PHILLIES NEWS

The Phils finished their series with the Nationals tonight. Joe Blanton got the start, and was roughed up, allowing 4 runs on 6 hits in just 4 innings of work. Meanwhile, the Phil's bats hung tough with 3 runs in those same 4 innings, so it would be a battle to the finish. Now onto the game. In the top of the 1st, Ryan Howard slammed a 2 run homer for a 2-0 Phil's lead. In the bottom of the 1st, Ryan Zimmeran doubled in one run, and Kory Casto singled in a 2nd run to knot it up at 2. In the top of the 3rd, Chase Utley tripled in a run for a 3-2 lead. In the bottom of the 5th, Emil Bonifacio walked and scored on a fielder's choice, and Cristian Guzman singled and scored on a fielder's choice for a 4-3 Nat's lead. In the top of 6th, Howard slugged another 2 run homer for a 5-4 Phil's lead. In the bottom of the 7th, Zimmeran crushed a solo homer to knot it up at 5. In the bottom of the 8th, Ronnie Belliard singled in one run, then Guzman slapped a bases clearing double for a 9-5 Nat's lead. Finally in the top of the 9th, newly acquired to offset loss to injury of Geoff Jenkins, Matt Stairs doubled in 1 run, and Chase Utley sac flyed in a 2nd run, to cut the lead to 9-7, but it was not to be as the next batter, Jayson Werth struck out to end it. So the Phils drop to 76-64 overall, now 3 games behind the Mets in the NL East.