At no point in the season beyond Opening Day was it expected the Nationals would have the same record as the Philadelphia Phillies. The Phillies’ remaining stars have aged. Jeff Francoeur, a veteran who spent most of last season playing at Triple-A El Paso, was their cleanup hitter. The main question this season about Thursday’s starter, Cole Hamels, was when he will be traded to a contender.
Yet, after a fluctuating first week, the Nationals and Phillies met at Nationals Park on Thursday night both 3-6. By the end of the night, the Nationals looked a bit more like what everyone expected to see in a 5-2 win.
THE RUNDOWN: Doug Fister has handled the Phillies. He’s faced Philadelphia twice in his only two starts of the season, pitching 13 innings and allowing just a run. For all the talk about the Nationals’ other starters, Fister has been as good as any. His 0.69 ERA is right behind Max Scherzer’s 0.66 after two starts. Left-handed reliever Matt Thornton helped him out of a bases-loaded situation in the seventh inning by getting Chase Utley to fly out. Drew Storen picked up his third save of the season.
THE HIGHLIGHT: In the bottom of the sixth, Bryce Harper came wheeling around the bases. The complication was Jayson Werth in front of him. Harper took an early and right read on Ryan Zimmerman’s double down the right-field and began to chase down Werth, who was on second after a double. Third-base coach Bob Henley threw the stop sign up with both arms. Harper kept steaming toward Werth and the plate. He eventually scored with a fair amount of ease to put the Nationals in front, 5-2, at the time.
STAR OF THE GAME: Yunel Escobar was just 1-for-4, but pushed the Nationals in the right direction from the start. The Nationals’ defense early in the season has been putrid. In the top of the first, Escobar made a slick catch of a foul pop up the third-base line. To add a little razzle to his dazzle, he flipped the ball behind his back to shortstop Ian Desmond after the play. In the bottom of the first, Escobar hit a first-pitch 90-mph fastball from Philadelphia starter Cole Hamels over the center-field fence. Escobar was able to give the Nationals a jolt in two aspects that have been a struggle to start the season.
THE TAKEAWAY: The Nationals’ solid start to a seven-game homestand is enough to bring everyone back from the ledge, at least temporarily. Scherzer is on the mound Friday against Sean O’Sullivan. That should mean a third consecutive win, a bit of momentum and a team starting to look like the quality baseball club envisioned prior to the season which opened with them wading through the muck.
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• Todd Dybas can be reached at tdybas@washingtontimes.com.
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