The Washington Nationals were able to dispatch the Philadelphia Phillies 8-4 on Wednesday night at Citizens Bank Park.
The Nationals jumped in front early against Kyle Kendrick, scoring five runs in the first two frames to give themselves a 5-0 lead. Kendrick lasted just two innings, throwing 47 pitches in doing so.
Washington was homer-happy early on, scoring all its runs off Kendrick via the long ball. Bryce Harper hit a two-run blast in the first, with Ian Desmond cracking a solo shot and Kurt Suzuki slamming a two-run bomb in the second.
Philadelphia was able to claw its way back to within one run of the Nats with single runs in the third, fourth, seventh and eighth innings. However, the Phillies could never get over the hump.
John Lannan certainly wasn't dominant but was able to mix and match his pitches. The hurler went 5.1 innings, only giving up two runs on five hits and a walk.
The top of the order was dominant for the Nats. Jayson Werth and Harper combined for five RBI, four hits and three runs.
The win kept Washington's lead over the Atlanta Braves in the National League East at four games, while the magic number to clinch the division title was reduced to four.
This story originally appeared on SB Nation Philly.