WASHINGTON (Interstat) — Foster Griffin pitched 7 1/3 strong innings and Curtis Mead hit a two-run homer as the Washington Nationals defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 4-1 on Monday at Nationals Park.

Griffin allowed one earned run on four hits with nine strikeouts to improve to 8-2. Clayton Beeter earned his sixth save with a scoreless ninth inning. The Phillies managed only five hits, including a solo home run by Brandon Marsh in the seventh that tied the game at 1-1.

Washington answered in the bottom of the seventh when Mead connected for his 12th homer, driving in James Wood and giving the Nationals a 3-1 lead. Dylan Crews had two hits and an RBI for Washington, which outhit Philadelphia 12-5.

Tim Mayza took the loss after allowing two runs in the seventh, falling to 2-2. Nationals starter Alan Rangel allowed one run over five innings.

The victory lifted Washington to 41-38, while Philadelphia dropped to 42-36. Attendance was 18,237, and the game lasted 2 hours, 28 minutes.