Roark, Werth lead Nationals past Phillies 4-0

Cesar Hernandez is 4-for-9 versus Roark, who is 4-5 with a 4.35 ERA in his career over 10 games (eight starts) against the Phillies.Thompson struggled through his first four major league starts, permitting 21 runs in 19 1/3 innings overall and posting one victory against Colorado in which he yielded three tallies in five frames. Roark comes off a 10-8 loss to Baltimore with five runs plated (four earned) on seven hits and three BB over five innings.

“It would be fine if people don’t notice because maybe he can surprise some people, ” Nationals manager Dusty Baker said. Scherzer is turning in another season that may look even better in hindsight, one filled with a few bumps here and there but plenty of thrills – like Tuesday night’s eight-inning, 11-strikeout gem.

“To have your first hit be a big one, with your family here, that’s very cool to see”, he said of his rookie teammate.

He has taken a no-hitter into the sixth in nine of his 61 all-time starts with the Nationals, and has allowed just five total hits in his last two outings. He had time to call his parents and get them to Comerica Park in time for the game.

Scherzer struck out 11 batters for the NL East-leading Nationals.

Jayson Werth homered and Gio Gonzalez pitched six strong innings to lead the Washington Nationals to a three-game sweep of Philadelphia with a 2-1 victory over the Phillies on Wednesday night. Got to get hits and score runs if you want to win games and we’re just not doing that. Only Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt, with 14, has more 20-home run seasons in Phillies history.

Freddy Galvis broke up the no-hit bid by jumping on a high 0-2 fastball and ripping it into right field for his team-best 23rd double of the season. “I thought I gave him a lane”. “I thought I had him beat and he just got enough on it to keep it fair”. But he did so only when a two-out nubber down the third-base line by Daniel Murphy somehow went for a double.

Check out the new Nationals’ pitcher Max Scherzer, who recently joined the team from the American League, swing a bat during his first week of hitting practice at spring training. Ramos brought Harper home with an RBI single to put the Nats ahead 2-0.

Afterwards, Mackanin admitted that “he didn’t think he had to bowl him over”, but Howard laughed that Rupp probably “liked it” and “that’s baseball”. “That kind of started it”. It was the 19th homer of the season for the former Phillie.Bryce Harper walked one out later and scored from first on a single by Anthony Rendon, making it 2-0.Clint Robinson and Trea Turner added RBI singles off reliever Frank Herrmann in the ninth, giving Washington a 4-0 cushion.NOTES: The Nationals recalled OF Michael A. Taylor from Triple-A Syracuse and optioned RHP Lucas Giolito to the same club prior to Monday’s game.

• Ryan Howard’s home run was his 20th of the season. His next home run will tie him with Matt Williams for 72nd place.

Oh, and he manhandled the Phillies in his first year with Washington, too: 3-0 with a 1.50 ERA in four starts and a Kershaw-ish 30-to-3 strikeout to walk ratio in 30 innings.

TIGERS 4, WHITE SOX 3 (at Detroit) – Jarrod Saltalamacchia hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning to lift Detroit past Chicago.

“It’s cool”, Howard said.