Phils score two in 8th, hang on in latest bullpen adventure

Michael Young celebrates with Domonic Brown after scoring on Delmon Young's RBI single in the eighth.

The Phillies needed three pitchers to get through the seventh and eighth innings. In between the latest bullpen adventure, two runs scored. 

That would decide the latest Phillies win.

Domonic Brown led the offense, homering in the second and driving in another run in the eighth. Delmon Young supplied the hit that put the Phils in front for good. And the combination of Antonio Bastardo, Chad Durbin, Jeremy Horst and Jonathan Papelbon finished off another quality start for Jonathan Pettibone.

It all spelled out a 5-3 win for the Phillies over the Nationals on Saturday night at Nationals Park.

Four of the first five Phillies struck out against Dan Haren to open the game. But the Phillies struck first in the second.

With two outs, Brown belted the first pitch he saw for a solo home run, his team-leading ninth of the season. Erik Kratz followed with a blast of his own, going back-to-back with Brown to give the Phillies a 2-0 lead.

Pettibone worked around a pair of baserunners in the second but couldn't escape the third. Adam LaRoche managed a two-out RBI single to put the Nationals on the board.

The Nats tied the game on another two-out hit, this one by Denard Span, in the fourth.

The Phillies grabbed the lead back in the fifth with their own two-out hitting. Pettibone hit the first double of his career to start the rally. Jimmy Rollins followed with an RBI double to put the Phillies back on top.

But the Nationals tied things right back up on a solo shot to left-center by LaRoche.

Pettibone would go on to work another quality start, allowing three runs on nine hits in six innings. He walked one and struck out six.

The Phillies would use Bastardo and Durbin to escape the seventh and worked out of another jam in the eighth using Durbin and Horst. The Nationals left two runners on in the eighth after the Phillies had taken the lead.

Michael Young worked a one-out walk. Delmon Young managed the go-ahead RBI single down the right-field line. With Michael Martinez in as a pinch-runner, Brown doubled to the gap in right-center. Martinez scored easily.

Papelbon allowed the tying run to come to the plate, but struck out LaRoche looking and Ian Desmond swinging to end the game.

The Phillies improved to 24-25 with the win and have evened the series with the Nationals. The series finale puts the two aces of the respective staffs. Cole Hamels starts against Stephen Strasburg.

Kevin Durso is a contributor for Philliedelphia. You can follow him on twitter @KDursoPhilsNet.