Washington Nationals: Offense Blazes A Path, Strasburg Reaches 10-0 in Nats’ Win
By Chris Lacey
The Washington Nationals got a good start from Stephen Strasburg, and the offense did the rest, as they won the opening game of the series against the Phillies, 9-6.
The Phillies took a 1-0 lead in the second inning, due to a single by Cody Asche. Then, in the same inning, Tyler Goeddel singled on a bunt ground ball to Ryan Zimmerman, which gave them a 2-0 lead.
The next inning, Tommy Joseph smoked a line drive two-run home run to center field and they were up 4-0.
The Nats broke through in the bottom of third, as a double by Jayson Werth scored Danny Espinosa and Ben Revere, cutting the lead to 4-2.
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Wilson Ramos and Stephen Drew hit back-to-back home runs in the fourth inning to tie the score at four apiece.
The Nationals lineup remained in attack mode, as Daniel Murphy hit a two-run double in the fifth to plate Revere and Bryce Harper. It was the 16th double of the season for Murphy, and the Nats led 6-4.
The Nats hit their third home run of the contest in the sixth, as Espinosa cranked his 10th homer of the year to give the Nationals a 7-4 lead.
Jeremy Hellickson had a rough night on the mound, as he picked up his fourth loss of the year. He went six innings, yielded nine hits, allowed seven runs, issued three walks and surrendered three home runs on 94 pitches (58 strikes).
The right-hander held the Nationals scoreless through the first two innings but gave up seven runs in the next four innings. This marked the fourth outing in 2016 that Hellickson has allowed at least two or more home runs.
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Stephen Strasburg kept his team in the game, and that’s all you can ask for from a starter. He pitched seven innings, gave up four runs on five hits, walked one batter and struck out 10 on 104 pitches (73 strikes).
He picked up his 10th victory of the season and remains unbeaten.
It’s the fifth time in the last seven starts that Strasburg has reached double-digit strikeouts.
The Phillies went to the bullpen in the seventh, but it didn’t pan out. Luis Garcia yielded RBI doubles to Murphy and Drew, which pushed the Nationals’ lead to 9-4.
Murphy finished the game with two doubles and three RBI. He was one of three players on the team to record at least two or more RBI.
The next inning, Nats’ reliever Felipe Rivero gave up a two-run homer to Joseph and the lead was cut to 9-6.
Jonathan Papelbon pitched a scoreless ninth inning to pick up his 16th save of the season.
The Nats offense came alive, as Murphy was once again a catalyst. It was nice to see Drew and Espinosa contribute as well. If they get hot, it will make their lineup tougher for opposing pitchers.
Strasburg did yield more than three runs for the third time in 2016, but still pitched deep into the game. He has thrown at least six innings in all but one outing this season.
Next: Washington Nationals vs. Phillies Series Preview (6/10-6/12)
Next Game: The Washington Nationals (37-24) will have Tanner Roark (4-4, 3.21 ERA) on the mound for the second game of the series. The Philadelphia Phillies (29-32) will counter with Aaron Nola (5-4, 2.65 ERA). You can watch the game at 12:05 p.m. ET on MASN.