Natitude: Lee Earns First Win At Home; Phils Sweep

Phillies 4, Nationals 1
WP – Cliff Lee (3-7, 3.67)
LP – Jordan Zimmerman (9-8, 2.63)
SV – Josh Lindblom (1)

PHILADELPHIA — It took until August 26 for Cliff Lee to earn a winning decision at Citizens Bank Park this season.

For only his third win on the year, Lee shut down the Nationals and the Phillies earned a series sweep with their 4-1 victory Sunday afternoon. It was his first win at home since September 5 of last season.

It was a 0-0 tie heading into the 5th inning and the Phillies quickly erased that.

Lee hit a shot over the head of center fielder Bryce Harper’s head to score the first run of the game. Jimmy Rollins followed up with a two-run homer to right to give Philadelphia a 3-0 lead, resulting in Zimmerman’s day to end after the inning.

Lee went seven innings, allowing a run on seven hits while striking out five.

Josh Lindblom recorded the five out save for his first Major League save. The Phillies didn’t want to use Jonathan Papelbon, who pitched in three straight games and four of the last five games.

Rollins and Laynce Nix homered in the win. Nix’s solo shot in the 6th inning made it a 4-0 game and it was his first homer off a left-handed pitcher since 2004.

2B: Lee (2). HR: Rollins (15), Nix (3).

Boxscore.

Nats GM Rips Hamels For Hitting Harper Intentionally

Nationals LF Bryce Harper was hit by a pitch last night, in which Cole Hamels said was intentional. (AP Photo/Richard Lipski)

On late Sunday night in D.C., a rivalry was born.

Nationals G.M. Mike Rizzo, all fun-loving with the “Natitude” slogan and the “Take Back the Park” campaign, just went Gizmo on the Phillies.

Last night, Cole Hamels fed the Nats G.M. after midnight and he turned ugly in an interview with the Washington Post. (WARNING: If you haven’t seen Gremlins then the joke just went way over your head.)

“Cole Hamels says he’s old school? He’s the polar opposite of old school,” Rizzo said. “He’s fake tough. He thinks he’s going it intimidate us after hitting our 19-year rookie eight games into the big leagues? He doesn’t know who he’ dealing with.”

During the 1st inning of Sunday’s 9-3 win over the Nats in which Hamels dominated through eight innings, he hit 19-year-old Nationals rookie phenom Bryce Harper in the back with a fastball.

Phils Prevent Sweep In D.C.

Phillies SP Cole Hamels delivers to Washington’s Jordan Zimmerman in the 2nd. Hamels went eight innings, allowing one run to improve to 4-1. (AP Photo/Richard Lipski)

It was the type of win the Phillies needed.

Preventing an early-May sweep to the Nationals, the Phillies combined a brilliant outing by Cole Hamels and an offensive outburst by Hunter Pence and the rest of the team to beat the Nationals, 9-3, preventing the sweep in the Nation’s Capital.

“Hollywood” Hamels was spectacular as always against the Washington Nationals, improving to 11-4 in his career against the Nationals. He went eight innings, allowing a run on five hits, walk and hit batter while striking out eight.

Washington scored first in a bizarre 1st inning. With two outs, Hamels plunked Nationals star Bryce Harper, which was intentional according to the Phillies left-hander after the game.

Washington manager Johnson would take Nats top 3 over Doc, Lee, Hamels

Washington is really trying hard to create a rivalry with the Philadelphia Phillies.

First they begin rounding up former members of the 2008 World Series team. Then they start a campaign to take back their ballpark but blocking ticket sales to people outside the D.C. area.

Now, manager Davey Johnson says that he would take his trio of Stephen Strasberg, Gio Gonzalez and Jordan Zimmerman over the Phillies three aces.

“Their top three versus our top three, stuff-wise, we match up as good,” Johnson told the Post.

We’ll give him Strasberg, the next big pitching phenomenon in baseball. Gonzalez is grossly overrated and Zimmerman doesn’t even have a full season under his Major League belt.

Yes, those three compare to three Cy Youngs, a pair of playoff MVPs, a perfect game and a no-hitter.

Lee, like he usually does, shrugs his shoulders at any mention of the Nationals plans.

Lee blanks Nats in finale

Cliff Lee stamped the exclamation point on the statement that the Phillies made the right choice in signing him over Jayson Werth.

Lee bounced back from his poor start against Atlanta to shut out the Nationals, 4-0, as the Phils took their fourth series of the season.

Phillies starter Cliff Lee needed just 99 pitches to shut out the Washington Nationals, 4-0, on Thursday. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Lee was fantastic, blowing his way through the Nats line up for nine innings, allowing only three hits and a walk while striking out 12 in the first complete game shut out and second complete game of the season for the staff.

It was the first time since Paul Byrd and Curt Schilling in 1999 that the Phillies had back-to-back complete games thrown.

Nats starter Jordan Zimmerman had a perfect game going through the first five innings. But Carlos Ruiz ended that bid emphatically with a solo home run, giving the Phils a 1-0 lead.

Chooch finished his night 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored. Jimmy Rollins finally drove in his first run of the season in eighth. Shane Victorino hit his fourth double of the season from the lead-off spot.

In a post I made earlier today, Lee and Werth met up for the first since the off season in what looks to be many times in the future. Lee bested Werth as the right fielder went 0-for-4 with two strike outs.

2B: Victorino (4). HR: Ruiz (2).

WP: Lee (2-1). LP: Zimmerman (1-2).

Boxscore.