Washington Nationals 7-5 Over Philadelphia Phillies On Jackie Robinson Day In The Majors.

Before getting to the game-winning HR the Face of the Nationals' Franchise hit to beat the Phightin' Phils this afternoon, a little history, on the day Major League Baseball celebrates the career of the first African-American player to play in the majors, Jackie Robinson, the Hall of Famer whose trademark no. 42 is retired league-wide but was worn on the back of every jersey in the league today in remembrance of the day in 1947 that the then-28-year-old Brooklyn Dodger made his Major League debut...But before he played a game with the Dodgers, Robinson spent a season in Montreal, as a Royal, playing for the Dodgers' top farm team, and hitting for an International League-leading .349 AVG with the most runs scored, 113, and the second-highest stolen base total in the league, with 40, according to MiLB.com's team history page for the Royals, written by Baseball Historians Bill Weiss & Marshall Wright. Just one more reason for the nation's capital's favorite MLB team to embrace the Montreal roots of their franchise... (ed. note - "Just try to forget that Caps and Habs are battling it out in the NHL Playoffs and embrace the Royals/Expos' past of the Nats.") On to the Nats win...

• Miss The Game? The DC Faithful Were Watching.

• SBN Phillies: Oh Boy, Danys: Nationals 7, Phillies 5. 

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• Olsen's 2010 Debut. 

• Dunn And Zim Get Started. 

BACKPAGE:

• Olsen's 2010 Debut. 

Chase Utley's fourth HR of the three-game series with Washington, off Nats' lefty Scott Olsen in the first, came on a 90 mph 2-1 fastball outside that Utley straightened out and drilled to right center field in Citizens Bank Park for an early 1-0 Phillies' lead. The Nationals tied it in the third, however, when a leadoff walk to Nyjer Morgan, an error by Ryan Howard on a throw to second on a pick attempt gone wrong, a sac bunt by Ian Desmond and an RBI groundout by Cristian Guzman made it at a 1-1 ballgame. Olsen, in his twenty-ten debut, gives up 5 hits, 3 BB and 4 ER in 5.2 IP, striking out 5 and allowing the one HR by Utley. A leadof single, two two-out walks, and a two-RBI hit by Philly shortstop Juan Castro in the sixth end Olsen's outing with the Nats down 3-1, and Tyler Clippard intentionally loads the bases with a walk to Carlos Ruiz and then unintentionally walks in a run with a free pass Greg Dobbs. 4-1 Phillies after six.

• Dunn And Zim Get Started. 

Philly lefty Antonio Bastardo gives up a leadoff single to Alberto Gonzalez in the seventh, and two outs later, Gonzalez scores from second on an RBI single by Ian Desmond. 4-2 Phillies. Adam Dunn starts the eighth with his first HR of the year on the first pitch he sees from the Phillies' Danys Baez, who then makes the mistake of walking Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez in front of the Nationals' Face of the Franchise, Ryan Zimmerm---THE KIDS CALL HIM ZIM!! THE KIDS CALL HIM ZIM!!! First pitch fastball, two-run HR to right field, Zim's first of 2010, and Washington takes a 5-4 lead over Philadelphia. (Zim's first career pinch hit HR according to MASNSports.com's Ben Goessling @masnben). Nats' lefty Sean Burnett gets the first out of the Phillies' eighth and then hands the ball to Matt Capps, who gives up a one-out single to Juan Castro and then gets a groundout from Carlos Ruiz and a pop fly from Ross Gload to end the bottom of the frame. 

The Nationals add two in the top of the ninth, when the Phillies (for some reason?) decide to pitch to Pudge Rodriguez in the seven-spot with the Nats' closer Matt Capps due up next. DC Skipper Jim Riggleman puts a decoy in the on-deck circle and the Phillies fail to call Riggleman's bluff, challenging Pudge and getting burned by a two-out, two-run single to left that puts Washington up 7-4 in a game that would end 7-5, with the Nats avoiding getting swept on the road when Matt Capps records his, "...first career save in excess of 1.0 inning," according to (@NatsTownNews). We're just going to gloss over the solo HR that Capps surrendered to Victorino in the ninth to keep the mood positive. Nats win, 7-5 final. Back to DC tomorrow for a three-game series with Milwaukee. 

Nationals now 4-5.