WASHINGTON – Bryce Harper hit a home run in the first inning and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Washington Nationals 7-4 on Monday night for four straight wins.
Brad Miller also blew the wall and Ronald Torreyes hit a bases-loaded 3-pointer for Philadelphia, which is 7-1 at Nationals Park this season.
Carter Kieboom homered for Washington, which has three losses in a row, five in its last six games and 19 in the last 25.
Harper, who signed a $ 330 million, 13-year contract with Philadelphia in 2019 after playing his first seven seasons with the Nationals, was booed – as usual – in Washington. The crowd was even more frustrated when he tangled with Josiah Gray’s curveball and deposited it on the other side of the fence to hit 26 home runs and give the Phillies a lead they wouldn’t give up.
Harper, who was 2-for-5, is hitting .404 with seven homers and 12 RBIs in 16 games against Washington this season. His single kicked off an attack in the third inning off Gray (0-2) that topped Torreyes with his fly to left field that Yadiel Hernandez misjudged, allowing three touchdowns.
Gray allowed six runs in four innings, the shortest of his six starts since joining Washington on the trade trade deadline that sent stars Max Scherzer and Trea Turner to the Dodgers.
Zack Wheeler (11-9) worked six innings for Philadelphia, allowing four runs with four strikeouts.
For the Phillies, Venezuelans Torreyes 4-2 with three RBIs; Odubel Herrera 4-2 with one scored; Freddy Galvis 4-0 with one RBI and one scored. The Dominican Jean Segura 5-0.
For the Nationals, Venezuelans Adrián Sánchez 3-0 with an RBI; Alcides Escobar 1-0; Keibert Ruiz of 4-1; Gerardo Parra 1-0. The Dominicans Juan Soto 3-1 with one scored; Victor Robles 1-0. The Cuban Yadiel Hernández 3-0.
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