Phillies fall to Dodgers, 10-8, in second straight loss

YOU DIDN'T really figure the Phillies would get through the second half of the season without losing back-to-back games or dropping a series.

Well, did you?

Thursday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park, they were trying to take a series here against the Dodgers for the first time since June 2011. And after spotting the visitors three runs in the first, they scored five of their own in their half against Zack Greinke.

Before they made an out.

That's the same Greinke who'd given up five first-inning runs all year. And who hadn't allowed more than that many in a game since May 2013. Problem was, David Buchanan was getting nicked up himself for three in the first and three more in the second. And Greinke quickly reverted into the guy with the best ERA in the major leagues. So the Dodgers won, 10-8. But at least not before the Phils scored two in the ninth and put runners on the corners with one out. Too bad Domonic Brown's foul liner down the first-base line was caught by Adrian Gonzalez, who was already standing on the bag to double up Ryan Howard.

Hey, the Phils have still won 13 of their last 18.

"It's always disappointing when you lose," manager Pete Mackanin said. "Especially when you put a five-spot up on one heckuva good pitcher. It gives you a real positive feeling going into the rest of the game. As it panned out, we couldn't hold them down.

"It's a shame. We had something cooking there . But we were 4-3 on the homestand. I'm pretty happy there, to a certain degree."

They'll now play 13 of their next 15 on the road, starting tonight with the first of three in San Diego. Then it's three at Arizona and three more at Milwaukee, which is in last place in the National League Central. After two at home against Toronto, a club that seriously revitalized itself at the trade deadline, they'll have four at Miami, the team they're trying to pass to get out of the NL East basement.

Buchanan, in his third stint with the club this season, had allowed three runs or fewer in all but one of his 14 career home starts.

"My balls were elevated today," he said. "I didn't want to veer away from contact. I wanted to keep throwing strikes. But you have to make quality pitches at the same time. You know, it was just one of those days; you make a mistake and they make it hurt.

"You feel a little upset with yourself because with a pitcher like Greinke, not so much to score five runs but to do it in the first inning, especially to pick me up after the first, that's huge. And you want to keep your team in the game. You have a chance to win right there out of the gate. So that definitely hurt, more than usual. Giving up runs always hurts. My job was to keep it close for as long as I can. But it is unfortunate. A rough day."

He was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the fourth, after 81 pitches, at which point the Phils trailed, 7-6. The Dodgers added three in the sixth off Justin De Fratus on three hits and a sacrifice fly. Jimmy Rollins had a double high off the wall in rightfield during that rally.

After getting the first two guys out, Buchanan allowed 10 of the next 12 batters to reach base. Greinke, meanwhile, surrendered only three hits and a run following that opening salvo, which was capped by a three-run homer by Brown, who also had an RBI single in the third.

Greinke improved to 11-2. He hasn't lost since June 13. He's 6-1 in nine career starts against the Phils. And he hit his fifth career homer to left-center in the third. He also had a pair of singles and scored twice more. The only other Dodgers pitcher to score three or more runs in a game since the club moved from Brooklyn in 1958 ago was former Phillies pitching coach Claude Osteen in 1970.

J.P. Howell, Juan Nicasio, Joel Peralta and Kenley Jansen, who got his 21st save, finished things for the Dodgers.

Buchanan, going for his third straight win, fell to 2-6. Six of LA's 15 hits were for extra bases.

"It boils down to command," Mackanin said. " not a power pitcher. He's one of those guys who's not going to blow you away. He's got to keep everything down. Or you get the results you got today, against a pretty good hitting team.

"Even a guy like , if he doesn't have his command he's going to get hit. But he went with his secondary stuff the rest of the way, stayed away from his fastball."

Whatever, it worked. But in six innings he did throw 111 pitches, eight off his season high. It was the fourth straight time he's reached at least 100, and seventh in his last eight starts. He retired 11 of the last 13 he faced.

In his previous start against the Phils, on July 9 on the Left Coast, he gave up one hit in eight scoreless frames, part of that 45 2/3 scoreless-innings streak.

"At this level, it's about getting the job done," Mackanin said. "It's black and white."

In their last chance, the Phils got one-out singles from Caesar Hernandez and Odubel Herrera off Peralta, who came in to start the inning. Jansen came in and gave up a double off the base of the centerfield wall to Franco that drove both runners in. Howard then singled to left. Brown hit it hard, but to the wrong spot.

Yo, it had to not happen for them sometime.

Didn't it?

Anyway, they went 4-1 on their most recent road trip.