Harper’s 2 RBIs help Nats beat Diamondbacks

PHOENIX — Bryce Harper homered and drove in two runs, Tanner Roark struck out a seasonhigh 11 and Sean Doolittle stranded the potential tying run to preserve the Washington Nationals’ 4-3 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday night.

Roark (8-6) gave up two runs and three hits in seven innings for the NL East-leading Nationals.

Harper hit his 25th home run of the season on a full-count changeup from Anthony Banda (0-1), who lost in his major league debut.

Chris Iannetta hit a two-out RBI double in the bottom half, but the Nationals opened a 4-1 lead with a three-run sixth.

Harper hit an a run-scoring double and scored on Ryan Zimmerman’s double, and Anthony Rendon beat out an RBI single that sent Zimmerman home.

A.J. Pollock tripled in the bottom half and scored on Jake Lamb’s groundout, and Arizona reliever Jorge De La Rosa got out of bases-loaded trouble in the seventh when he struck out Harper and Zimmerman.

Doolittle, acquired from Oakland last weekend, walked Lamb leading off the ninth. Iannetta hit a grounder to third, and Rendon’s throw to second went into right field for an error that put runners on the corners. Paul Goldschmidt hit a sacrifice fly, Chris Owings flied out and Doolittle struck out Ketel Marte for his second save with the Nationals.

Washington’s Bryce Harper celebrates his home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning of Saturday’s game in Phoenix. with right fielder David Peralta throwing to second baseman Chris Owings, who made the relay. Ross D. Franklin / The Associated Press

I had to make where I said take the day off and be ready for a Sunday day game.”