Phillies beat Nationals on Hernandez homer
WASHINGTON -- Cesar Hernandez hit a two-run home run off reliever Joe Blanton in the eighth inning and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Washington Nationals 4-2 on Saturday, snapping a four-game losing skid.
Blanton came on in the eighth and hit the first batter, Freddy Galvis, with a pitch. After retiring pinch hitter Brock Stassi, Blanton (0-2) yielded the home run to right field by Hernandez, who had a walk-off single last Sunday to beat Washington and added two hits Saturday.
Washington pitchers have allowed 12 homers this year -- 10 by relievers. Blanton has given up three homers in seven innings.
Chris Heisey, in his first start of the season for the Nationals, lined a solo homer to left off Phillies starter and winner Jeremy Hellickson (2-0) to tie the game, 2-2, in the seventh. It was the first hit of the season for Heisey.
The Phillies took a 2-1 lead in the fourth when Odubel Herrera hit an RBI double and eventually scored on Maikel Franco's run-scoring groundout.
Anthony Rendon hit a two-out RBI single to left to give the Nationals a 1-0 lead in the third. His hit scored Jose Lobaton, who walked with one out and went to second on a single to right by Washington starter Tanner Roark.
Roark was hit on the left (non-throwing) forearm on a comebacker by Freddy Galvis in the fifth. The ball deflected to third baseman Rendon, who threw out Galvis, and Roark stayed in the game.
Roark doubled in his next at-bat in the fifth for his second hit of the day. He went seven innings and gave up two runs on four hits and did not figure in the decision.
Hellickson lived on the edge most of the afternoon, giving up several line drive outs and retiring Michael A. Taylor and Lobaton on long flyballs in the fifth.
Bryce Harper flew out to the warning track in the sixth against Hellickson, who left his last start on Sunday because of a cramp in his right arm after throwing five scoreless innings against the Nationals.
Taylor flew out to the warning track in the seventh after the homer by Heisey.
Hellickson also yielded four hits and two runs. Hector Neris pitched a scoreless eighth for the Phillies and Joaquin Benoit threw a perfect ninth for his first save of the season and the team's second.
NOTES: To celebrate Jackie Robinson Day and Black Heritage Day, the Nationals' guests included Troy Hylick and Michael Moore, the grandsons of West Virginia native Katherine Johnson. She was portrayed in the recent movie "Hidden Figures." Robinson made his Major League debut for the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947. ... Washington CF Michael A. Taylor made his first start of the year and C Jose Lobaton made his second. ... Phillies RHP Jerad Eickhoff (0-1, 2.63) will face Washington LHP Gio Gonzalez (1-0, 0.69) in the series finale Sunday. ... Washington pitching coach Mike Maddux was 10-13 with a 4.51 ERA with the Phillies from 1986-89.