By ROB PARENT
rparent@delcotimes.com
PHILADELPHIA - Cole Hamels didn't play any manly pitching games with Bryce Harper Wednesday night, but Hamels did bully the Washington Nationals from his pulpit at Citizens Bank Park.
Hamels went eight strong innings and Jonathan Papelbon earned his 13th save as the Phillies salavaged some respect from the Nationals with a 4-1 victory at Citizens Bank Park.
Hamels was nearly unhittable over the course of his 114-pitch outing. What he didn't bother with were any thoughts of a repeat of his actions the last time the Phillies and Nationals played, when Hamels welcomed Harper to the bigs by intentionally plunking him with a pitch, then casually owned up to it later.

That earned Hamels a suspension, but in this hyped revisit with the hot Nationals rookie, Hamels said he paid no attention to their juicy past.
"I had nine guys I had to face," said Hamels, now 7-1 with a 2.19 earned run average. "That never entered my mind."
He certainly seemed zoned in to the job at hand. Hamels didn't allow a hit until, with one out in the sixth inning, leadoff hitter Danny Espinosa flared a double down the left field line.
That may not have ruffled Hamels, but maybe that's because he'd receive immediate help from Carlos Ruiz, who after an ensuing hit by Harper blocked the plate well enough to take a superb Hunter Pence throw and lay a tag on Espinosa for the second out.
The Nationals then got a third straight hit on a Ryan Zimmerman single, but Hamels escaped damage by getting Adam LaRoche on a grounder to second.
Ruiz, making his first Phillies start out of the cleanup spot, helped all night long. He went 3-for-4 with a run scored to play a large hand in the Phillies (22-23) putting an end to a four-game losing streak. Ruiz did take a foul tip off his right wrist that required x-rays, but they were reported to be negative. All remains positive around Carlos Ruiz.
"He's definitely built himself into an All-Star caliber catcher," Hamels said. "We've always known that, but to get that sort of recognition from everybody else is good for him. ... You don't look at a catcher to be the guy that has the big bat but he's pulling it out. It's nice to see."
While Hamels cruised through the early innings, the offense-challenged Phils put threats together in the second and third innings against Nationals starter Edwin Jackson (1-2).
Ruiz opened the second with a single, but was still at first with two outs. Then Freddy Galvis and the reborn Mike Fontenot scratched out singles to plate Ruiz with the first Phillies run.
In the third, Pence -- pushed up a spot out of the cleanup position for this game (and probably beyond) -- drew a two-out walk. Ruiz then singled, and Shane Victorino knocked in Pence with a double for 2-0.
It stayed that way, thanks to Hamels and his fortunate sixth inning, until the bottom of the seventh. Fontenot, promoted from Class AAA Lehigh Valley May 12, spanked a double to open the inning, his sixth hit in 13 at-bats as a Phillie. He was sacrificed to third by Hamels, then surprised everyone -- scoring on a perfect suicide squeeze bunt by Juan Pierre.
"Had the right people," Charlie Manuel said. "Had the right runner and the right bunter."
That would be Pierre, who has excelled during his career in small-ball specialties.
"I was already thinking of bunting on my own," Pierre said. "But when he put the squeeze on, I was like, 'Just get it down on the ground.' It did kind of shock me that he put it on, but I was already in that mindframe, so that made it a lot easier."
That unusual Manuel call might have been part of a bigger plan, as the manager said he'd attempted to get the team to have a little fun.
"I was trying to loosen 'em up," Manuel said. "They're tight. Shouldn't be tight on our team. We let you play."
For the Phillies, any plan to release the pressure of a team too streaky of late is a plan worth hatching. Even Manuel might have needed some help in that regard.
"He was walking up and down a little more," Pierre said. "Smiling a little bit. I don't think he'd smiled for about three days in a row."
Added Pence: "Everybody just has to play baseball, not press and not get too (tight). Because in Philadelphia, the meter is 'Panic-Happy-Panic-Happy.'"
Hamels gave up a triple to Jesus Flores to start the eighth, but a would-be RBI flare by pinch-hitter Steve Lombardozzi was snagged on a dead run in shallow left by Galvis. That gave Hamels strength and he finished out the inning without allowing Lombardozzi to score.
Victorino helped ensure a night of gladness in the bottom half, turning on an inside fastball and flying it into the stands in right. That gave plenty of pad for reliever Jonathan Papelbon, who gave up a homer to LaRoche but still made it through.