Philadelphia, PA – Livan Hernandez did it with his arm and his bat on Friday night.
The veteran right-hander stymied the MLB-best Philadelphia Phillies in 6 2/3 innings and helped his own cause by smacking a pair of RBI singles, as the Washington Nationals opened a three-game series at Citizens Bank Park with a 4-2 victory.
Hernandez (7-11) allowed an unearned run on four hits with a walk and three strikeouts.
Rick Ankiel collected two hits and one RBI for the Nationals, who avoided an eighth consecutive loss in Philadelphia.
Hunter Pence and Wilson Valdez both knocked in a run for Philadelphia, which returned home after concluding the best 10-game road trip in club history with a 9-1 record.
Cole Hamels (13-7) gave up three runs on six hits, walked four and fanned five over five frames to absorb the loss.
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