Major League Baseball

Herrera's first career hit lifts Phillies over Nationals

Published Apr. 11, 2015 10:45 p.m. ET

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PHILADELPHIA (AP) Odubel Herrera had to wipe shaving cream from his dreadlocks, a small price to pay after lining a walk-off double for his first major league hit.

Herrera drove in the winning run in the 10th inning, giving the Philadelphia Phillies a 3-2 comeback victory over the Washington Nationals on Saturday night.

A winter-meeting draft pick-up from Texas, Herrera opened the season as Philadelphia's starting center fielder after not playing higher than Double-A ball in the minors. He was 0 for 8 before his winning hit.

''I'm very pleased my first hit of my career was this special,'' Herrera said through a translator. ''I'm very grateful for this opportunity.''

Teammate Freddy Galvis gave Herrera a pie-face after players celebrated their second straight win over the Nationals.

Carlos Ruiz led off the bottom of the 10th with a single off Tanner Roark (0-1). He advanced on a deep flyout and scored when Herrera doubled down the right-field line.

''I tried a backdoor slider, and Herrera hit it,'' Roark said.

Wilson Ramos had a solo homer for the Nationals, who wasted a strong outing by Doug Fister. Washington, favorites to win the NL East, are off to a 1-4 start.

Dustin McGowan (1-0) pitched a scoreless 10th to get the win with a big assist from his defense.

Phillies left fielder Ben Revere made a perfect one-hop throw to the plate to throw out speedy Michael Taylor trying to score from second on Yunel Escobar's single. Revere was moved to left late in spring training because his inability to make strong throws from center hurt the Phillies.

''Change the scouting report,'' Revere joked.

Cole Hamels gave up just two hits in seven innings, but one was Ramos' homer. Hamels rebounded from a poor performance on opening day, when he gave up four homers in an 8-0 loss to the Red Sox. His only mistake was a high fastball that Ramos drove out to right in the fourth. Ramos was 3 for 18 off Hamels before connecting for an opposite-field shot.

Fister allowed six hits in 6 1-3 scoreless innings. Fister led the Nationals with 16 wins in 2014, but begins the year as the No. 5 starter in a star-filled rotation.

Down 2-0, the Phillies rallied against Blake Treinen in the eighth. Chase Utley, 1 for 17 to that point, hit a one-out single. Ryan Howard followed with an opposite-field, RBI double off the left-field wall. Cesar Hernandez ran for Howard and scored the tying run on a single by Ruiz.

Pinch-hitter Clint Robinson's RBI single off Jeanmar Gomez gave the Nationals a 2-0 lead in the eighth. Danny Espinosa, back to switch-hitting after hitting right-handed in spring training, led off with a double and scored on the hit.

A strong throw to the plate by Nationals second baseman Espinosa prevented a run in the first, when Utley was out trying to score from first on Howard's double to right.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Nationals: LF Jayson Werth hit a home run in a rehab game for Class A Potomac on Saturday. Werth was 1 for 4 with two walks in a doubleheader. He played left field in the first game and designated hitter in the second. Werth is recovering from offseason shoulder surgery. He'll take off Sunday and could be in Washington's lineup on Monday against Boston.

Phillies: Herrera was back in the starting lineup for the first time since he fouled a ball off a foot on opening day. RF Domonic Brown didn't play Saturday at Class A Clearwater. The 2013 All-Star has been sidelined since March 19 because of tendinitis in his left Achilles tendon. He could be out another two weeks.

UP NEXT

Nationals: RHP Max Scherzer (0-1) tries again for his first win with the Nationals in the series finale Sunday. The 2013 AL Cy Young Award winner who signed a $210 million in the offseason allowed three unearned runs in a loss on opening day. Scherzer is 1-1 with a 4.50 ERA in two career starts vs. the Phillies.

Phillies: RHP Sean O'Sullivan will be recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to start on Sunday. O'Sullivan was 0-1 with a 6.39 ERA in three games last season.

MISS AMERICA SIGHTING

There she is. ... . in red pinstripes. Nina Davuluri, the 2014 Miss America winner, wore a Phillies home jersey and threw out the first pitch on Asian Pacific Night. Davuluri was the first Indian-American chosen as Miss America.

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Follow Rob Maaddi on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP-RobMaaddi

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