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Utley heating up as Phils top Nats again

Jul 31, 2008 - 6:03 AM By Tim Hipps PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

WASHINGTON (Ticker) -- Jamie Moyer settled down after a rough start and Chase Utley hit a home run for the second straight game to lead the Philadelphia Phillies to an 8-5 victory over the Washington Nationals on Wednesday.

Moyer (10-6) allowed first-inning homers by Willie Harris and Jesus Flores and doubles by Austin Kearns and Ronnie Belliard before limiting the Nationals to two hits over the next five innings.

"They forced me to make an adjustment early," Moyer said. "I felt like I was able to make some decent pitches in the first inning that they hit well.

"It's a matter of making an adjustment, trying to stay on course, keeping the damage to a minimum, and go from there. It seemed like everything I threw out over the plate, they were on, so it was a matter of using my breaking ball a little bit more, pitching inside a little bit more, and go from there."

From there, Utley's second home run in as many nights capped a five-run fifth inning and the Phillies were on their way to handing Washington its eighth straight loss.

These Phillies remind Moyer of the 2001 Seattle Mariners who helped him win 20 games for the first time in his 23-year major-league career and become the oldest player in ML history to reach the milestone for the first time.

"In 2001, when we won 116 games, everybody was just kind of in a tree," Moyer recalled. "But I feel like I'm doing my part here and that's the most important thing. I think if we all come here and prepare appropriately and put ourselves in a good situation, we have a chance to win."

Shane Victorino went 3-for-5 with a solo homer, a two-run double and scored three runs to lead the Phillies' 12-hit attack. His blast to right in the seventh gave Philadelphia an 8-3 lead and ended righthander Steven Shell's 15-inning scoreless streak, the longest by a Nationals reliever this season.

"I just felt good at the plate," Victorino said. "It's just one of those things, I guess. Just go up there and try to put a good swing on the ball and let your swing make things happen.

"I think it becomes contagious with this offense, too. We've got a lot of good hitters in regards to our 3-4-5: Chase, Ryan, Pat, guys who obviously are good hitters. It's just a matter of time, and it's fun to watch."

Utley's two-run homer came on a 1-0 pitch and chased Nationals righthander Tim Redding (7-6), who allowed seven runs on 10 hits in four-plus innings.

Carlos Ruiz led off the Phillies' fifth with a single up the middle and Redding walked Philadelphia starter Jamie Moyer, who was attempting lay down a sacrifice bunt. Jimmy Rollins followed with an RBI double to the gap in right-center that scored Ruiz for a 5-3 lead.

Victorino then delivered a two run single to center and advanced to second on Lastings Milledge's weak throw home. Utley followed with his 27th homer of the season.

"He's been great," Victorino said of Moyer. "To do what he's doing at his age, I think that's even more amazing. He keeps winning and keeps winning, but I didn't realize he has 10 wins. That's absolutely amazing in itself.

"The fact that he gets hit early, like he did tonight, and he just keeps battling and keeps battling, and he ends up going six innings and keeps us in the ballgame. We all could have folded and he could've folded, but he kept plugging along, kept trying to get outs, kept being aggressive, and we had that big inning.

"When he finds his groove, it's amazing to watch him work and play behind him."

Moyer allowed three runs on six hits in six innings of work with five strikeouts and two walks. He has allowed three earned runs or fewer in each of his last 10 starts.

With his 240th career victory, Moyer passed David Wells and tied Frank Tanana for 12th place on MLB's all-time wins list among lefthanded pitchers.

"I've been healthy enough games to win 10 games this year," Moyer said. "It's great. It's cool. But I'm here to do my job. ... For me, just having the opportunity to have the longevity that I've had, I think, is probably the most special thing for me to continue my career and to play and to contribute with the team, I think that's first and foremost.

"If you're around enough and for long enough, those things are going to start to happen. And it's pretty nice to be thrown in with those names, but ultimately the goal is to win baseball games and get us into the playoffs."

The Nationals got within 8-5 in the seventh against righthander Ryan Madson when pinch-hitter Pete Orr reached on a fielder's choice, Willie Harris doubled, and Ryan Zimmerman scored them both on a ground-rule double that bounced over the wall after Phillies left fielder Jayson Werth, in the game as a defensive replacement, fell down.

Harris, who went 3-for-4 with a homer and two doubles, drove the first pitch of the game over the right-field wall for the Nationals' first leadoff homer of the season. Felipe Lopez was the last Nationals player to start a game with a homer on May 8, 2007 at Milwaukee.

With two out in the first, Kearns doubled and Flores hit a two-run homer into the first row of the bleachers in left that gave Washington a 3-2 lead. After Belliard doubled, Moyer induced Paul Lo Duca to fly out to center to end the inning.

"Usually for me, it's elevating pitches up in the zone," Moyer said. "That's usually where I get beat, for the most part. There are times when I get beat down in the zone, as well, but usually when I get beat it's because I'm not down enough. And when I want to be up, it's got too much of the plate."

The Phillies took a 2-0 lead in the first inning on consecutive singles by Victorino, Utley and Ryan Howard, followed by Pat Burrell's two-run double to left.

Philadelphia righthander Brad Lidge pitched the ninth to earn his 26th save in as many attempts.