Zack Wheeler pitches Phillies past Nats in series opener

Zack Wheeler pitched 7 1/3 strong innings and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the visiting Washington Nationals 4-2 on Friday night.

Alec Bohm and Brandon Marsh each hit an RBI double for the Phillies, who won for the fourth time in five games. The Friday contest was the opener of a three-game series.

Wheeler (5-3) allowed two runs on three hits and three walks while striking out six. He returned to form after yielding six runs over four innings in his prior start, a no-decision against the Miami Marlins on Sunday.

Jeff Hoffman worked around a one-out double in the ninth and earned his third save. Jesse Winker flied to the warning track in right for the final out.

Keibert Ruiz and Eddie Rosario provided RBI doubles for the Nationals, who have lost three straight, having been shut out in their previous two.

Jake Irvin (2-4) gave up four runs on five hits over five innings. He fanned two and walked one. Washington relievers then combined for three perfect innings.

The Phillies broke on top in the first. J.T. Realmuto singled to center with one out, and with two outs, Bohm doubled into the right field corner to bring him home.

Ildemaro Vargas, inserted into the Washington lineup when Luis Garcia Jr. (heel) was a late scratch, walked with one out in the second. With two outs, Ruiz hit a drive to center just beyond the reach of a diving Johan Rojas, and Vargas scored.

Marsh walked leading off the bottom of the second and Edmundo Sosa singled. Both runners advanced on Rojas' groundout to second, and Marsh came home on a wild pitch by Irvin. Sosa scored when Kyle Schwarber grounded out to first, and the Phillies led 3-1.

With two outs in the third, Philadelphia's Bryson Stott reached on a bunt single. After Nick Castellanos was hit by a pitch, Marsh doubled to the wall in center, scoring Stott to make it 4-1.

The Nationals got one back in the fifth when CJ Abrams and Rosario smacked back-to-back doubles with two outs.