By Theo DeRosa, Sports Talk Philly staff 
Final: Phillies 17, Nationals 3
PHILADELPHIA—Jeremy Guthrie has had better birthdays.
The veteran right-hander took the hill for the Nationals on Saturday night in Philadelphia, looking for a successful start to begin his 13th MLB season and cap off his 38th birthday. Guthrie got to celebrate early; he was out of the game after recording just two outs.
There wasn't much to celebrate, though: the Nats were down 9-0 when Guthrie exited the game. He was tagged for 10 total earned runs when reliever Enny Romero ceded three more in a distastrous first inning for Washington.
It was all good for the Phillies, who sent 16 batters to the plate in a 12-run, 37-minute first inning that broke a franchise record for runs allowed in the first inning by Washington and runs scored in the first inning by Philadelphia.
By the time Cameron Rupp struck out for the third out, Saturday night's game was over along with the bottom of the first as the Phillies posted a resounding 17-3 win behind a quality start from Aaron Nola.
WP: Aaron Nola (1-0, 4.50) ❖ LP: Jeremy Guthrie (0-1, 135.00)
Hub: Game Summary ❖ Starting Pitchers ❖ At the Plate ❖ Bullpen ❖ What's Next
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
| WAS | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 2 |
| PHI |
12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | X | 17 | 15 | 0 |
Maikel Franco's nifty 5-3 double play nipped Ryan Zimmerman at first to get Nola out of a bases-loaded jam in the top of the first, as Nola allowed a single to Trea Turner, a walk to Adam Eaton and a single to Daniel Murphy. Turner was hurt trying to round third base on Murphy's single, and was replaced by Wilmer Difó.
Sixteen Phillies hitters put up 12 runs in the bottom of the frame, beginning with a sac fly from Franco, surprisingly lacking in home runs, and totaling nine hits and four walks. The middle of the Phillies' order, Franco, Michael Saunders and Tommy Joseph, combined to drive in six runs, but Howie Kendrick's bases-clearing triple was the biggest hit of the inning, bringing in three before Kendrick tumbled into third base in an awkward slide. Saunders fell a home run short of the cycle.
Former Phillie Joe Blanton contributed three scoreless innings of relief for the Nationals, but Washington couldn't mount a massive comeback. The Phillies tacked on a few more runs in the following three innings to extend the lead. Andrés Blanco cracked a home run in the seventh and Kendrick drove in César Hernández, who had tripled.
Nola went six innings and gave up just three runs, with two of them coming in the sixth inning. He touched 94 with a two-seam fastball that seemed like a good sign for the young righty's development. Nola struck out seven and walked two, allowing seven hits.
Jeremy Hellickson starts on Sunday at 1:35, as the Phillies wrap up the home series with Washington before facing the Mets at Citizens Bank Park beginning Monday night. Hellickson will oppose Stephen Strasburg.
| IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeremy Hellickson | 0.2 | 6 | 10 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 135.00 |
| Aaron Nola | 6.0 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 4.50 |
Nationals
- Daniel Murphy: 3-4, 2 R, 2 2B, .524 AVG
- Jayson Werth: 2-3, 2 RBI, .368 AVG
- Bryce Harper: 1-4, R, .333 AVG
Phillies
- Howie Kendrick: 3-5, 3B, 2 R, 4 RBI, .444 AVG
- Odubel Herrera: 1-4, 2 R, 1 RBI, BB, .389 AVG
- Michael Saunders: 3-4, 2B, 3 R, 2 RBI, .286 AVG
Bullpen
Nationals
- Enny Romero (1st): 1.1 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO, 0 HR, 11.57 ERA
- Joe Blanton (3rd): 3.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO, 0 HR, 1.93 ERA
- Oliver Pérez (6th): 2.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO, 0 HR, 11.57 ERA
- Shawn Kelley (8th): 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO, 1 HR, 13.50 ERA
Phillies
- Pat Neshek (7th): 1.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO, 0 HR, 0.00 ERA
- Edubray Ramos (8th): 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO, 0 HR, 0.00 ERA
What's Next
- Sunday, April 9, 2017: vs. Washington Nationals, 1:35 p.m.
- Citizens Bank Park
- RHP Stephen Strasburg (1-0, 2.57 ERA) vs. RHP Jeremy Hellickson (1-0, 1.80)
- TV: CSN; Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP
