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Ruiz, Branyan shine in eighth as Phillies rally

Aug 15, 2007 - 2:15 AM By Tim Hipps PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

WASHINGTON (Ticker) -- Russell Branyan's two-run homer in the eighth inning helped the Philadelphia Phillies rally for a 3-2 victory over the Washington Nationals on Tuesday night.

Philadelphia trailed, 2-0, in the eighth before storming back. Jayson Werth reached second on Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman's throwing error, took second and scored on Carlos Ruiz's RBI single up the middle off reliever Jon Rauch (8-3).

Branyan, who was acquired from Cleveland on August 9 for cash considerations, capped the three-run frame with a two-run blast - his eighth this season - as the Phillies grabbed the lead for good. He was pinch hitting for reliever Antonio Alfonseca (4-1), who got the final out in the seventh for the win.

Tom Gordon tossed a scoreless eighth to set up closer Brett Myers, who logged the ninth for his 10th save for Philadelphia, which has won six of its last eight outings.

Phillies starter Kyle Lohse gave up two runs and five hits in 6 2/3 innings in falling to 0-2 all-time against the Nationals. The righthander was tossing a gem until Tony Batista laced a two-run double in the seventh.

Washington's Shawn Hill was impressive in his first start since May 11 after spending time on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left shoulder. The 26-year-old yielded one hit with seven strikeouts through six scoreless innings. He was 3-3 with a 2.70 ERA in eight starts prior to his injury.

Hill was relieved by righthander Luis Ayala, who turned up the heat against the heart of the Phillies' batting order - Pat Burrell, Ryan Howard and Aaron Rowand - and got all three to go down swinging.

The Phillies survived a scare in the seventh when catcher Ruiz and third baseman Greg Dobbs collided as Ruiz caught a popup by Brian Schneider in foul territory. Both players remained in the game.