In Washington on Saturday, the Phillies dropped the division leading Nationals by a score of 8-1, behind the steady arm of ace Cole Hamels and the scorching hot bat of slugger Ryan Howard in front of 41,722 fans at Nationals Park.
The lefty Hamels tossed eight strong innings, striking out five and walking one while allowing just a lone earned run on five hits. With the victory, the 31-year-old would move to 16-9 with a 2.67 ERA in 35 career starts against Washington.
Howard notched three hits in five at bats including his 10th homer of the season.