Outfielder’s bat, glove lifts Washington to victory; Lannan earns first career victory against Philadelphia
It is one small piece of a long, arduous schedule. In the end maybe no one will remember that the Nationals took two of three games from the Philadelphia Phillies in early June.
But Wednesday’s satisfying 2-1 Washington victory still felt like an achievement — even if it’s just a baby step toward what the Nats hope will be a contending team in the coming years. Outfielder Laynce Nix homered in the third inning and then made a game-saving catch with the bases loaded in the sixth inning to help Washington to a victory over the Phillies at steamy Nationals Park.
| Nationals notes |
| » Washington left immediately after the game for an 11-game road trip to Arizona, San Francisco and San Diego. The Nats don’t return to Nationals Park until June 14. |
| » Closer Drew Storen earned his 10th save of the season and lowered his ERA to 1.95 after finishing off the Phillies in the ninth. |
| » First baseman Michael Morse extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a double in the fifth inning. |
It is just the third time since 2007 that the Nats have taken a series from Philadelphia, the four-time defending National League East champion. The last time it happened was a three-game set at Nationals Park on July 30-Aug. 1 last summer. The Phillies entered this series 56-22 against them since the start of the 2007 season. Considering Washington had also lost 12 of 16 — eight games by a single run — and was facing Philadelphia’s three best pitchers, it didn’t seem like a promising series. Instead, it turned into a positive after the Nats lost the opener 5-4 on Monday.
“It was another close game all the way,” Nats outfielder Jayson Werth said. “But we got a big homer from [Nix], and the pitching was great again, and we were able to win the game and the series, more importantly. This is a step in the right direction because we’re headed to the West Coast, a long trip. Maybe it’s a chance to start the offense and get us going.”
All the runs Washington (24-31) needed came early in the game. Werth singled home a run in the first. Nix then smashed a home run to right in the third inning. That was his ninth of the season, second most on the team. An error by third baseman Alex Cora in the second inning led to Philadelphia’s lone run as Ryan Howard scored from second base on the hard-hit infield grounder.
Starting pitcher John Lannan lasted 5 1/3 innings in the searing heat and earned his first career win against the Phillies in 14 tries. Lannan allowed no earned runs on four hits with three walks and a strikeout. The bullpen did the rest — with a huge assist from Nix. Philadelphia loaded the bases with two outs in the sixth. A fly ball from Domonic Brown appeared headed for the left-center field gap. But Nix made a headfirst dive to snare the ball. That likely saved three runs.
“It was hit a long way from me, but it was also slicing back to me,” Nix said. “I knew if I could cut down that distance I had a shot at it.”
The Phillies managed just one more base runner when Jimmy Rollins reached on a bunt single in the ninth.
