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Nationals hold off Phillies to avoid sweep

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04/08/2010 - Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Willie Harris smacked a two-run homer, and the Washington Nationals held on for a 6-5 win over the Philadelphia Phillies to salvage a game in this season-opening three-game set.

Cristian Guzman and Ryan Zimmerman each went 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI for the Nationals, who didn't get their first win last season until their eighth game -- also against the Phillies.

Craig Stammen got the start and allowed four runs and nine hits without walking a batter in five innings. Tyler Clippard (1-0) recorded the win for 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief, and Matt Capps earned his first save of the season.

Jayson Werth hit a career-high three doubles and scored a run for the Phillies, who were seeking their first 3-0 start since 2001. Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins each had two hits and an RBI in defeat.

Kyle Kendrick, pitching in place of the injured Joe Blanton, yielded five runs on six hits in four frames. Nelson Figueroa (0-1), pitching for the first time since being claimed off waivers from the Mets, allowed a run in two frames.

Although Capps finished the game, he nearly allowed the Phillies to tie it in the ninth.

Utley began the inning with a line drive double to left-center, and Howard was then intentionally walked. Werth flied out, but the hit was far enough to allow Utley to move to third base. Raul Ibanez couldn't push the run across, flying out to shallow left, and Shane Victorino popped out to end the game.

Kendrick struggled in the first, allowing the Nationals to score three times.

Nyjer Morgan started off with a triple and scored on Guzman's single, and Zimmerman doubled Guzman to third. Guzman scored on an Adam Dunn groundout to first, and Josh Willingham followed with a sacrifice fly.

Philadelphia got one of the runs back in the second, when Werth doubled and scored on a Victorino groundout.

The Phillies then cut their deficit to one on Utley's RBI groundout in the third, but Harris smacked a two-run homer in the fourth to restore Washington's three-run cushion, 5-2.

The visitors nearly tied the game in the fifth. Pinch-hitter Ross Gload singled and was able to score when a Placido Polanco hit eluded Morgan in center field, rolling all the way to the wall. Polanco advanced to third and scored on Howard's two-out single to center for a 5-4 game.

Werth followed with a double down the left field line, but Howard overran third, allowing the Nationals to throw him out easily at home plate for the final out of the inning.

Rollins' sacrifice fly off Clippard in the sixth tied the game, but the Nats got a fortunate bounce in the seventh to take the lead for good.

With Figueroa on the mound for his second inning, pinch-hitter Alberto Gonzalez worked a leadoff walk and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. Two batters later, with Gonzalez on third, Zimmerman hit a bloop double that landed just inside the right field line to plate the go-ahead run.

Brian Bruney stranded Phillies runners at second and third in the eighth to maintain Washington's lead.

Game Notes

The Phillies had won five straight and 14 of 15 over the Nationals coming into the game...Stammen faced Philadelphia for the first time...Polanco recorded a hit in his 21st straight game against the Expos/Nationals, the longest active streak in the majors after Ichiro Suzuki went hitless against Oakland to snap his 23-game stretch against the A's...Philadelphia sent pitcher Andrew Carpenter to Triple-A Lehigh Valley to make room for Figueroa...The Phillies went 1-for-14 with runners in scoring position.

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