Phillies 1, Nationals 0
Roy Halladay tossed seven strong innings and Raul Ibanez plated Chase Utley with an RBI double in the third as the Philadelphia Phillies recorded a 1-0 triumph over the Washington Nationals on Friday.
Philadelphia (69-52) managed just four hits in this one to remain 2.5 games behind Atlanta in the NL East standings. The Braves rallied to a 5-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Friday afternoon.
The Phillies have won 21 of their last 27 games - and 18 of their last 21 at Citizens Bank Park.
Halladay (16-8) notched his sixth straight win behind another solid performance. The 33-year-old right-hander allowed eight hits but struck out five in this one. In addition, Halladay has allowed one run or fewer in five of his last six outings.
Ryan Madson retired the side in the eighth inning and Brad Lidge did the same in the ninth for his 17th save of the season.
Ian Desmond had three hits for Washington (52-70), which fell to 3-9 in its last 12 games.
Jason Marquis (0-6) deserved a better fate in this one. Marquis, who will turn 32 on Saturday, permitted just one run and four hits in five innings to take the loss.