Scott Hairston's first start in a Washington Nationals uniform found him leading off, playing left field and facing Philadelphia Phillies' lefty Cole Hamels, against whom Hairston had a .400/.455/1.067 line with 12 hits, five doubles and five home runs in 33 plate appearances in their respective careers before tonight. Hairston improved to 13 for 31 with a line drive single to center on a 1-1 fastball from Hamels, but he was doubled up on an Ian Desmond grounder to second in the next at bat. Hamels dropped a 1-2 curve in on Bryce Harper for a called strike three and a scoreless top of the first in Citizens Bank Park. Phillies' leadoff man Ben Revere got a grounder under Nats' starter Taylor Jordan's glove and through the middle of the infield for a single to start the bottom of the first before Jimmy Rollins rolled the first pitch he saw out to second to start a 4-6-3 DP. Chase Utley's fly to Jayson Werth in right ended a 10-pitch opening frame for the Nationals' right-handed starter. 0-0 in CBP.
Ryan Zimmerman popped out to Darin Ruf in foul territory off first to start the top of the second. Cole Hamels had Jayson Werth looking fastball when he threw his former teammate a first-pitch change. Werth was looking for it when Hamels threw a change in a 1-1 count, however, and the Nats' outfielder hit it out to left-center, over the yellow W.B. Mason sign and into the outfield seats for a solo home run that made it 1-0 after one and a half in Philadelphia. Phillies' outfielder Domonic Brown flew out to deep center field for the first out of the bottom of the second. Michael Young walked with one down, but the second double play of the game for Taylor Jordan ended an 18-pitch second as Nats' shortstop Ian Desmond fielded a sharp one-hop liner off Delmon Young's bat and made a quick, slick throw to Anthony Rendon at second to start an inning-ending 6-4-3. 1-0 Nationals.
Nationals' catcher Kurt Suzuki got on the hard way when Cole Hamels hit him with a 1-1 cutter in the first at bat of the third. Taylor Jordan's sac bunt moved Suzuki to second, but Scott Hairston K'd looking and Ian Desmond flew out to right to end a 10-pitch inning for Phillies' left-hander. Taylor Jordan got Darin Ruf to chase an 0-2 slider for out and K no.1 in 2 1/3 IP. Carlos Ruiz sent a 1-0 fastball to second for two outs on five pitches, and Cole Hamels battled for seven pitches before flying out to right to end a 12-pitch frame that had Jordan at 40 total after three scoreless in Citizens Bank.
Bryce Harper and Ryan Zimmerman both grounded out to the right side of the infield for the first two outs of the fourth and Jayson Werth popped out to first to end a 14-pitch fourth inning for Cole Hamels. Ben Revere sent a weak grounder out to short for the first out of the Phillies' half of the inning. Jimmy Rollins grounded out to second. Taylor Jordan fell behind Chase Utley 2-0 and gave up a two-out double to center that rolled all the way to the track before Bryce Harper caught up to it. Domonic Brown lined to right on a 1-1 change in the next at bat, and it fell in front of Jayson Werth for an RBI single that scored Utley from second ahead of the threw in front right. 1-1 game after four innings in Philadelphia. 54 pitches overall after a 14-pitch frame by Taylor Jordan.
Cole Hamels got a fly to center from Adam LaRoche with his 50th pitch of the night. Anthony Rendon lined Hamels' 53rd pitch out to Ben Revere as well, but the Phillies' lefty's 56th pitch hit Kurt Suzuki for the second HBP of the game on the Nationals' catcher. Taylor Jordan's line drive to Delmon Young in right ended a 15-pitch inning after which it was still tied at 1-1. Delmon Young lined a 2-2 two-seamer back up the middle for a leadoff single in the Phillies' fifth. Jordan left an 0-2 slider up inside for Darin Ruf to line to center for the second straight hit, but Carlos Ruiz sent a 2-2 slider out to third to start a 5-4-3 DP on Jordan's 15th pitch of the inning, and Cole Hamels grounded to second to end an 18-pitch frame. 72 total after five.
• Scott Hairston was 1 for 3 tonight and 13 for 33 career vs Cole Hamels after he popped out to short to start the sixth. Back-to-back groundouts to second from Ian Desmond and Bryce Harper followed in a seven-pitch, 1-2-3 sixth by the Phillies' lefty, after which he'd retired 14 of 16 following Jayson Werth's second inning home run. Ben Revere was 2 for 3 tonight after he took an 0-1 change back up the middle for the Phillies' sixth hit off Taylor Jordan. Jimmy Rollins line drive single to right gave Philadelphia back-to-back hits to start the second straight inning. Chase Utley grounded to Adam LaRoche at first in the next at bat, but LaRoche's attempt to start a 3-4-3 went awry when his throw to second hit Rollins and got by Ian Desmond. E:3, allowing a run to score on the error. 2-1 Phillies. First and third with no outs, and a 1-2 fastball to Michael Young was lined to right for a two-run double that made it 4-1 Philly and ended Jordan's night.
• Taylor Jordan's Line: 5.2 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 2 Ks, 89P, 61S, 8/3 GO/FO.
Adam LaRoche was gifted a two-out single when Michael Young let a grounder to first get by him and into right for the Nationals' third hit of the night off Cole Hamels. The fourth hit was a swinging bunt by Anthony Rendon that John McDonald watched hoping it would roll foul until it reached the third base bag. With two on and two out, Kurt Suzuki stepped in, popped out to center to end the seventh. 87 pitches for Hamels after a 20-pitch frame. Craig Stammen got the first two outs of the Phillies' seventh with five pitches and finished a scoreless inning on seven pitches total.
Scott Hairston singled (2 for 4, 14 for 44) for the second time tonight on a 1-2 change from Cole Hamels, but he only got to second when Ian Desmond flew to deep right since it looked like John Mayberry might make a catch on the track until the ball bounced off the top of the scoreboard for a long single. Bryce Harper worked a six-pitch walk out of Hamels to load the bases with one down. Hamels threw an 0-2 fastball by Ryan Zimmerman up high for out no.2. Jayson Werth fell behind 0-2 as wel, but worked the count full before flying out to center to end the top of the eighth. 110 pitches for the Phillies' lefty. Ian Krol came on for the bottom of the inning and threw a scoreless 12-pitch frame to send it to the ninth with the Nats trailing by three.
Antonio Bastardo came on for the close with Jonathan Papelbon unavailable. Adam LaRoche flew out to right. Anthony Rendon walked with one down, but Kurt Suzuki K'd swinging at a 93 mph 1-2 fastball for out no.2. of the Nationals' ninth. Pinch hitter Wilson Ramos... doubled off the right field scoreboard to bring Rendon in, 4-2 Phillies. Scott Hairston stepped up in the hero spot... and popped out to Chase Utley behind second to end it. Ballgame.
Nationals now 46-44