Harper burns former team as Phillies surge past Nats
Bryce Harper had three hits against his old team, and the visiting Philadelphia Phillies beat the skidding Washington Nationals 5-3 Friday in a doubleheader opener for their 13th win in 15 games.
Nick Castellanos drove in two runs and scored another for the Phillies, who improved to 12-2 under interim manager Rob Thomson. Philadelphia’s 10-game winning streak against the Nationals is its longest against the franchise since 10 in a row against the 1991 Montreal Expos.
The Phillies moved three games over .500 for the first time this season.
“Guys are in good moods in the clubhouse,” Castellanos said. “We’re playing loose. We’re happy. If that translates to wins, I don’t know.”
Washington has lost six straight, dropping to an NL-worst 23-44. Josh Bell homered for the Nationals, who have lost nine of 11 overall and nine straight home games to the Phillies.
Playing a makeup of a game postponed by the lockout on a 91-degree afternoon, the Phillies staked starter Ranger Suárez to a 2-0 lead before he threw a pitch, thanks to Castellanos’ two-run double off Joan Adon (1-11).
Washington managed one run in the first five innings, but Bell’s two-run homer into the right-field bullpen in the sixth closed the gap to 5-3. Suárez (5-4) yielded three runs and six hits in 5 ⅔ innings while striking out five.
Brad Hand worked the ninth, escaping a two-on, one-out jam of his own making for his second save.
Adon, summoned as Washington’s 27th man for the doubleheader,
allowed four runs and struck out six in five innings in his first start for the Nationals since June 7. He also extended his major league lead in losses; teammate Patrick Corbin ranks second with nine.
Late Thursday Phillies 10, Nationals 1:
Kyle Schwarber homered twice, Zack
Wheeler won his third consecutive start and Philadelphia routed Washington in the opener of a fivegame series.
Wheeler (6-3) allowed one run and four hits in seven innings while striking out three. The righthander improved to 3-0 with a 1.42 ERA in three starts this month.
The Phillies blew the game open with a two-out rally in the third that started when Washington
second baseman César Hernández misplayed Yairo Muñoz’s sharp grounder up the middle. Schwarber then drilled a 1-0 fastball from Patrick Corbin into the centerfield seats.
Things spiraled from there for Corbin (3-9), who yielded a double and a walk before Nick Castellanos and J.T. Realmuto delivered consecutive RBI singles. Both scored on Didi Gregorius’ double.