WASHINGTON -- A troubling early trend continued for the Nationals' bullpen on Saturday afternoon, when Cesar Hernandez lifted a two-run homer in the eighth inning off right-hander Joe Blanton to catapult the Phillies to a 4-2 victory at Nationals Park.
Nats relievers have now given up 10 of the 12 home runs surrendered by their pitching staff this season. This comes on the heels of a strong day on Friday afternoon when the Nationals got three scoreless innings from their bullpen to hold a tie game -- the first time the unit did not allow a run since Opening Day.