Cole Hamels faced the Nationals on Wednesday night for the first time since he hit phenom Bryce Harper on purpose and earned himself a five-game suspension. After hitting Harper on May 6, Hamels admitted to the media that he meant to drill the teenager. His honestly led to the suspension. He tossed 114 pitches over eight shutout innings to lead Philadelphia to an uneventful 4-1 victory over the Nationals on Wednesday. Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said he thought the teams were starting from square one, while Washington's Davey Johnson pronounced it a "dead issue." "As far as I'm concerned, it was just an off-the-cuff remark from a left-handed pitcher," Johnson said. "Lefties have a tendency to be a little different."