Phillies fall short against Scherzer, Nationals

WASHINGTON - The Phillies left chilly Colorado for the nation's capital a hot team heading to a warmer climate.

The air got warmer next to the Potomac, but perplexing Nationals righthander Max Scherzer cooled their bats for the third time in a season not yet two months old.

Scherzer led the streaking Nats to a 2-1 win. He lasted eight innings and gave up one run on four hits, the same result in his win here April 17. He lasted six innings and surrendered one run in a no-decision in Philadelphia on April 12, a game the Nationals won. Scherzer is 2-0 with a 1.35 earned run average against the Phillies.

His opposite, Sean O'Sullivan (as usual), was more than respectable in his fifth start of the season: six innings, two runs. Three of O'Sullivan's starts have come opposite Scherzer, a large part of the reason why O'Sullivan is 1-3 this season.

So is Bryce Harper, who pushed a high, outside fastball down the leftfield line to start the second inning. That tied the score at 1-1 and gave Harper his 16th homer of the season, best in the National League. Three of the home runs are off O'Sullivan, one in each of O'Sullivan's starts against the Nats.

O'Sullivan has surrendered eight runs to the Nationals. Harper's homers produced five of those runs.

"We've run up against a guy with his 'A' game," O'Sullivan said. "And Scherzer, with his 'A' game . . . It's tough to beat."

The Phillies had been playing their 'A' game, too. They had won seven of their previous nine games and were 2-2 in the first four games of this 10-game, 10-day road trip. But the Nationals were 17-4 in their previous 21 games, best in the major leagues, and had surged from last place in the NL East on April 27 to first, where they remain.

Behind Scherzer (5-3), the Nats played like the class of the division. Centerfielder Denard Span twice ran down extra-base hits, and Drew Storen closed the game for his 13th save, despite allowing two weak singles.

The Phillies' hottest hitters showed up.

Ryan Howard entered hitting .290 with a .343 on-base percentage and a .630 slugging percentage over the past month, all spurred by nine homers, five doubles and a more acceptable 26 strikeouts. It was Howard's most productive stretch since Aug. 10 to Sept. 11, 2011, which was his last full season before two injury-addled years. Howard hit a 390-foot double in the first inning, which set up the Phillies' only run on Odubel Herrera's two-out double, after Howard was out on a fielder's choice on a ball hit by Maikel Franco.

Chase Utley was the league's worst hitter through mid-May. Entering D.C., though, he was 9-for-20 with with three RBI and four doubles in his previous six games, but remained stuck on three home runs, his last having come three weeks before. He doubled in the sixth inning, but was stranded at third, then led off the ninth with a single, but was stranded at second.

Ben Revere began the season 5-for-37, but was hitting .293 in his last 32 games. He managed a single, too.

Harper evened things in the second on his homer, and Scherzer led off the sixth with a single. Scherzer then scored the go-ahead run on Ian Desmond's double off the right-centerfield wall, a towering shot that hit high and discombobulated Herrera in his pursuit.

A CBSSportsline.com report indicated that the Blue Jays, rich in young pitching talent, inquired about today's Phillies starter, lefthander Cole Hamels (4-3, 3.24), but that Hamels refused to waive his no-trade clause . . . Cody Asche, sent to Triple A to convert from third base to leftfield, had to stay down at least 10 days, but the Phillies have no immediate plans to recall him, manager Ryne Sandberg said . . . Outfielder Dom Brown, after a rehab stint and three more weeks of refinement at Triple A, told the Easton Express-Times he feels good enough to be promoted. Brown's lack of power has alarmed the Phillies, Sandberg said. Brown has no home runs and so likely will stay with Lehigh Valley a bit longer, despite IronPigs hitting coach Sal Rende's explanation to the newspaper: Brown hasn't seen many of the types of pitches he could hit for home runs . . . Righthander Stephen Strasburg (3-4, 5.98) starts today for the Nats. He's 5-1 with a 2.00 ERA in 12 starts against the Phillies . . . Righthander Aaron Harang (4-3, 1.82) finishes the series tomorrow against lefthander Gio Gonzalez (3-2, 4.94).

Blog: ph.ly/DNL