Another multiple hit game for Placido Polanco

It took one trip through the lineup before the Philadelphia Phillies hot bats made their 2010 debut at Citizens Bank Park. They scored seven runs in the 4th and 5^th innings combined on the way to a 7-4 win over the Washington Nationals and their first win in a home opener since 2005. In their first six games, the Phils scored 43 runs and posted a 5-1 record but Nationals starter Jason Marquis held them hitless for the first three and a third innings.

With one out in the fourth and the Phils down 4-0, Placido Polanco finally got things going with a single up the middle. After a Chase Utley walk, Polanco scored as Ryan Howard beat the shift and singled to left. Utley scored on a fielders choice by Jayson Werth.

The Phillies had a five-run fifth inning set up by Washington catcher Ivan Rodriguez’s error. With one out and Carlos Ruiz on first, starting pitcher Cole Hamels tried to bunt Ruiz over but Rodriguez threw the ball low to second and everybody was safe. Juan Castro, who started at shortstop because Jimmy Rollins strained his right calf during pregame warmups, doubled home Ruiz. Polanco, who has multiple hits in six of the seven games so far, knocked home two runs with a single to center. Then Utley hit a 2-run home run off the foul pole in right field to chase Marquis, who retired the first 10 hitters he faced but only got four outs against the next 11 he faced.

“You’re not going to hold us at bay for too long,” Hamels said after improving to 2-0, “something is going to happen. With the lineup we have we made something happen and we scored a bunch of runs.”

Hamels benefited from those runs as he allowed a second inning homer to Josh Willingham and three runs in the fourth. In that fourth, the first two Nationals got on base then Hamels struck out Willingham and shortstop Ian Desmond but Rodriguez knocked in one run. After third baseman Adam Kennedy walked, Marquis doubled over a leaping Polanco and two more runs scored. From there, Hamels and the bullpen combined to allow only one more hit.

NOTES: Jayson Werth left after the fifth inning with soreness in his left hip…The attendance was 44,791 which is the 43rd regular season sellout in a row…When Roy Halladay (149-76, .662) beat Roy Oswalt (137-71, .659) 2-1 on Sunday in Houston according to Elias Sports Bureau it was the first matchup of starting pitchers both with a winning percentage of .658 or higher and at least 250 career starts since July 15, 1913, when the Giants’ Christy Mathewson (328-151, .685) beat Mordecai “Three Finger” Brown (200-102, .662) of the Reds at the Polo Grounds in New York…Halladay was named National League Player of the Week for the opening week of the 2010 season. He was 2-0 with 0.56 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 16 innings pitched.

Rock Hoffman can be reached at RDVSports@yahoo.com