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Recap: Nationals 7, Phillies 5
Boxscores  •  Line Movements  •  BT Movements
Game: 2
Venue: Citizens Bank Park
Date: September 21, 2011 7:05 PM EDT
  

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Like a day-old open bottle of champagne, the Phillies have gone flat.

The division title celebration on Saturday - when the Phillies sprayed bubbly around the clubhouse and on the field - was the last time the NL East champs had a reason to feel good.

Since then, Philadelphia is 0-5: Its longest losing streak since May 2010.

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Danny Espinosa and Wilson Ramos each hit two-run home runs to help the Washington Nationals beat Philadelphia 7-5 on Wednesday, sending the NL East-champion Phillies to their season-worst fifth straight loss.

Espinosa's two-run shot in the sixth off Vance Worley (11-3) made it 4-3 as the Nationals continued to give Philadelphia fits. Washington swept a doubleheader on Tuesday and go for the four-game sweep on Thursday.

``If this happens in October,' manager Charlie Manuel said, ``I'll be packing my car.'

The Nationals played like the team storming toward the postsesaon, not the stuck-on-98-win Phillies.

The Phillies have been in a funk since they clinched their fifth straight division title on Saturday. They've lost five straight games for the first time since May 22-27, 2010. All of the losses have come at home, where the Phillies are tied for the major league lead with 52 victories.

The Phillies played again without right fielder Hunter Pence and first baseman Ryan Howard. Howard has been out with a sore left ankle and Pence missed his second straight game with patellar tendinitis in his left knee. Both players are expected to play in Philadelphia's weekend series at New York.

With postseason plans underway, the Phillies aren't too worried about this slump. Manuel said before the game he needs his regular lineup in tact for at least the last four or five games of the regular season to tune up for another potential deep postseason run.

``We definitely need to have our team ready and I plan on our team being ready,' Manuel said.

They haven't looked it against Washington.

Backed by Espinosa's go-ahead homer, the Nationals won their seventh straight road game. His 21st homer set a single-season franchise record by a rookie. The Nationals (75-79) still have a chance to set a franchise record for victories in a season. They will need to finish 7-1 to reach 82 wins, and finish with their first winning record since moving from Montreal in 2005.

John Lannan (10-13) allowed eight singles and three runs in five innings. Lannan improved his career record vs. the Phillies to 2-12.

``The young guys are growing up and it's fun to watch,' said Davey Johnson, named Nationals manager on June 26. ``I think we've played as tough against them as anybody they've played.'

Henry Rodriguez worked the ninth for his first save.

Worley had fit in nicely in a rotation that included Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels, winning nine straight games in one stretch and becoming an instant fan favorite with his Mohawk and ``Vanimal' nickname.

He'll be bumped to the bullpen for the playoffs and this was his last start of the season.

``I'm still part of the team,' Worley said. ``I'd rather come out of the bullpen a couple of times and get a feel for it.'

Worley had a 43-inning streak this season without allowing a homer, but he was done in by them on Wednesday. Ramos made it 2-0 in the second with his 14th homer of the season.

The Phillies tied it at 2 in the second on five straight singles off Lannan. Ben Francisco's single up the middle made it 2-1 and Worley tied it with his own base hit.

Raul Ibanez's RBI single in the third put the Phillies up 3-2. That was all they could muster against Lannan.

John Mayberry Jr. hit a two-run homer in the eighth for the Phillies that made it 7-5.

Howard and Pence have combined for 53 homers and the Phillies could have used some of that pop in the lineup. The Phillies scored only three runs in the doubleheader defeat and have been shut out twice over the five-game losing streak. They've scored three runs or less 12 times in the last 14 games.

That kind of anemic run support will shift even more pressure to produce on the Lee-Halladay-Hamels-Oswalt postseason rotation. Even the so-called ``Four Aces' need more than a run or two each start if the Phillies are going to win the World Series for the first time since 2008.

Philadelphia's top four hitters - Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino, Placido Polanco, and Chase Utley - went 0 for 16.

``I'm concerned about it,' Manuel said. ``At the same time, I've seen them hit. I think they'll hit.'

Notes: The Nationals beat the Phillies for the eighth time in the last 10 games (4-1 at Nationals Park; 4-1 at Citizens Bank Park). ... The Phillies lost five straight home games for the first time since June 16-21, 2009. ... The Nationals send RHP Brad Peacock (1-0, 1.42 ERA) to complete the sweep Thursday against Oswalt (8-9, 3.66).

AP NEWS
The Associated Press News Service

Copyright 2013
The Associated Press
All Rights Reserved

 SERIES AT A GLANCE
GAME 1
Nationals at Phillies
Tue, Sep 20 Final 3 to 0
 Boxscores  •  Recaps
GAME 2
Nationals at Phillies
Wed, Sep 21 Final 7 to 5
 Boxscores  •  Recaps
GAME 3
Nationals at Phillies
Thu, Sep 22 Final 6 to 1
 Boxscores  •  Recaps

 CLOSING LAS VEGAS LINE
 Team  ML   RUN   O/U 
 WAS  +168   -135   8 
 PHI  -178   +115   
LAS VEGAS LINE MOVEMENTS

 CLOSING SPORTSBOOK LINE
 Team  ML   RUN   O/U 
 WAS  +168   -130   8 
 PHI  -178   +110   
OFFSHORE LINE MOVEMENTS

 BETTING TRENDS
 Team  ML   RUN   O/U 
 WAS  26%   9%   48% 
 PHI  74%   91%   52% 
BT MOVEMENTS

 MLB HEAD TO HEAD
 Sep 20, 2011  Score  ATS Results 
  WAS « 3 Cover: +210 
  PHI 0 Under: 3 
 Tools:   Boxscores  •  Recaps
 Sep 20, 2011  Score  ATS Results 
  WAS « 4 Cover: +155 
  PHI 3 Under: 7 
 Tools:   Boxscores  •  Recaps
 May 31, 2011  Score  ATS Results 
  PHI 2 Over: 12 
  WAS « 10 Cover: +155 
 Tools:   Boxscores  •  Recaps
 May 4, 2011  Score  ATS Results 
  WAS 4 Over: 11 
  PHI « 7 Cover: +100 
 Tools:   Boxscores  •  Recaps
 Apr 14, 2011  Score  ATS Results 
  PHI « 4 Cover: +100 
  WAS 0 Under: 4 
 Tools:   Boxscores  •  Recaps
 Apr 13, 2011  Score  ATS Results 
  PHI « 3 Cover: +100 
  WAS 2 Under: 5 
 Tools:   Boxscores  •  Recaps
 Apr 12, 2011  Score  ATS Results 
  PHI 4 Over: 11 
  WAS « 7 Cover: +117 
 Tools:   Boxscores  •  Recaps

 MLB RECAPS
 Wednesday, Sep 21
 
  •  Astros at Reds
12:35 PM EDT
  •  Rays at Yankees
1:05 PM EDT
  •  Brewers at Cubs
2:20 PM EDT
  •  Padres at Rockies
3:10 PM EDT
  •  Pirates at Diamondbacks
3:40 PM EDT
  •  Rays at Yankees
7:05 PM EDT
  •  Angels at Blue Jays
7:05 PM EDT
  •  White Sox at Indians
7:05 PM EDT
  •  Nationals at Phillies
7:05 PM EDT
  •  Orioles at Red Sox
7:10 PM EDT
  •  Braves at Marlins
7:10 PM EDT
  •  Tigers at Royals
8:10 PM EDT
  •  Mariners at Twins
8:10 PM EDT
  •  Mets at Cardinals
8:15 PM EDT
  •  Rangers at Athletics
10:05 PM EDT
  •  Giants at Dodgers
10:10 PM EDT
 
 
 
  
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