Leiter Jr. gets back on track, Phils slip past the Nationals
WASHINGTON » Rhys Hoskins went deep and drew three walks, Maikel Franco hit his 20th home run and the Phillies beat the Washington Nationals 5-4 on Saturday night.
Edwin Jackson (5-5) allowed both homers while pitching on his 34th birthday and was charged with five runs in 3⅓ innings. Washington’s magic number to clinch the NL East dropped to two when Miami lost to Atlanta.
Hoskins hit his 14th homer in 30 games since making his major league debut on Aug. 10, and Franco went long two batters later in the second inning. Cesar Hernandez added three hits for the Phillies.
Mark Leiter Jr. (3-5) allowed four runs and six hits over six innings. He walked one and struck out eight.
Luis Garcia struck out Daniel Murphy, Ryan Zimmerman and Anthony Rendon in the eighth, and Hector Neris pitched the ninth for his 20th save, working around a leadoff walk.
Odubel Herrera was 0 for 4 and ended his hitting streak at 21 games, the longest in the majors this season.
Michael A. Taylor had a two-run homer, an RBI single and a walk for Washington, and Howie Kendrick added a solo shot and a single.
The Nationals, who had won five straight, began the night five games behind the slumping Dodgers for the best record in the National League. The teams meet for three games next weekend at Nationals Park.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“You don’t eat money like Popeye eats spinach and get strength,” Nationals manager Dusty Baker on people who say players get paid too much to be tired.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Nationals: Baker said OF Jayson Werth (shoulder) won’t return to the lineup until Tuesday at the earliest.
UP NEXT
Phillies: Rookie RHP Ben Lively (3-5, 3.92 ERA) faces the Nationals for the first time.
Nationals: RHP Stephen Strasburg (12-4, 2.78 ERA) battled a leg cramp in his last start, but extended his scoreless innings streak to 26 by going six in a win over Miami. Strasburg is 9-2 with a 2.36 ERA in 20 career starts versus the Phillies.