Nationals 2, Phillies 1
Nationals 2, Phillies 1: Nats take 2 of 3 from Phillies
John Lannan finally broke through against the Philadelphia Phillies. The lefthander tossed 5 1/3 strong innings to earn his first win in 14 career starts against the Phillies as the Washington Nationals posted a 2-1 home triumph on Wednesday afternoon.
Laynce Nix belted a solo homer in the third inning and former Phillie Jayson Werth had an RBI single for Washington, which took two of three from NL East-leading Philadelphia.
The modest offense was just enough for Lannan (3-5), who allowed one run on four hits to improve to 1-10 in his career against the Phillies. Wednesday's start was a far cry from his May 5 outing, when the 26-year-old New York native was torched by Philadelphia for six runs in a season-low two innings of work.
Three relievers combined for 2 2/3 innings of hitless relief to bridge the gap to Drew Storen, who worked around Jimmy Rollins' bunt single to pick up the final three outs to secure his 10th save of the season.
A lack of run support yet again felled Roy Oswalt (3-3), who permitted just two runs on six hits in five innings. The 33-year-old Mississippi native has received just three runs of support from the offense in his last four starts since returning from the disabled list.
Third baseman Alex Cora's fielding error allowed Ryan Howard to score in the second inning for Philadelphia, which has dropped three of four following a four-game winning streak.