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Nationals hand Phillies their fifth straight loss

These are the nights a rebuilding project produces, a nondescript 5-1 Phillies loss to a first-place Washington team that resembled many failures before it. That is expected; the Phillies do not have a fraction of the pieces to contend while the Nationals bear lofty goals. Instead, these are the nights when a manager and a fan base learn about how a potential future anchor is handed the ball and asked to stop the bleeding.

These are the nights a rebuilding project produces, a nondescript 5-1 Phillies loss to a first-place Washington team that resembled many failures before it. That is expected; the Phillies do not have a fraction of the pieces to contend while the Nationals bear lofty goals. Instead, these are the nights when a manager and a fan base learn about how a potential future anchor is handed the ball and asked to stop the bleeding.

Aaron Nola was not at his best Tuesday night at Citizens Bank Park. His team, devoid of a functional lineup, lost. He held Washington to two runs in six innings, made two bad pitches that Nationals hitters hit over the fence, and escaped a second-inning jam.

The sinking Phillies did not lose because of Nola.

"This guy, nothing bothers him," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "He's like the golfer who sees the water in front of him, the sand traps on the side, and they just put that out of focus to try to hit the green. It's great to see."

Progress, in a rebuilding project, is measured in smaller increments. Nola, who will turn 23 on Saturday, has been in professional baseball for less than two seasons. The Phillies expect to win when he pitches. That is a status not easily achieved.

Eventually, the Phillies believe, these Nola nights will be wins. Eventually. The Phillies have lost five in a row, and they are back at .500 for the first time since April 26.

"Early on, I thought we had some decent at-bats," said rookie Tyler Goeddel, who was 0 for 3 with two strikeouts. "I think we're close. I really do. Hopefully we'll get this going."

Before the season started, Mackanin said he wanted his team to play .500 ball, and then "go from there." Go from there could mean the inevitable promotions for many of the organization's top prospects in the minor leagues. That is later.

"And, after two months, we're right at .500," Mackanin said . "So where we go from here is going to determine a lot about who we are and what kind of players we have."

In Nola, the Phillies have a pitcher who can survive without his finest command. He threw Jayson Werth a lazy first-pitch fastball in the first inning. "Right down the chute," Nola said. Werth crushed it to center for a 1-0 Nationals lead just three pitches into the game. In the sixth inning, Nola made a two-strike mistake to Daniel Murphy, who has flirted with .400 all season. Murphy destroyed it.

The second inning was most emblematic of Nola's competitive acumen. Clint Robinson started with a double. He moved to third on a wild pitch. A one-out walk put runners on the corners with the bottom of the Nationals order next.

The Phillies pitchers have existed all season with such a fine margin because of the team's lackluster supporting offense. Nola had to emerge unscathed. He induced a tapper by Danny Espinosa back to the mound and struck out Joe Ross, the opposing pitcher.

Nola kept his team alive.

Alive, of course, is all relative when considering the Phillies lineup. The Phillies had four hits. Washington blasted four home runs.

Ryan Howard started again against a righthander and was hitless in three at-bats. He is hitting .154 with a .558 OPS. "It's matchups," said Mackanin, who is likely to start Tommy Joseph on Wednesday against Washington ace Max Scherzer. That is a test for the 24-year-old first baseman, another moment for this rebuilding franchise to learn.

"We're looking to see how they're going to perform when the going gets tough," Mackanin said. "You know, the old saying, when the going gets tough, you have to play better. Is that it?"

Something like that.

mgelb@philly.com

@MattGelb