Philadelphia's Jamie Moyer Wins 250th Game. 4-2 Phillies over Nationals.

(ed. note - "It wasn't scored an error, but Anderson Hernandez's inability to get the ball out of his glove on a DP grounder in the fourth inning this afternoon, which made it 3-1 Philly, cost the Nationals what would eventually be the winning run, a half inning after Josh Willingham had cut the Philllies' 2-0 lead in half with the first of his two solo shots Sunday. Austin Kearns' misplay in center in the seventh on a Ryan Howard "RBI triple", a half-inning after DC had pulled within one again at 3-2 on the HAMMER's second blast, put Philly up 4-2 and gave Philadelphia all they would need to sweep the Washington Nationals out of Citizens Bank Park and give Jamie Moyer the 250th win of his 23-year MLB career. The Nationals drop their sixth-straight, the ninth of the last ten, the fifteenth of the last seventeen...")

#250 For "Old Man" Jamie Moyer...

The first win of Jamie Moyer's career was a 2-1* win on June 16, 1986, over the same Philadelphia Phillies Moyer was pitching for this afternoon when he recorded win No. 250 of his extraordinary 23-year MLB career, which has seen the left-handed soft-tosser pitch for 7 different teams (CHC, TEX, STL, BAL, BOS, SEA, PHI), since that first W in his debut. Moyer beat Hall of Fame Phillies' lefty Steve Carlton for his first victory. Today, he bested DC lefty John Lannan, and the Washington Nationals/Expos, against whom, Moyer has collected 13 of his 250 W's. 

Congrats, Mr. Moyer, from Federal Baseball.com

Turning Points...

Anderson Hernandez's Sticky Glove...

2-1 Phillies in the fourth after Josh Willingham's 8th HR of the year cuts the Phils' 2-0 lead in half. DC starter John Lannan gets a 3-2 fastball by Ryan Howard outside and low. Raul Ibanez gets back to back sliders from Lannan, and the second pitch gets far too much of the plate, Ibanez bounces it off the wall in center and Austin Kearns tries for it, but misses and has it bounce past him and roll around on the track. Ibanez makes his way to third. Lannan walks Jayson Werth with one down. Pedro Feliz gets an 0-1 fastball inside and low, which he grounds to Alberto Gonzalez at short, Gonzalez tosses, "...to Anderson Hernandez at second and over to...to...no throw, it gets stuck in Anderson Hernandez’s glove." No DP, Ibanez scores, 3-1 Philly. 

Austin Kearns Twists In The Wind...

Josh Willingham's 9th HR starts the 7th and makes it 3-2 Phillies. "Dirty" Joe Beimel starts the bottom of the frame with a pop out from Jimmy Rollins, and a line-out from Shane Victorino, then Beimel walks Chase Utley on a full-count fastball high and inside to put a runner on for Ryan Howard. Beimel throws two fastballs, outside and then inside to Howard, who takes both, but the big lefty takes a swing at a 2-0 fastball upstairs and sends a towering shot to center, Austin Kearns drifts back...back...and Kearns falls, the ball falls in, Beimel's walk scores, Howard in at third, and Philly takes a 4-2 lead. 

NOTES:

• Josh Willingham (2 for 4, 2 HR's, 2 RBI's) and Austin Kearns (2 for 4) are the only starters to get hits, and the only other Nationals to reach first base are John Lannan, who reaches on an error, Willie Harris who hits a pinch hit single in the 8th and Nick Johnson who walks later in the eighth, but is stranded along with Harris when Ryan Zimmerman and Adam Dunn strikeout and ground out, respectively, to end the threat.

• John Lannan allows 4 hits, 3 ER, 1 HR, 4 walks, collects 7 K's, but suffers his fifth loss of '09, dropping Lannan to (2-5) on the year. 

• The Washington Nationals go 0 for 6 on the trip to NY and Philly, which follows a 2-9 homestand. The Nationals didn't lose their 36th game until they were 60 games into the season in 2008, this year they do it in 49. It took DC 60 games to lose 36 in 2007, 66 games in 2006, and in 2005, that magical half-season, the first-year Nationals didn't drop #36 until game #88, when they dropped to 52-36 in the last game before the '05 All-Star break. The worst team in franchise history, the Inaugural '69 Expos, dropped their 36th game 47 games into the season...they finished 52-110. 

(ed. note - " * = Stats from Baseball-reference.com's Jamie Moyer splits.")

Phillies win, 4-2 final. 

Miss The Game? The DC Faithful Were Watching...

For The Completists, Full Game Report After The Jump...

Nationals now 13-36.

Washington Nationals At Philadelphia Phillies. Game 49 or 50 of 162.

Anderson Hernandez sends the first pitch down the line to Pedro Feliz who calmly throws to first. “Old Man” Jamie Moyer gives up a long liner to center off Nick Johnson’s bat, but the speedy Shane VIctorino catches up to it. Ryan Zimmerman works the count full and flies to to deep center...Jimmy Rollins rolls the first out back to the mound. John Lannan walks Shane Victorino with one down. Chase Utley doubles to the wall in right, Adam Dunn gets it in quickly and Anderson Hernandez throws home, in time, “You’re Oww...Safe!” the Umps corrects, as he realizes, or is informed, that DC catcher Josh Bard dropped it. 1-0 Philly. Ryan Howard watches a full-count fastball all the way in for a backwards K. Raul Ibanez gets a curve for strike one, then a heater outside and a third strike upstairs, Lannan gets a K to end the inning.

Adam Dunn gets down early, and works the count full only to K swinging. Josh Willingham makes Chase Utley bend down to catch the second out. Austin Kearns lines over a leaping Jimmy Rollins and into left for a single. Josh Bard rolls a grounder to Rollins, toss to Utley covering, 1-0 Phillies in the second...Jayson Werth swings through an 0-2 fastball. Anderson Hernandez throws from behind second to get Pedro Feliz. Chris Coste gets hold of a fastball and lines to left and out of here in a hurry. 2-0 Phillies. Moyer K’s staring, two in the books. 

Alberto Gonzalez grounds weakly to third. Jamey Moyer drops a toss to first from Ryan Howard, and John Lannan’s safe. Anderson Hernandez grounds to Utley, to Rollins over to first, too late, Hernandez too quick to get doubled up. Nick Johnson grounds a 3-1 pitch to first for Howard to handle...Adam Dunn puts the shades down and catches the first out of the Philies’ third. Alberto Gonzalez backhands and fires to first to get Victorino. Lannan drops a full count curve in over the top to get Utley looking. 

Ryan Zimmerman lines to Werth in right for the first out of the fourth. Adam Dunn takes a full-count pitch outside and gets called out on strikes. Josh Willingham’s HR to left gets thrown back by the fans, but it still counts, 2-1 Philly. Austin Kearns grounds up the middle, off Moyer’s glove and it dies in the grass. Josh Bard fouls off a few 3-2 pitches, but ends up flying out to end the top of the fourth...Ryan Howard K’s flailing at a full-count fastball outside. 0-1 slider outside to Ibanez, who bounces one off the wall and by Austin Kearns on the bounce, triple for Ibanez. Jayson Werth takes a one-out walk. Lannan gets a DP grounder from Pedro Feliz to Alberto Gonzalez to Anderson Hernandez to...to...no throw, it gets stuck in Anderson Hernandez’s glove. Ibanez scores, 3-1 Philly. Chris Coste takes the two-out walk. Moyer flies out to left and heads back to the hill. 

Alberto Gonzalez lines out to Victorino is center. Lannan swings over a two-strike bender inside. Anderson Hernandez K’s chasing a change off the plate...Jimmy Rollins pops a 1-1 pitch up over first. Shane VIctorino pops out to second. Chase Utley lines a single to right, it drops in in front of Dunn. Ryan Howard gets a four-pitch walk after Utley steals second. Lannan drops a curve across the plate to get Ibanez looking. 

Nick Johnson grounds to Howard at first, Moyer catches the toss. Ryan Zimmerman grounds back to the mound. Adam Dunn gets sawed off and lines out to first...Jayson Werth vs Jason Bergmann to start the Phils’ sixth. Werth lines out to short. Pedro Feliz grounds out to Zimmerman. Bergmann walks Chris Coste, but gets pinch hitter Greg Dobbs swinging.

THE HAMMER!!! Goes to left off Clay Condrey and it’s 3-2 Philly on Willingham’s second dinger. Austin Kearns K’s looking at a full-count sinker on the outside edge. Josh Bard grounds an 0-1 pitch to first, Condrey covers. Alberto Gonzalez grounds over the mound, to Utley, Stand Up and Stretch...Joe Beimel pops Jimmy Rollins up to the infield. Josh Willingham closes his glove on Victorino’s liner. Chase Utley walks, and scores when Ryan Howard’s fly to center confuses Kearns, who falls while twisting in the wind, and lets it drop onto the track, triple for Howard, 4-2 Philly. Ibanez grounds out to end the seventh.

Willie Harris lines the second pitch from Ryan Madson into right. Anderson Hernandez grounds out...weakly. Nick Johnson takes a two-out walk. Change, fastball, change to Zimmermann, and Madson gets the swinging K. Adam Dunn gets his bat broken, and grounds out to first to end the eighth...”Wild” Joel Hanrahan up for the eighth. Adam Dunn catches the first out off Jayson Werth’s bat. Pedro Feliz drops a single into right center. Chris Coste does the same. Two on for the professional PH Matt Stairs. Stairs K’s swinging at a slider that bounces a few feet from the catcher. Jimmy Rollins K’s swinging over a slider...4-2 Phils after eight. 

Brad Lidge vs Hammer, Kearns and Bard in the ninth. Lidge throws a full-count slider to Willingham for a backwards K. Austin Kearns flies out to Ibanez in left. Josh Bard grounds back over the mound, Utley throws to first, in time! Phils win. 4-2 final. 

Nationals now 13-36.