The Phillies earned a split of Sunday’s doubleheader at Citizens Bank Park with an 8-5 victory over the Washington Nationals.
The win was the first for Pete Mackanin as the interim manager of the team and it snaps a three-game losing streak.
Meanwhile, the Phillies scored eight-plus runs for the fourth time in the last seven games as five players collected at least a pair of hits and Maikel Franco drove in three runs.
The Phillies lost Game 1, 3-2 (see Instant Replay).
Starting pitching report
Severino Gonzalez picked up the win after being called up from Triple A for the start by allowing four runs on six hits in 5 1/3 innings. Gonzalez (3-2, 8.28) did not allow a hit until the third inning and posted a career high 5 1/3 innings and 114 pitches.
He struck out seven and walked one.
Gonzalez’s spot in the rotation was short-lived, however, as he was optioned back to Triple A following the game. Since 2012, teams have been allowed to add a 26th man to the roster for doubleheaders. Lefty Adam Morgan had his second big-league start washed out on Saturday and is scheduled to start against Milwaukee next Thursday.
Nats starter Tanner Roark was roughed up for eight runs on 12 hits and a walk with no strikeouts in just 3 1/3 innings. The outing was the shortest of Roark’s 42 big-league starts.
Bullpen report
Jeanmar Gomez appeared in both ends of the doubleheader. He needed one pitch to get out of the sixth inning in the opener before recording the final two outs of the sixth in the nightcap.
Elvis Araujo pitched two-thirds of the seventh, allowing a run on two singles. Ken Giles came on with one on and two outs in the seventh and retired four of the five hitters he faced.
Jonathan Papelbon notched his 14th save in as many chances and got his first since June 18.
At the plate
The Phillies scored four runs in the second inning and four more in the fourth inning, batting around in each frame. They also had at least one hitter reach base in every inning except for the sixth and seventh and had two on with one out or fewer five times.
Of the Phillies’ 16 hits, they got only one extra-base knock. However, the team went 6 for 14 with runners in scoring position.
Odubel Herrera and Cesar Hernandez — the top two hitters in the lineup — combined for seven hits. Franco and Domonic Brown also had a pair of hits as the top four hitters in the lineup went 11 for 19.
Hernandez entered the doubleheader with four stolen bases in 161 career games before swiping three bags in the two games.
Gonzalez got his first big-league RBI in the second inning and added his first big-league hit in the fourth. Cody Asche also had a pair of hits.
For the Nationals, Ian Desmond and Jose Lobaton hit long homers off Gonzalez.
Up next
The Phillies host the Milwaukee Brewers for four games beginning on Monday night. The pitching matchups for the series are:
Monday — Sean O’Sullivan (1-5, 5.34) vs. Jimmy Nelson (4-8, 4.34)
Tuesday — Cole Hamels (5-6, 3.26) vs. Taylor Jungmann (2-1, 2.74)
Wednesday — Aaron Harang (4-10, 3.56) vs. Kyle Lohse (4-9, 6.28)
Thursday — Adam Morgan (1-0, 1.59) vs. Matt Garza (4-10, 5.52)