Fister has lost consecutive starts for the first time this year

PHILADELPHIA -- Here come the Philadelphia Phillies a tad too late. Bo Jackson White Sox Jersey . Pinch-hitter Grady Sizemore hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the sixth inning, helping the Phillies beat the NL East-leading Washington Nationals 8-4 Wednesday night to complete a three-game sweep. Marlon Byrd hit a two-run homer and Jimmy Rollins hit a solo shot to back Kyle Kendrick (7-11). The right-hander allowed four runs and seven hits in six innings. The last-place Phillies went 7-2 on their best homestand this season. "Were scoring runs, starting pitching has been good and the bullpen is putting up zeroes," Kendrick said. "Everyone is doing their jobs." Denard Span was 3 for 4 and fell a triple short of the cycle for the Nationals. Doug Fister (12-5) allowed a season-high 10 hits and five runs -- four earned -- in 5 2-3 innings. The Nationals had won 12 of 13 before losing three in a row in Philadelphia. They still have the best record (75-57) in the NL and a comfortable 6 1/2-game lead over Atlanta in the division. "We always have the same approach, win or lose," Nationals manager Matt Williams said. "We look forward to the next one. We know if we do things correctly, we have a good chance to beat the other team." Byrd started Philadelphias rally in the sixth with a leadoff single. Domonic Brown lined an RBI double to right-centre to cut the deficit to 4-3. Two outs later, Sizemore drove an 0-2 pitch into the right-field seats for a 5-4 lead and his first career pinch homer. "I fell behind, just trying to put a good swing on it," Sizemore said. "With two strikes, just looking to battle and protect." Fister left after hitting the next batter, Ben Revere, with an 89 mph fastball on his right arm. Revere went down in pain, but stayed in the game. Byrd connected off Ross Detwiler in the seventh for his team-high 24th homer. The Nationals took a 3-2 lead in the third when Jayson Werth singled in Span, who led off the inning with a double. Span ripped a 427-foot homer off the railing in the second deck to make it 4-2 in the fifth. It was Spans second homer this season in his 512th at-bat. Rollins hit a towering drive into the right field seats for his 17th homer to cut it to 2-1 in the first. Chase Utley followed with a single to centre. He scored when Span misplayed Ryan Howards single. The ball rolled past Span for an error and Howard ended up on second. Howard added an RBI single in the eighth, finishing 3 for 5. TRAINERS ROOM Nationals: 1B Adam LaRoche was back in the starting lineup after being held out due to back tightness on Tuesday. He went 0 for 4. Phillies: OF John Mayberry Jr. (right wrist) is expected to be activated when rosters are expanded Monday. RHP Mike Adams (shoulder) is rehabbing at Triple-A Lehigh Valley and hopes to pitch in September. UP NEXT Nationals: RHP Jordan Zimmermann (9-5, 2.93) starts the opener of an interleague series at Seattle. Felix Hernandez, the 2010 AL Cy Young Award winner, goes for the Mariners. Phillies: RHP David Buchanan (6-7, 4.21) starts the opener of a three-game series at the New York Mets on Friday night. Hes 0-2 with a 4.26 ERA against the Mets. GRAB THE BROOMS The Phillies only have six sweeps this season, but two have come against division leaders Washington and Milwaukee. They also swept Atlanta on the road in July. Their last sweep over the Nationals was Aug. 24-26, 2012 in Philadelphia. NATS STATS The Nationals fell to 63-8 when scoring four runs or more. ... Span was 0 for 8 in the series before busting out of his slump. He leads the NL with 50 multi-hit games. ... Fister has lost consecutive starts for the first time this year. CELEBRATING MONE The Phillies honoured Mone Davis and her Taney Dragons teammates on a day the city gave them a parade downtown. Davis, who was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated after becoming the first female pitcher to win a game in the Little League World Series 68-year history, and her 11 teammates each threw out a first pitch to 12 Phillies players. The Dragons represented the mid-Atlantic region in the World Series. They won their first two games before being eliminated, losing to Las Vegas and to eventual U.S. champion Chicago. Kid Gleason White Sox Jersey . - Free agent defensive end Will Smith has signed with the New England Patriots. Yolmer Sanchez White Sox Jersey .C. - Canadian ice dancing, it seems, is in good hands. https://www.cheapwhitesox.com/2724e-jon-jay-jersey-white-sox.html . The Toronto Blue Jays general manager made a series of bold moves that reshaped the club ahead of what would turn out to be a disastrous 2013 campaign.NEW ORLEANS - Jonas Valanciunas stay in The Big Easy will be a brief one. After making his All-Star debut in Fridays Rising Stars Challenge, the Raptors sophomore centre wont be sticking around for the duration of the weekends festivities, thinking about the big picture instead. Valanciunas, who scored four points in 19 minutes for the victorious Team Hill in the annual rookie-sophomore showcase, will spend two days on a beach in Mexico. How soon does he leave? "As soon as possible," he joked after Fridays game. "I want to see that sun." Scheduled to take off from New Orleans Saturday morning, Valanciunas vacation will also be short-lived. He and the rest of the team will reconvene in Washington Monday for practice but a little relaxation before that could go a long way for the Raptors young centre. "[I can] just relax my body," he said of the excursion, "have some time off to relax my mind, relax my body and be ready for the next half of the season." With 30 regular season games and - barring a complete Raptors collapse - at least a few playoff contests to go, Valanciunas should surpass his minute total from last season in the next week, hes 32 minutes shy of matching his rookie mark. After a strong eight-game stretch, averaging 15.4 points and 10.8 rebounds, to close out last month and begin February, the 21-year-old was rusty going into the break. Despite grabbing 14 boards, he connected on just one of his nine atttempts, logging just 24 minutes in Wednesdays win over the Hawks. Jack Mcdowell Jersey. . "He needs a rest," Dwane Casey said after that game. "He needs a mental rest." The stretch run will be uncharted territory for Valanciunas and the Raptors will need him at full strength, both physically and mentally. His time in New Orleans, however brief, was not especially taxing. Valanciunas four points was tied with Phoenixs Miles Plumlee for lowest in the game. In general the event is not one that lends itself to prototypical big men. Its a high-scoring, up and down display of athleticism and three-point shooting. "Everybody wants to score," he said. "Everybody wants to do some beautiful dunks, beautiful shots and my job is to bang inside." Valanciunas may have been the only one on the court looking to set screens and box out. Offensively, he was out of place, failing to convert three alley-oops, getting a hook shot blocked by the Pelicans Anthony Davis and even missing a rare three-pointer. "That was my goal the whole game," he said with a smile. "To make a three." Valanciunas team, drafted by Grant Hill, was victorious by a score of 142-136 over Team Chris Webber. Detroits Andre Drummond was awarded MVP, voted on by the fans, after scoring 30 points and grabbing 25 boards. Clevelands Dion Waiters had 31 points and the Knicks Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 36 for Team Webber. ' ' '