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Redding does it all as Nationals beat Phillies

Aug 16, 2007 - 4:12 AM By Tim Hipps PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

WASHINGTON (Ticker) - Washington Nationals righthander Tim Redding supplied some of his own run support and won a hard-earned 4-2 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday night.

Redding's two-run double down the left field line scored Austin Kearns and Ryan Church for a 2-0 lead in the second inning.

The Nationals had scored three runs or less in six of Redding's previous seven outings. Redding was 1-3 with three no-decisions in those outings, despite posting five straight quality starts.

After yielding a leadoff home run to Jayson Werth in the third, Redding (2-3) struck out the side. He registered six strikeouts while cruising through the first five innings with a two-hitter.

"He's been very consistent for us - down in the zone," Acta said. "He's just not winning. He's shown us stuff, and tonight was a very good outing."

Redding walked Jimmy Rollins and Pat Burrell in the sixth, bringing Ryan Howard to the plate with two outs. Facing the shift, Howard grounded out to Nationals second baseman Ronnie Belliard, who was playing in shallow right field, to end the threat.

Redding departed in the seventh after walking Aaron Rowand and allowing a single to Wes Helms. Righthander Saul Rivera entered for Washington and walked Werth to load the bases with none out. Chris Coste followed with an RBI single that pulled the Phillies to 4-2.

The Nationals bullpen then came up big. Lefthander Ray King struck out pinch hitter Russell Branyan and Rollins, then handed the ball to righthander Luis Ayala, who induced Tadahito Iguchi to hit into an inning-ending forceout at second.

"Get in and get out before they figure you out," King said of his two big strikeouts.

"We had nobody out and bases loaded, I thought we were definitely going to at least tie the game," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. "If we could've just hit some fly balls, executed and moved our runners, but we just didn't do it."

Ayala also worked a scoreless eighth, allowing only a single to Rowand.

"The relief work was outstanding," Redding said. "To come in with the bases loaded and only one run scoring, that's dynamite. You can't ask for anything better than that."

Unless you're Charlie Manuel, who would have accepted a base hit, a fly ball, a sacrifice bunt.

"The last two nights we've had good pitching thrown against us," Manuel said. "But at the same time, you know, the last two games we just haven't hit the ball."

Redding allowed two runs on three hits in six innings. He struck out seven and walked one.

"He was aggressive," Manuel said. "He threw a lot of fastballs and he got his breaking ball over, and he kept the ball down when he wanted to. He hit the corners. He was moving the ball around and his command was very good."

Rowand, who robbed Dmitri Young of a potential extra-base hit with a running, over-the-shoulder catch on the warning track in the third, wasn't as fortunate in the sixth when he came up empty on a diving attempt of a double off the bat of Ryan Church. Young followed with a sharp single to left, advancing Zimmerman to third. Kearns then bounced into a double play that scored Zimmerman for a 3-1 lead.

Church followed with his 10th homer of the season, matching his career high. It was an upper-deck blast to right that gave the Nationals a 4-1 lead and chased Phillies starter Kyle Kendrick.

"It's been kind of our routine - the fact that these guys will play everybody tough," manager Manny Acta said of the Nationals, who have won nine of their last 10 games at RFK Stadium. "People were thinking that some teams would come in here and just roll over us."

Kendrick (5-3) allowed four runs on seven hits in 5 2/3 innings. He struck out one and walked one while failing to work six innings for only the third time in 12 starts.

"Tonight my slider wasn't there like it's usually been and I tried making some adjustments," Kendrick said. "I thought I made adjustments well. To Church, that ball was down and in and he just put a good swing on it. It was just one of those games."

"We're just not getting hits, that's a reflection of the team, but that's why it's a long season," Rowand added. "We'll just strap it on tomorrow and try to come back and get them again. We just haven't swung the bats real well. You're going to have ups and downs and the goal is to try and stay as consistent as possible."

Despite dropping to four games behind the New York Mets in the National League East race, Manuel said it's not time to panic.

"We'll get 'em tomorrow," Manuel said. "We'll bounce back and everything will be OK. We've got some baseball to play yet."