WASHINGTON – Left-hander Foster Griffin turned in another standout outing, tossing a personal-best 7 1/3 frames to earn his eighth win, while the Nationals powered a pair of homers to beat the Phillies 4-1 in the rain-soaked series opener at Nationals Park.
In an uncommon late-season meeting between the two teams with winning records, the Nationals once again proved they hold their own against formidable opponents.
Over the weekend, Washington pushed the second-place Rays to the limit before succumbing 4-3. On Monday, they knocked off a Phillies squad that has already collected 42 wins.
“At the end of the day, I think [facing stiff competition] only makes you become a better player, better competitor, better coach, whatever it might be,” Nationals manager Blake Butera said before the game.
A major factor behind the Nationals’ 41-38 record at this stage of the season has been the starting rotation, and Griffin has been exceptional. Monday’s start represented his finest performance since rejoining the Majors following a three-year stint in Japan.
“I feel like we’ve played a lot of playoff teams, and we are up there above .500 and we’re pushing for a Wild Card spot,” Griffin said.
“You never know what can happen. I know I’m really impressed with this team as a whole. We’re not backing down [to] anybody; [it] doesn’t really matter the names on the back of the jerseys or what team we’re playing. We feel like we got a good lineup and a good staff to go out there and combat it.”
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