May 30, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Washington Nationals second baseman Daniel Murphy (20) is congratulated by third base coach Bob Henley (13) after hitting a solo home run against the Philadelphia Phillies during the fourth inning at Citizens Bank Park. Photo Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
PHILADELPHIA — Daniel Murphy continued his hot hitting with a go-ahead two-run single in the eighth inning, as the Washington Nationals beat the Philadelphia Phillies 4-3 on Monday night.
The victory was not secure, however, until Washington closer Jonathan Papelbon, who has struggled against his former team since the Phillies traded him to the Nationals last season, wriggled out of trouble in the ninth.
Murphy, the major leagues’ leading hitter with a .395 average, snapped a 2-2 tie with his hit off Philadelphia reliever Hector Neris, capping a three-run inning for the Nats.
Murphy, 3-for-4 in the game, also hit a solo homer off Philadelphia starter Jeremy Hellickson in the fourth inning. He has hit safely in nine straight games.
Tanner Roark (4-4) earned the victory for Washington, going seven innings and allowing two runs and four hits while striking out four and walking two.
Felipe Rivero pitched a scoreless eighth, and Papelbon entered the game in the ninth.
He blew two saves against Philadelphia after the trade last season, and another in April of this season. On Monday, he allowed a run when Maikel Franco and Ryan Howard doubled to start the inning, but struck out pinch hitter Tommy Joseph and Cesar Hernandez.
Tyler Goeddel then lined out to Murphy at second base to end the game and give Papelbon his 14th save.
Freddy Galvis homered for Philadelphia, which dropped its fourth straight game. The Phillies have also lost seven of eight.
Galvis’ sixth-inning homer gave the Phillies a 2-1 lead, and Philadelphia starter Jeremy Hellickson needed just 79 pitches (53 strikes) to negotiate seven innings.
Manager Pete Mackanin nonetheless inserted Neris (1-2) to start the eighth. He issued a one-out walk to Danny Espinosa, and with two down walked Ben Revere, another former Phillie. Jayson Werth, yet another guy who once played for Philadelphia, doubled into the left-field corner to chase home the tying run.
Chris Heisey then walked to load the bases, and Murphy lined a 2-0 pitch from Neris into right field, making it 4-2.
Heisey replaced Bryce Harper in right field in the bottom of the seventh, after last year’s National League MVP was struck on the right knee by a pitch from Hellickson in the top of that inning.
The Phillies scored a run without a hit in the second.
Cesar Hernandez walked, stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch, then scored on Hellickson’s safety squeeze bunt.
Murphy knotted tied it by depositing Hellickson’s 0-1 fastball into the right-field seats with two outs in the fourth, his eighth homer of the season.
NOTES: Phillies 1B Ryan Howard, a left-handed hitter, was back in the lineup against Washington RHP Tanner Roark, but Philadelphia manager Pete Mackanin reiterated before the game that his plan going forward is to use rookie 1B Tommy Joseph against righties on occasion. Joseph started against Chicago Cubs RHP John Lackey on Sunday. “Howie’s still in the picture,” Mackanin said. “He’s not being benched. I’m just going to give a little more playing time to Joseph.” The 36-year-old Howard, in the final year of a five-year, $125 million contract with a team option for 2017, began the night hitting just .154, and had six hits in his previous 66 at-bats. … Nationals 2B Daniel Murphy entered the game with 42 hits in May, a franchise record for the month.
