In Washington on Saturday, the Phillies dropped the division leading Nationals by a score of 8-1, behind the steady arm of ace Cole Hamels and the scorching hot bat of slugger Ryan Howard in front of 41,722 fans at Nationals Park.
The lefty Hamels tossed eight strong innings, striking out five and walking one while allowing just a lone earned run on five hits. With the victory, the 31-year-old would move to 16-9 with a 2.67 ERA in 35 career starts against Washington.
Howard notched three hits in five at bats including his 10th homer of the season. The 35-year-old first baseman is now batting a noteworthy .338 with six long balls and 13 RBI n 21 May games.
Center fielder Ben Revere and rookie third baseman Maikel Franco each collected two safeties. For Franco, he also went deep, smacking his second career home run.
Washington starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg took the loss, allowed six runs (five earned) on seven hits in 3 2/3 innings. In his last three starts, including Saturday’s action, Strasburg has posted an 11.25 ERA.
The Nats’ offensive star, Bryce Harper, went 0-for-4 with two strike outs against Phils pitching on the day, which included a scoreless inning from right-hander Justin De Fratus, who struck out two of the batters he faced, including Harper.
The win for the Phillies takes their record to 19-26 on the season and places them fourth in the National League East division, seven games behind the Nats (25-18).
Use Hipmunk.com to catch the series finale on the road with flights to and from Washington D.C., including hotels in Washington D.C. starting from $97 to catch multiple games in a series. Bring a glove, as Harper will most likely find it beyond the outfield walls.
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