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Howard helps Phillies keep pace in NL East

Sep 23, 2007 - 5:12 AM WASHINGTON (Ticker) -- Ryan Howard was one swing shy of striking out five times in a game for the first time in his career and tying Adam Dunn for the most strikeouts in a season at 195.

Howard instead delivered an RBI single up the middle that ignited the Philadelphia Phillies to 4-1 victory over the Washington Nationals in 10 innings Saturday night that kept their playoff chances thriving.

"That's what baseball's about," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. "You can be traveling along striking out and all of a sudden with one swing you become a hero. That's why you stay after it and that's why you stay with it. That's what happens when you don't give in and keep on trying."

Chase Utley scored the winning run and also homered for Philadelphia, which has won three straight and nine of 10 to stay right in the thick of the National League playoff races.

"Something's got to go somebody's way if we hang around long enough, hasn't it?" Manuel said. "That was a helluva game. It ended up in our favor, of course, and that's the best part of it."

The Phillies (85-70) stayed 1 1/2 games behind the NL East-leading New York Mets (86-68), who defeated the Florida Marlins, 7-2. They also closed to within one-half game of the San Diego Padres (85-69) in the wild card race. San Diego lost to the Colorado Rockies.

With the scored knotted at 1-1 in the 10th, Utley led off with a single off Nationals reliever Chris Schroder (2-3). After Pat Burrell walked on four pitches, Howard drilled a base hit up the middle, plating Utley.

"I was just up there trying to get something to hit, trying to move Chase over, and I got a fastball and hit it back up the middle," Howard said. "I was just up there trying to battle."

"I wanted to get it a little higher," Schroder said. "I just left it more belt-high for him."

It was redemption for the reigning NL MVP, who had been 0-for-4 with four strikeouts.

"I felt good," Howard said. "There were just a couple of pitches I didn't pull the trigger on earlier. It happens like that sometimes. But you're only as good as your next AB, and I went up there my last at-bat and tried to be a little more aggressive.

"Strikeouts are a part of the game. What can you do? But I wanted to go home."

Righthander Jesus Colome entered for Washington and got Aaron Rowand to bounce to third baseman Ryan Zimmerman, who gunned down Michael Bourn at the plate for the first out of the inning.

Pinch hitter Shane Victorino followed with an infield single when Colome failed to cover first on a grounder to Nationals first baseman Robert Fick. That loaded the bases for pinch hitter Wes Helms, who drew a walk on four pitches that scored Howard for a 3-1 lead.

Righthander Jonathan Albaladejo entered and struck out Chris Coste before allowing an RBI single to Carlos Ruiz that scored Rowand for a 4-1 lead. Victorino also tried to score on the play and was thrown out at the plate by Nationals left fielder Ryan Church to end the inning.

Brett Myers (5-7), who pitched a scoreless ninth, got the win and Clay Condrey pitched the 10th for his second save.