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Cool Hamels goes distance, gets two hits as Phils beat Nats

May 4, 2011 - 4:01 AM Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Cole Hamels had two hits, including his first career triple, and scored a run to back his first complete game of the season, leading the Phillies to a 4-1 victory over the Nationals.

Hamels tripled over the head of former teammate Jayson Werth in the third inning, driving a fastball off the right field wall, and scored the first Phillies run of the game.

"I was going to keep going," he said of the hit. "If they threw me out, they threw me out."

More importantly, Hamels (4-1) showed great command while throwing his eighth career complete game, giving up just five hits and one walk with six strikeouts.

"He wasn't in too much trouble at all," said Phillies manager Charlie Manuel. "A great game."

Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino, Ryan Howard and Raul Ibanez also had two hits apiece, leading a 12-hit Phillies attack that was sparked by Rollins' return to the top of the lineup.

"I've always liked Rollins and Victorino batting one and two, that's how we manufacture runs," said Manuel. "That's when we've had our run-producing years."

Ibanez smacked two doubles and snapped an 0-for-35 slump at the plate, while Rollins had a triple among his two hits.

Michael Morse belted a solo homer in the seventh for the Nationals, while Livan Hernandez (3-3) took the loss in 6 1/3 innings.

Werth returned to play in Philadelphia for the first time since signing a seven-year, $126 million deal with the Nationals in the offseason and was greeted with a mixture of cheers and boos by the Citizens Bank Park crowd.

"I was happy to be back in this stadium. It's is an atmosphere like no other place," said Werth. "This is a very fun place to play whether you're the home team or the visiting team."

Werth tipped his helmet to the crowd before his first at bat, and they cheered.

"I wasn't too sure what I was going to get," he said. "For them to welcome me back like that means a lot. I was very grateful and I'll remember that for the rest of my career."

A fan-favorite who helped the Phillies win the World Series in 2008, Werth was busy in the field.

Hamels drove a two-out triple off the right field scoreboard that Werth couldn't catch -- "He's going to get a homer one of these days," said Manuel -- and scored when Rollins followed with a single to center.

Rollins tripled to right field in the fifth, then scored on a slide when Werth threw wide of home plate on Placido Polanco's sacrifice fly, giving the Phillies a 2-0 lead.

Hernandez escaped trouble in the sixth, getting Rollins on a double play with two runners aboard, and Morse lined a first-pitch fastball over the wall in right field to get Washington within 2-1 in the seventh.

But the Phillies scored insurance runs in the bottom of the seventh, knocking Hernandez from the game in the process.

Victorino led off with a single to Werth, moved to second on a Polanco grounder and scored when Howard singled sharply to right. Werth slid to stop the ball from going into the corner, but Hernandez was pulled for Todd Coffey.

Hernandez gave up 10 hits, four runs and four walks while striking out three.

Coffey got Ben Francisco on a line drive and was replaced by Doug Slaten, who gave up an RBI double to Ibanez that scored Howard to make it 4-1.

Hamels lined a single into left field leading off the eighth inning for his second hit, but the Nationals escaped trouble when Howard grounded into Philadelphia's third double play of the game.

Hamels fanned Werth for the second out in the ninth inning. He threw 79 of his 108 pitches for strikes and posted his first complete game since August 13 last season.

"I try to pitch all night," Hamels said. "I try to get the complete game. It's kind of the mentality I've always had and it's not going to happen all the time because of pitch counts. I was fortunate enough that guys were swinging early and getting a couple of key double plays."

Game Notes

Ibanez, without a hit since April 18, drove a ground-rule double over the wall in right-center field in the fourth inning to snap his slump. The Phillies loaded the bases on an intentional walk to Pete Orr, but Hernandez got out of the jam by getting Brian Schneider on a double-play...Morse hit his second homer of the season...The Nationals have lost 19 of their last 22 games in Philadelphia...The Phillies are 33-10 in their last 43 games against Washington.