Apr 16, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals outfielder Michael Taylor (3) high fives outfielder Bryce Harper (34) after hitting a home run in the fifth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Nationals Park. The Nationals won 5-2. Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports
WASHINGTON — Right-handed starter Doug Fister allowed just one earned run and center fielder Michael A. Taylor hit a tiebreaking homer in the fifth as the Washington Nationals beat nemesis Cole Hamels and the Philadelphia Phillies 5-2 on Thursday.
Hamels (0-2) is now 15-9 in his career against the Nationals, who snapped his string of 21 consecutive road starts without allowing more than three earned runs.
The lefty allowed five earned runs and five hits in six innings with four walks and seven strikeouts. Hamels struggled with his command — 40 of his 95 pitches were out of the strike zone — and even some of the outs he recorded were hit hard.
Fister (1-0) was lifted with two outs and the bases loaded in the top of the seventh after he allowed three batters to reach in a row.
Lefty Matt Thornton came on to face Chase Utley, the second baseman, and got him to line out to Taylor in center for the final out of the frame. Fister allowed two runs (one earned) and four hits with four walks and four strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings.
Washington first baseman Ryan Zimmerman padded the lead with a two-run double down the right field line in the sixth to give the Nationals a 5-2 edge. The hit off Hamels scored left fielder Jayson Werth, who led off the inning with a double against his former team, and right fielder Bryce Harper, who had walked.
Washington (4-6) lost each of its first three series but the Nationals scored 23 runs in the past three games. The Phillies (3-7) have lost five in a row.
Reliever Aaron Barrett pitched a perfect eighth for the Nationals and closer Drew Storen pitched the ninth and got a double play grounder to end the game.
Taylor, who made a two-base error in the fourth inning, led off the last of the fifth with a solo homer against Hamels to give Washington a 3-2 advantage.
Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos had singled in the fourth to make it 2-2. His hit scored Harper, who drew a one-out walk and then took second on a balk by Hamels.
In the top of the fourth, Philadelphia scored an unearned run to take a 2-1 lead. Left fielder Darin Ruf had a sacrifice fly to score right fielder Jeff Francoeur, who led off with a walk and went to third on a two-base error by Taylor.
The Phillies tied the score at 1 in the third on an RBI triple by shortstop Freddy Galvis against Fister.
The Nationals grabbed a 1-0 lead as third baseman Yunel Escobar hit the first pitch of the game from Hamels over the fence in center. It was the fifth leadoff homer in Escobar’s career and the second this year for the Nationals.
NOTES: Washington RHP Craig Stammen, who went on the disabled list Wednesday with right forearm tightness, received bad news from test results Thursday. “He’s got a torn flexor that will require surgery,” manager Matt Williams said. There was no date for the surgery or timetable for his return, but Williams said Stammen could miss the rest of the season. … Washington RHP Max Scherzer (0-1, 0.66 ERA) will face Philadelphia RHP Sean O’Sullivan (0-0, 3.00) in the second game of the series on Friday. O’Sullivan has pitched in 54 career games but none at Nationals Park. … The Nationals called up LHP Felipe Rivero, 23, from Triple-A Syracuse and sent RHP Taylor Jordan to the Chiefs.
