 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 4 Ks, 1 HR, 99 P, 65 S, 9/3 GO/FO.
2. Turning Point(s): The Nationals and Phillies traded two-run firsts with Kyle Kendrick and Doug Fister giving up two runs each at the start of the series finale in Citizens Bank Park. Denard Span singled the first time up and scored on a double by Anthony Rendon. In his second trip the plate, Span doubled to start the third, for his 50th multi-hit game of the year, then scored on a one-out RBI single to left by Jayson Werth. In his third at bat, in the top of the fifth, Span homered to right on a 2-2 sinker up in the zone from Kendrick, leaving him a triple away from the cycle, and 3 for 3 with three runs scored.
.@thisisdspan!!! Denard Span blasts his second HR of the season to right field and the #Nats are on top, 4-2! It's a 3-hit night for Span!
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) August 28, 2014
The Nationals led 4-2 after five and a half in Citizens Bank Park, but the Phillies rallied against Doug Fister in the home-half of the frame with Marlon Byrd singling and scoring on a double by Domonic Brown. A two-out, two-run, pinch hit home run by Grady Sizemore put the Phillies ahead 5-4.
1. The Wrap-Up: Matt Thornton took over for Doug Fister with a runner on and two outs in the Phillies' sixth and gave up a walk to Jimmy Rollins before getting Chase Utley to ground out to end the inning.
Phillies' lefty Antonio Bastardo took the mound in the top of the seventh and retired the side in order in the top of the seventh.
Ross Detwiler gave up a leadoff single by Ryan Howard and a two-run home run to right by Marlon Byrd that put the Phillies up 7-4 after seven.
Jake Diekman retired the Nationals in order in the eighth.
Detwiler gave up back-to-back singles by Darin Ruf and Ben Revere to start his second inning of work. Jimmy Rollins bunted the runners over, so the Nats walked Chase Utley intentionally to load'em up with one out. Ryan Howard stepped in and drove a run in with a scorched single to center. 8-4.
Ian Desmond and Wilson Ramos hit leadoff and one-out singles off Ken Giles in the ninth, putting runners on first and third with one down, but Asdrubal Cabrera struck out and Nate Schierholtz lined into a force at second to end the game. 8-4 final.
Nationals now 75-57