Phillies beat Nationals to snap skid

WASHINGTON - Odubel Herrera stood on first base and looked into the Phillies dugout. The rookie outfielder clapped twice to his teammates after driving in an insurance run in the ninth inning of a 5-3 victory Saturday over the Washington Nationals. He raised his fists to his helmet, mimicking a pair of bull horns.

Herrera - nicknamed "El Torito," or "little bull" - brought energy to a Phillies team that needed a spark. The win was their first after six straight losses. Herrera had three hits, including a double for his fifth extra-base hit in four games. He scored twice and batted leadoff for the fifth straight game.

"I think he's really taken off," manager Ryne Sandberg said. "He is a slasher up there, using the whole field, tough to defend. . . . In some ways, he can be hard to pitch to."

Herrera has eight hits in 21 at-bats since moving to the leadoff spot Tuesday. His batting average (.308) moved above .300 for the first time this season. He and Freddy Galvis, who batted second, combined for five of the team's seven hits. Galvis knocked Herrera home with a single in the fifth. It was the second straight game in which Galvis had driven in Herrera.

"I'm just trying to get on base," Herrera said through a translator. "That way we can start rallying, and the guys behind me can make a good approach and bring me home."

Herrera's father gave him the nickname "El Torito" when he was growing up in Venezuela. Herrera said the nickname stuck because he was always short and strong. He started doing the horns celebration this offseason, when he won the Venezula winter league's batting title and MVP award.

"And we hope he keeps doing it," said Andres Blanco, who served as Herrera's translator.

Ben Revere, who did not start for the third straight game, came off the bench in the seventh inning as a pinch-runner for Ryan Howard. Revere stole second and moved to third on a fly ball to right field by Cameron Rupp. He then scored on a hard-hit ball to first base by pinch-hitter Grady Sizemore. Revere ran on contact and slid home safely for the run.

"Everybody in the stadium knew I was going to steal," Revere said. "Rupp did his job getting me over, and Grady got me in. It was a good team win."

Aaron Harang allowed three runs over six innings in his third start of the season. The righthander struck out six and walked two. Bryce Harper tagged him for a solo home run in the fourth. It was Harper's second straight game with a homer and his third this year against the Phillies. He rocked a 3-1 fastball roughly 460 feet to center field.

Before making his postgame comments, Harang had to wait for Justin De Fratus to turn down the clubhouse music. The oversize speaker blasted tunes by Katy Perry, Aerosmith, the Outfield, and Foreigner. De Fratus asked whether he could first finish the chorus to Foreigner's "I Want to Know What Love Is."

The Phillies clubhouse was in a lively mood, a stark contrast to the stillness that had dominated the room for the last week.

"You know how to spoil a win," De Fratus joked after silencing the music.

The Phillies had their first victory in a week. It was a moment for the team to savor.