Kendrick outduels Zimmermann, Phillies beat Nationals 3-1

PHILADELPHIA — Kyle Kendrick outpitched All-Star Jordan Zimmermann, pinch-hitter Kevin Frandsen hit a tiebreaking double in the seventh and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Washington Nationals 3-1 Thursday night.

Kendrick (8-6) allowed one run and five hits in seven innings to help Philadelphia take three of four from the defending NL East champions.

The Phillies are 7-3 since July 2, including series wins over first-place Pittsburgh and Atlanta, to pull within 1½ games of the second-place Nationals and one game of .500.

Zimmermann (12-4) gave up two runs and eight hits, striking out six in 6 1-3 innings.

Antonio Bastardo pitched a perfect eighth and Jonathan Papelbon finished for his 20th save in 24 tries. Papelbon blew two saves against the Nationals last month and allowed two runs in a 3-2 win Monday night.

Darin Ruf led off the bottom of the seventh with a double down the left-field line. Pinch-runner John McDonald advanced on a sacrifice and scored on Frandsen's RBI double off center fielder Denard Span's glove.

Frandsen is hitting .355 (11 for 31) with 10 RBIs as a pinch-hitter this season.

Utley got the Phillies an insurance run in the eighth by hitting a double to start the inning, moving to third on a fly ball and sliding in safely just ahead of a throw to the plate on Michael Young's grounder to second.

The Phillies took a 1-0 lead on Ben Revere's RBI single in the fifth. Carlos Ruiz reached on an infield single, advanced on Kendrick's sacrifice and scored on Revere's liner to left-center.

The lead didn't last long.

Bryce Harper hit a triple with one out in the sixth and scored on Ryan Zimmerman's sacrifice fly to right.

All-Star Domonic Brown threw out fellow All-Star Harper trying to score from second on Jayson Werth's two-out single to left in the first. That was Washington's first hit with runners in scoring position in the series after going 0 for 16.