Rookie Weston Wilson hits for cycle as Phillies smash Nationals
Rookie Weston Wilson hit for the cycle and Alec Bohm and Nick Castellanos belted back-to-back homers in the first inning, lifting the host Philadelphia Phillies to a convincing 13-3 victory over the Washington Nationals on Thursday.
Wilson struck out in the first inning, tripled and singled in the fourth, crushed a solo homer in the seventh and completed the cycle with a double in the eighth.
Bohm launched a three-run homer to left field in the first inning and Castellanos also went deep to stake Philadelphia to an early 4-0 lead. Castellanos added an RBI single to cap a five-run fourth inning that put the hosts up 9-0.
Philadelphia's Johan Rojas drove in three runs and Trea Turner ripped a two-run double among his three hits. The Phillies banged out 17 hits en route to winning their second straight after losing 17 of their previous 24 games.
Zack Wheeler (12-5) allowed two runs, one earned, on three hits and no walks while striking out six in six innings to defeat Washington for the second time this season. He permitted two runs on three hits in 7⅓ innings of a 4-2 win over the Nationals on May 17.
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Keibert Ruiz belted two solo homers for the Nationals, who fell to 1-6 against Philadelphia this season.
In the first inning, Turner and Bryce Harper hit one-out singles before Bohm deposited an 0-1 fastball from rookie Mitchell Parker (6-7) over the wall in left field. The homer was Bohm's 13th of the season and first since Aug. 4.
Castellanos tacked on another run by sending an 0-1 splitter from Parker over the wall in left field. Castellanos' 16th homer of the season was his first since July 27.
Philadelphia put the game out of reach in the fourth inning.
Wilson hit a leadoff triple and scored on Rojas' single to left field. Schwarber followed with a single and joined Rojas in scoring following Turner's double to left field. Turner scampered home on Harper's RBI single to right field that sent Parker to the showers.
Castellanos' single off Eduardo Salazar scored Harper to close the book on Parker, who permitted nine runs on 10 hits in three-plus innings to take the loss. Parker fanned six and walked two.