PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Stephen Strasburg struck out a season-high nine batters in seven strong innings to lead the Washington Nationals to their eighth straight victory, 3-2 over the Philadelphia Phillies in the first game of a doubleheader on Sunday.
Strasburg (5-5) allowed two runs on four hits with one walk in his second good outing since returning from the disabled list.
Dan Uggla had three hits and Michael Taylor had two hits with a double and an RBI for the Nationals.
Jeff Francoeur homered for the Phillies, who dropped their third straight. Philadelphia, playing in its second game under interim manager Pete Mackanin after Ryne Sandberg resigned on Friday, fell to 7-17 in June.
The game was part of a traditional doubleheader, with the second game scheduled to start 30 minutes after the first. The doubleheader was made necessary with Saturday’s rainout after 1 1/2 innings.
The Nationals scored the eventual game-winning run in the sixth on a passed ball. Taylor’s double off Kevin Correia (0-2) scored Clint Robinson to put Washington up 2-1. Uggla moved to third on the play and scored when reliever Jake Diekman’s pitch bounced off the glove of catcher Cameron Rupp to make it 3-1.
The Phillies got a run back in the bottom of the inning on Francoeur’s RBI single.
But the Phillies couldn’t get anything else off Strasburg, who retired the side in the seventh while striking out his final two batters. He set a season-high with 113 pitches.
Strasburg struggled in May, going 1-3 with an 8.00 ERA in five starts, and was placed on the disabled list with neck tightness following his May 29 start. He returned last Tuesday against Atlanta and pitched five shutout innings, giving up four hits, in a 3-1 win.
Drew Storen pitched a perfect ninth for his 23rd save.
Correia, making his fourth start for the Phillies, gave up three runs, one earned, on seven hits with four strikeouts and three walks in 5 1/3 innings.
Francoeur’s fifth homer of the season leading off the second put Philadelphia ahead 1-0.
The Nationals tied it in the fifth with some help from Francoeur. Denard Span hit a liner to the right-field corner. Francoeur first bobbled the ball trying to pick it up and the ball then fell out of his hand as he tried to throw it back to the infield, going about eight feet in front of him and drawing gasps from the crowd and a wry smile from Francoeur. Span was credited with a double and went to third on Francoeur’s error. He scored on Danny Espinosa’s sacrifice fly
Maikel Franco snapped an 0-for-10 with a sixth-inning single. The skid came on the heels of going 6-for-8 with three homers and 10 RBIs last week in the first two games of a three-game series at Yankee Stadium.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Nationals: 2B Yunel Escobar (bruised left hand) wasn’t in the lineup after getting hit by a pitch on Friday night. Harper (hamstring) returned after missing two games and Span (back spasms) came back after sitting out Friday’s contest.
UP NEXT
Nationals: After an off day Monday, Washington opens a series at Atlanta on Tuesday with RHP Jordan Zimmermann (5-5, 3.42) facing Braves RHP Shelby Miller (5-3, 1.94).
Phillies: Philadelphia begins a four-game home series Monday night against the Brewers with RHP Sean O’Sullivan (1-5, 5.34) opposing Milwaukee RHP Jimmy Nelson (4-8, 4.34).
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