After dropping three in a row to the defending champion Cubs at Wrigley Field, home cooking provided little respite to the skidding Phillies.
They lost a fourth straight game, 4-2, to the visiting Nationals, who own the majors' best record at 20-9.
The Phils are 12-16, a pace that would have them win 69 games.
Nick Pivetta, making his second career start, lasted just five innings and threw 101 pitches. Even without Bryce Harper, the Nationals have a formidable lineup — the best in baseball, really — and Pivetta struggled to work ahead of hitters.
Stephen Strasburg wasn't exactly sharp despite pitching 5⅔ scoreless innings. He allowed five hits and four walks and threw a career-high 119 pitches. Strasburg is the first National League pitcher since Ted Lilly in 2009 to throw that many pitches in fewer than six innings without allowing a run.
Still, the Phils had few chances against Strasburg and their best shot came in the bottom of the fourth inning when they had the bases loaded with two outs. With Pivetta at 78 pitches, Pete Mackanin decided to let his pitcher hit and Pivetta struck out to end the threat.
MLB
It was a tough call — on one hand, you know that run-scoring opportunities will be few and far between against Strasburg, but on the other hand, the Phillies were coming off a road trip in which their bullpen accounted for 45 percent of the innings pitched.
Starting pitching report
Pivetta had an up-and-down night. The Nationals had four straight singles off of him with one out in the first inning but he was able to limit the damage to just one run by picking up a strikeout and groundout with the bases loaded.
He later gave up three solo home runs to Strasburg, Ryan Zimmerman and Anthony Rendon. Zimmerman and Rendon went back-to-back in the fifth inning.
Pivetta gave up four runs on nine hits over five innings with six strikeouts and no walks. Through two starts, he has 11 strikeouts and just one walk in 10 innings, but he's thrown first-pitch strikes to only 19 of 48 hitters (39.5 percent). The league average is 60 percent.
He's missed quite a few bats so far but few pitchers can afford to get behind in the count so regularly.
Strasburg improved to 3-0 with a 1.45 ERA lifetime at Citizens Bank Park with 66 strikeouts and just 32 hits allowed in 49⅔ innings.
Bullpen report
Jake Thompson, called up Friday afternoon from Triple-A to give the Phillies an extra arm in the bullpen, made his season debut in relief of Pivetta.
Thompson pitched a 1-2-3 sixth inning with two strikeouts. He talked before the game about switching back to his old mechanics after struggling early this season at Triple-A (see story).
Edubray Ramos pitched two scoreless innings, and Hector Neris had a perfect, eight-pitch ninth, which he badly needed.
At the plate
Odubel Herrera and Tommy Joseph each doubled in a run to cut the Nats' lead in half in the seventh inning. Joseph and Michael Saunders were the only Phillies with multiple hits.
Prior to the game, general manager Matt Klentak said the Phillies will not give up on Joseph after 100 plate appearances to call up the red-hot Rhys Hoskins from Triple-A (see story).
Nobody can stop Zimmerman right now.
April's National League Player of the Month has continued to rake in May — he's 8 for 16 with three doubles and a homer in four games this month. Another ho-hum night from him Friday: 3 for 5, double, homer.
Zimmerman is hitting .433/.474/.885 and leads the majors in batting average, slugging, OPS and RBIs (31). His 12 home runs also lead the NL.
Anthony Rendon stayed hot for the Nationals, going 3 for 4 with a homer and two RBIs.
Strasburg hit his second career home run and first since 2012 and it wasn't a cheapie.
In the field
All three Phillies outfielders made impressive running catches with two outs in an inning and all three catches saved two runs. Without the outfield defense, this one would have been a blowout.
Herrera reacted well and was at top speed on a Chris Heisey line drive in the third inning, extending his arm to make the grab before going into a dive.
Saunders made a nice sliding catch in right field to save two more runs in the seventh.
Aaron Altherr made an over-the-shoulder grab to rob Daniel Murphy in the eighth.
Health check
Klentak had some good news on Aaron Nola before Friday's game. Klentak also discussed plans for Howie Kendrick and what could happen to Altherr when Kendrick returns (see story).
Bryce Harper missed Friday's game after exiting Thursday with a groin injury.
The Nats also placed closer Shawn Kelley on the 10-day DL before Friday's game. The Nats need bullpen help because Dusty Baker doesn't have a closer right now. The first pitcher he used in the role was Blake Treinen, who failed and has a 9.00 ERA after giving up both of the Phillies' runs Friday night.
The next two guys Baker used in the role, Kelley and Koda Glover, are both now injured.
Up next
The Phillies and Nationals continue their series Saturday night at 7:05.
Vince Velasquez (2-2, 5.47) makes his sixth start of the season and second against the Nationals.
The Nats haven't yet named a starter for Saturday but it looks like it will be 25-year-old right-hander A.J. Cole, who has a 5.29 ERA in 11 games with Washington the last two seasons.