Phillies starter David Buchanan (2-9) yielded five hits, two earned runs and two walks in a 4-0 loss to the Nationals on Tuesday. He struck out five.
Compared to his previous three trips to the mound, Buchanan was more than serviceable but failed to receive any run support against a virtually unhittable Stephen Strasburg. The young right-hander had given up an incredible 31 hits and 22 earned runs over his previous nine innings after having turned in strong performances in seven of his first eight starts of the season.
Although he gave up a gopher ball for the fifth consecutive start, Buchanan's five whiffs were a season best, and the 26-year-old does hold some promise after an encouraging rookie campaign in 2014 in which he mustered six victories and a 3.75 ERA over 20 starts.