Philadelphia Phillies take series opener, 4-2 over Washington Nationals on Rhys Hoskins’ 3-run blast...

Davey Martinez went to the bullpen in the sixth, after Washington Nationals’ starter Jeremy Hellickson gave up a one-out single, but the reliever Martinez turned to, lefty Dan Jennings, walked left-handed hitter Bryce Harper, and stayed on to face right-handed hitting slugger Rhys Hoskins, who hit a three-run home run to left to turn a 2-1 Nats’ lead into a 4-2 deficit, and that’s how it ended...

Hellboy vs the Phillies: Jeremy Hellickson tossed six scoreless innings against the Phillies when he faced the Nationals’ NL East rivals in Citizens Bank Park back on April 10th, with four walks and six Ks from the 23 batters he faced in a 15-1 win.

He earned his second win of the season in the start the followed, giving up five hits, four walks, and two earned runs in 5 ²⁄₃ IP against the San Francisco Giants, but he struggled against the Colorado Rockies and San Diego Padres in his 3rd and 4th starts of the 2019 campaign, giving up 15 hits and 11 runs (10 earned) in eight innings (11.25 ERA) in those outings.

In his fourth start, and fifth appearance, of the season, Hellickson fell behind early when Phillies’ shortstop Jean Segura hit a 2-0 fastball up in the zone out to right for a solo shot and a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first.

Hellickson retired seven straight after a one-out single by Rhys Hoskins in the third, and struck five in a row out between the second and third innings.

Bryce Harper broke up Hellickson’s streak of retired batters with a leadoff double in the bottom of the fourth, but the Phillies’ slugger was stranded at third three outs later.

Two Ks in the bottom of the fifth inning gave Hellickson a total of nine from 18 batters on the night, and a one-out single in the sixth ended his outing as Davey Martinez went with lefty Dan Jennings vs Bryce Harper with a runner on...

Jeremy Hellickson’s Line: 5.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 9 Ks, 1 HR, 79 P, 56 S, 3/3 GO/FO.

Eickhoff vs the Nationals: Jerad Eickhoff, 28, tossed seven scoreless innings against the Miami Marlins last time out before tonight, holding the Philllies’ NL East rivals to two hits and a walk in a 4-0 win in which he earned his first W of the 2019 campaign.

He tossed two scoreless this evening, in the series opener with the Washington Nationals in Citizens Bank Park, but a leadoff walk to the opposing pitcher, Jeremy Hellickson, cost him a run when Howie Kendrick drove the Nats’ starter in with a two-out RBI single to center, tying it up at 1-1 in the third.

Eichkoff held the Nationals to one run through five, but he was up to 87 pitches after the fifth and the Phillies hit for him with two out in the bottom of the inning.

Jerad Eichkoff’s Line: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 7 Ks, 87 P, 53 S, 2/3 GO/FO

SotOBP: Juan Soto sat out each of the last two games with back spasms, but he hoped to return to the lineup tonight for the series opener in Citizens Bank Park, where the 20-year-old slugger had a .321/.419/.774 line, three doubles, and seven home runs in 13 games and 62 PAs in his first year-plus in the majors.

When the lineup was released he was out again, however, missing his third straight game.

This Is Howie Do It: Howie Kendrick, professional hitter, came into the Nats’ series opener in Philadelphia on a 6 for 10 (.600 AVG) run over the last three games, with a hit in five of the last six, and a .356/.423/.610 line overall on the season, three doubles, four homers, eight walks, and 10 Ks in 71 PAs in the first month-plus of his third season in D.C. He drove in the first run of the game for the Nationals in the second as well, with a two-out RBI single to center off Jerad Eickhoff. Howie’s rolling...

BULLPEN ACTION: Seranthony Dominguez took over for the Phillies in the top of the sixth and gave up a one-out solo shot to left by Kurt Suzuki, who crushed a 97 MPH 1-2 fastball, sending a towering shot into the left field seats to put the Nationals up, 2-1.

Dan Jennings came on for the Nationals with a runner on and Bryce Harper up in the bottom of the sixth, and walked him, putting two on with one out, and he stayed on to face another batter, righty Rhys Hoskins, who hit a three-run homer to left on a low 1-1 slider, 4-2 Phillies.

Adam Morgan got the seventh for the Phillies, and worked around a two-out triple by Adam Eaton.

Justin Miller worked around a leadoff single for a scoreless bottom of the seventh.

Pat Neshek retired the Nationals in order in a quick, 11-pitch eighth.

Miller returned to the mound in the bottom of the eighth and retired the Phillies in order to keep it a two-run game.

Hector Neris came on in a save situation in the top of the ninth and worked around a two-out single by Yan Gomes to end it.

Nationals now 13-18