PHILADELPHIA -AP- Bryce Harper, Daniel Murphy and Jayson Werth hit homers to back Max Scherzer and the Washington Nationals held on for a 7-6 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday.Scherzer (1-0) allowed two runs and four hits, striking out seven in 6 2/3 innings. The reigning NL Cy Young Award winner waited until the fourth game to take the mound because a broken knuckle set him back in spring training.
The injury didn't bother him against the Phillies, who fell to 3-11 in home openers at Citizens Bank Park.Scherzer retired the first 10 batters before Howie Kendrick hit an opposite-field double in the fourth. He left with a 7-1 lead and a runner on.Aaron Altherr hit a two-run homer off Sammy Solis in the seventh to get the Phillies within 7-4 and Freddy Galvis hit a two-run shot off Blake Treinen in the ninth to cut it to 7-6.A day after giving up leads in the eighth and ninth innings in a 4-3 loss to Miami in 10 innings, Washington's bullpen allowed four runs and nearly blew another one.Koda Glover entered with two runners on in the eighth and retired three straight batters. Treinen eventually finished for his third save after Galvis went deep.Vince Velasquez (0-1) struck out 10, but allowed four runs and five hits in four innings. He hasn't won a game since last July 8.The defending NL East champion Nationals are off to a 3-1 start while the Phillies have lost three in a row after winning their opener.Harper hit a two-run shot in the first and Murphy ripped a two-run drive in the third. Werth made it 7-0 with a three-run homer off Joely Rodriguez in the fifth.
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