"The ball was flying out of there today, wasn't it?" Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. "When the wind is blowing like it was today and they're hitting balls in the air, you have a chance to give up some runs. But Jamie knows what he's doing."

Howard, who led the major leagues with 48 home runs and 146 RBI last year, hit a two-run shot to the opposite field on the first pitch he saw from Nationals left-hander Scott Olsen in the bottom of the first, one of eight homers Thursday.

Howard finished the Grapefruit League with some gaudy numbers: a .310 average, 10 home runs and 24 RBIs in 26 games.

"I want to see all your home runs on the back of your spring training bubble gum card," shortstop Jimmy Rollins said when Howard was asked about his spring stats.

"You're just trying to groom yourself to get ready for the season," Howard said.

Howard, the runnerup to St. Louis first baseman Albert Pujols for MVP honors, came into camp 20 pounds lighter. He declined an invitation to play in the World Baseball Classic to concentrate on preparing for Philadelphia's World Series title defense.

"He's swinging good (and) waiting for the ball to get to him and catching it," Manuel said. "He's had a lot of at-bats down here and he's in better shape - he's ready to go."

An hour after the game, the Phillies left for Philadelphia where they will play two exhibition games against their World Series foe, the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday and Saturday before opening the regular season against the Atlanta Braves on Sunday night.

No team has won back-to-back championships since the New York Yankees won three in a row from 1998-2000.

"One of the biggest things about our club is the guys who step up, those are the guys that really push and motivate our team," Manuel said. "They are our catalyst guys, our guns. If we play with some of the best players in baseball that we have, if we just play with those guys, we're going to be OK. Just play the game like they do."

Notes: Nationals RHP Jorge Sosa, who missed all of camp, finally received his visa and will participate in extended spring training in Viera, Fla. Sosa was given a 50-game suspension by Major League Baseball in August after testing positive for an amphetamine - considered a performance-enhancing substance - while pitching for Triple-A Tacoma in the Mariners organization. He signed a minor league deal with the Nationals in December. ... Philadelphia left-hander Jack Taschner, acquired in a trade a week ago with San Francisco, allowed two home runs and two walks in the eighth inning. He is competing for two remaining bullpen spots with left-hander J.A. Happ and right-hander Gary Majewski. Phillies third baseman Pedro Feliz, who had back surgery in the offseason, finished 4-for-5 with a home run and three doubles. Olsen, scheduled to pitch the second game of the season for Washington, allowed nine runs - four earned - on 10 hits in six innings.