Nationals win in 12 on single by Fick

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In some ways, the Washington Nationals' current upturn has been more impressive than their 10-game win streak of a year ago.

That team made a habit out of coming from behind late to win its games in dramatic fashion. This squad has been winning games in more conventional fashion, jumping out to early leads and then closing things out with little problem.

"You're not depending on lightning striking [like you did in 2005]," manager Frank Robinson noted yesterday afternoon.

Well, lightning finally struck early this morning, and not only from the string of thunderstorms that hit RFK Stadium and delayed the start of the Nationals-Phillies game by an hour and 42 minutes.

Robert Fick scorched a one-out single to right in the 12th, narrowly scoring Marlon Byrd from second to give the Nationals a thrilling 9-8 victory.

Byrd had jump-started the game-winning rally, sending a leadoff double down the right-field line. Damian Jackson, who had just entered the previous inning, was asked to lay down a sacrifice bunt but fouled off three straight and was booed as he walked off the field.

Alfonso Soriano, struggling through a rare 0-for-6 night, was nonetheless intentionally walked, setting the stage for Fick, the 21st Washington player to be used in the game who sent a liner to right off reliever Clay Condrey and then celebrated as Byrd came around to score just in front of Bobby Abreu's throw to the plate.

The dramatic victory came at the end of a long and wild night of baseball, one that saw the Nationals blow a 7-3 lead by giving up five runs in the top of the seventh, then rally to tie it in the bottom of the inning before winning it in the 12th.

Washington (29-33) earned its eighth win in nine days and caught the third-place Atlanta Braves for the first time since April 22. Even the second-place Phillies now stand only 3 1/2 games ahead of Robinson's squad, which for the second straight season has chosen early June to go on a tear.

The Nationals had a golden opportunity to win it in the 10th, loading the bases with one out. But two of their best hitters -- Jose Vidro and Nick Johnson -- couldn't come through in the clutch. Vidro grounded the first pitch he saw to second baseman Chase Utley, who fired home for the force out, and Johnson followed suit, tapping another grounder to second to end the inning and spoil three stellar innings of relief from rookie Bill Bray.