The Nationals slammed four home runs off Phillies pitching, powering them to their first victory of the 2009 season. The Nats won 8-2.
As usual, the Phillies got behind too early. Joe Blanton surrendered a three-run bomb to Adam Dunn in the first inning, a hole from which the Phils couldn’t climb. Raul Ibanez drove in Chase Utley in the fourth inning, and Jimmy Rollins drove in Lou Marson in the fifth, but the Phils couldn’t mount any real rallies, scattering only five hits off Nationals pitching.
Blanton finished with a line of 6 IP / 3 ER / 8 H / 1 BB / 5 K. He wiggled out of jams after the first inning, putting together a solid, if initially flawed outing. Though down 3-2, the Phils couldn’t hold the deficit. Chad Durbin and Jack Taschner combined to allow five runs via three home runs in a little more than an inning.
There was a silver lining: Making his first appearance of 2009, Marson went 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored. The jury is out on how well he calls a game: eight runs isn’t great, but Durbin and Taschner seem like easy foils for runs.
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