WASHINGTON(AP) -- Charlie Manuel was angry. It didn't matter that
the Philadelphia Phillies nearly pulled off an impressive
ninth-inning comeback. No, his club had again lost to a team he
felt they should have beaten.

The Phillies lost to the woeful Washington Nationals 8-7 on
Thursday night when Ryan Howard hit into a game-ending double
play with runners on the corners after Philadelphia scored five
runs in the ninth.

Manuel didn't want to take about the comeback. The manager
wanted to vent.

"We've been getting outplayed by second division teams," Manuel
said. "We don't put nobody away."

It hasn't been a good time on the road for the defending world
champions. In their last three road series, the Phillies lost
two of three in Pittsburgh and absorbed a four-game sweep in
Houston. After the Astros' sweep, Manuel chewed out his team.
After winning the first two against a team that's lost 92 games,
Manuel thought his team's play was unacceptable.

"The guys who've been on this team the last couple of years -
they know exactly what they've got to do," Manuel said. "We've
got to have a little more get up and go to us."

Philadelphia's lead in the NL East was cut to five games over
Florida, which routed the New York Mets 13-4. The Phillies had
won nine straight against Washington.

"We're the best team in this division," Manuel said. "Nobody's
going to give us nothing."

Manuel watched Ian Desmond homer and drive in four runs in his
major league debut and Livan Hernandez pitch effectively into
the eighth inning.

Adam Dunn hit his 36th homer for the Nationals, who nearly blew
the game in the ninth. Matt Stairs snapped an 0-for-30 skid with
a pinch-hit grand slam and Shane Victorino doubled in a run in
the Phillies' rally.

The last-place Nationals won for only the second time in 12
games overall.

"We're better than they are," Manuel said. "We've got to get
after them more - like we used to."

Victorino denied that his team was complacent, which Manuel
implied. He did say the Phillies are making it harder on
themselves.

"We're letting these teams have confidence," Victorino said.
"We're not putting teams away like we should. We're not
dictating what's happening in the game."

Desmond, a 24-year-old shortstop who was recalled from Triple-A
Syracuse on Tuesday, doubled in a run in the fourth and his
three-run homer keyed a five-run fifth. He narrowly missed a
home run in his first at-bat, flying out to deep center field.

Hernandez (8-10), signed by the Nationals on Aug. 25 after he
was released by the Mets, improved to 1-5 with a 6.36 ERA in his
last eight starts. He allowed two runs and six hits in 7 1-3
innings.

Philadelphia led 2-0 after one but Pete Orr tied with a two-run
triple in the third and Desmond put the Nationals ahead with a
run-scoring double off Joe Blanton (9-7) in the fourth.

Dunn and Desmond connected in the fifth. Desmond sprinted around
the bases so quickly that he nearly caught Elijah Dukes, who had
been on first. Desmond had to be coaxed by his teammates into a
halfhearted curtain call.

"I've never had anything like that happen before, you know? I
didn't know if they were being serious or not, so I didn't want
to look like a dummy," Desmond said. (Coach Tim) Foli told me to
step up on the first step. The other guys were saying, 'They
want you, they want you."'

Blanton gave up eight runs and seven hits in 4 2-3 innings,
ending his streak of 11 straight quality starts.

Stairs connected in the ninth off rookie Zack Segovia to make it
8-6, ending the longest hitless stretch of his career. It was
Stairs' 19th pinch-hit homer and 12th career slam.

Ron Villone yielded an infield single to Chase Utley before
earning his first save this season.

Struggling Phillies closer Brad Lidge pitched a scoreless eighth
with two strikeouts.

NOTES: Philadelphia LHP Scott Eyre had an MRI on his ailing left
elbow that revealed a "loose body." The Phillies have shut him
down for several days while they consider methods of treatment.
... Philadelphia shortstop Jimmy Rollins made two errors. He had
gone 87 games without an error and has made five this season.
... Washington claimed LHP Jesse English off waivers from San
Francisco.