Washington Nationals 10-2 Over Philadelphia Phillies, Danny Espinosa Hits Two HR's Off Cliff Lee.

• Tonight's Top 5: 

5. Clifford Phifer Lee: The Expos' year 2000 4th Round pick, Clifford Phifer Lee, was dealt, in one of the more lopsided deals in recent memory, to Cleveland before ever throwing a pitch for Montreal, and the 32-year-old left-hander spent seven-plus seasons with the Indians, never facing that team that had drafted and dealt him after just 46 starts in the organization until he became a Phillie. The Benton, Arkansas-born pitcher, drafted out of the University of Arkansas, is (3-0) in 3 starts against the Nats, two in '09 and one earlier this season, and Lee has two complete game shutouts in those three starts against the relocated franchise heading into tonight's game.

In the first of two starts against Washington in 2009, Lee gave up 10 hits and five runs, four earned to the Nationals, who were shut out the second time he took the mound against them a week later. Lee's one start against the Nats this year, back on April 14th, was Lee's second complete game shutout of the Nats. The Phillies' left-hander held the Nationals to three hits and one walk while striking out 12 that night. The lefty strikes Jayson Werth out to record his first scoreless frame of the night tonight in Nats Park and Lee has a 19.1 scoreless IP streak going against the Nats since he last allowed a run in the seventh inning of his first start against the franchise is September of 2009. 

4. Pudge + Lee = GIDP: The Phillies' lefty's scoreless inning streak against the Nationals is in jeopardy in the Nats' second when Michael Morse and Danny Espinosa hit back-to-back singles to start the frame. Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez is up 3-0, then 3-1 when he makes contact and sends a tailor-made double play grounder to Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard. Two down. Jerry Hairston grounds weakly toward third and Placido Polanco's throw ends scoreless inning no. 20.1 for the Philly lefty.

3. Right Side Danny Does It: Nats' outfielder Brian Bixler singles to start the Nats' third, but he's forced out at second when Marquis bunts it too hard back to the mound. A single by Bernadina and a walk by Ian Desmond and the bases are loaded when Werth flies out to right to score Marquis from third for a 1-0 Nats' lead. Roger Bernadina takes third on Werth's sac fly, and scores on a broken bat single to left by Michael Morse. 2-0 Nats. Make that 5-0!! Right Side Danny Espinosa does it again! Three-run HR into the visitor's bullpen in left-center. 5-0 Nats on Espinosa's 9th. 

2. Extreme Ground Ball Pitcher: Jason Marquis gives up a leadoff single to the first hitter he faces after the Nats take the lead. Ryan Howard's up next and swinging up 2-0 against the Nats' right-hander and he grounds back to the mound, Marquis throws to Ian Desmond (who catches the bag with his toe and throws) to Michael Morse, 1-6-3 DP. Raul Ibanez's two-out single is therefore harmless, and another groundout, this time from Carlos Ruiz, gives Marquis 4.0 scoreless in D.C.

Marquis goes to a full count with Domonic Brown in the Phillies' fifth, and then challenges the young outfielder with a high heater that Brown destroys. Line drive to right and over the out-of-town scoreboard to get Philadelphia on the board. John Mayberry Jr. gets a 2-1 sinker up in the zone and deposits it over the wall in left-center, 5-2 Nationals after the Phillies' back-to-back HR's. 

1. Right Side Danny Does It Again: A HR off Halladay yesterday and now two off Cliff Lee. Danny Espinosa does it again!! Cliff Lee throws a 3-1 two-seam fastball to Spinner, and the Nats' second baseman crushes it, deeep to left-center field and GONE!! Ten rows back. Espinosa's 10th of the year, second tonight, and third in two days. Two HR's off Lee, one off Halladay and all the Nats fans on Twitter can talk about is Espinosa being an early season ROY candidate. 6-2 Nationals after six innings in Nats Park.

Jason Marquis gives up a leadoff single to Domonic Brown and one out later, a catcher's interference call against Pudge Rodriguez ends Marquis' night. 6.1 IP, 8 H 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 K's, 95 pitches, 65 strikes, nine groundouts, three flyouts. Tyler Clippard gets a line drive out to right from Utley and a pop to short center from Polanco. Two runners stranded, 6-2 Nats in the 7th. 

0. Now Desi, Now Werth: Ian Desmond steals third after singling and taking second on a Jayson Werth groundout. Iron Mike Morse follows with an RBI double on a screaming grounder by the bag and Polanco at third. Desmond scores easily. Morse scores on an RBI single by Pudge Rodriguez, and Pudge scores from second on an RBI single by Jerry Hairston. 9-2 Nationals after Hairston's caught in a rundown and tagged. 10-2 Nats on Jayson Werth's two-out RBI double in the eighth, and the Phillies fans who haven't left already head toward the exits. Nationals win, 10-2 final. 

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

• Box Score: Nationals 10, Phillies 2.

• Doghouse's Post Game WPA Graph: "I like this 'Espinosa' kid": 

via www.fangraphs.com

• Good outing: Jason Marquis (-13.7%) goes 6.1 innings, only giving up 2 ER on 8 H while fanning 4 and walking none.
• H3R0!! Danny Espinosa (+25.6%) is 3-4 with 2 dingers, including a two-out, three-run jack that put the Nats up by 5 in the 3rd (+16.3%).
• Moar h3r0! Michael Morse (+13.5%) is 2-5 with an RBI single to put the Nats up by 2 in the 3rd (+9.4%).
• Veteran FAIL: Ivan Rodriguez (-10.0%) GDPs to suppress a two-on rally in the 2nd (-10.6%), although he later hits an RBI single in the 7th to tack on (+0.7%).

Nationals now 23-