Field Level Media
Aug 27, 2018
Matt Wieters hit a solo homer, Stephen Strasburg pitched six effective innings, and the visiting Washington Nationals defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 5-3 Monday night.
Juan Soto added two hits and an RBI for the Nationals in the opener of a three-game series.
Rhys Hoskins went 2-for-3 with a solo homer for the Phillies.
Strasburg (7-7) allowed two runs, five hits and three walks while striking out five.
Justin Miller pitched a perfect ninth to earn his first save of the season and the second of his career.
Phillies starter Zach Eflin (9-5) allowed five runs (three earned), eight hits and two walks and struck out five in 5 1/3 innings.
The Nationals scored once in the first on two-out singles by Bryce Harper, Anthony Rendon and Soto.
Wieters led off the second with his sixth homer of the season.
The Phillies scored two in the third. Nick Williams led off with a walk, took second on Eflin's sacrifice and scored on Roman Quinn's triple. Hoskins walked, and Cesar Hernandez hit a game-tying RBI single.
The Nationals regained a two-run lead in the fourth. Soto led off with a single, and Ryan Zimmerman walked. Soto took third when Wieters flied out. Wilmer Difo walked to load the bases. Strasburg reached first and Soto scored on Eflin's throwing error on an attempted force at home. Trea Turner hit an RBI single with two outs.
In the sixth, an infield single, a stolen base and Strasburg's sacrifice put Difo at third, and Luis Avilan replaced Eflin. Adam Eaton doubled to increase Washington's lead to 5-2. After Harper walked with two outs, Luis Garcia replaced Avilan and struck out Rendon.
Wilson Ramos led off the bottom of the sixth with a single, but Eaton threw him out at third on Asdrubal Cabrera's single to right to blunt a possible rally. Strasburg retired the next two batters to end the inning.
Tim Collins replaced Strasburg and tossed a perfect bottom of the seventh with two strikeouts.
Philadelphia's Adam Morgan was perfect in top of the eighth and pitched around a walk and a wild pitch in the ninth.
Hoskins led off the bottom of the eighth with his 27th homer of the season against Ryan Madson to cut the lead to 5-3. Madson was activated from the disabled list before the game after recovering from a back ailment.
--Field Level Media