PHILADELPHIA – Washington’s new team was outshined by Philadelphia’s new players.

Kenny Lofton hit a three-run homer and Jon Lieber pitched 5 2-3 effective innings, leading the Phillies to an 8-4 victory Monday in the first game played by the Washington Nationals on Monday.

Terrmel Sledge homered and drove in three runs for the Nationals, who moved during the offseason after 36 seasons as the Montreal Expos. Washington, which hadn’t had a major league team since the expansion Senators left for Texas following the 1971 season, plays its home opener April 14 against Arizona.

Lieber allowed three runs and 10 hits to win in his first start since losing Game 6 of the AL championship series for New York against Boston. Lofton, who also played for the Yankees last season, reached four times and scored twice, and Pat Burrell had three hits and two RBIs, helping manager Charlie Manuel win his debut with the Phillies.

Lieber and Lofton were the only significant offseason additions for Philadelphia, which missed the playoffs for the 11th straight year and cost manager Larry Bowa his job after the team entered last season as the favorite to win the NL East.

After three years in limbo as the Expos, playing before sparse crowds at Olympic Stadium and traveling to “home” games in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the Nationals have a new home and uniforms. They came out wearing gray jerseys with “Washington” in script across the chest in red, blue and gold.

Brad Wilkerson led off the game with the Nationals’ first hit – a bloop single to left field. Sledge had the first RBI on a groundout to second in the second inning. Sledge hit a two-run homer off Lieber in the sixth, but grounded into a double play against Ryan Madson with the bases loaded in the seventh.

Cheers of “Let’s go, Nats!” were heard among the sellout crowd of 44,080 at Citizens Bank Park when Washington scored in the second to take a 1-0 lead.

But the Phillies quickly came back against loser Livan Hernandez in the bottom half.

After Mike Lieberthal’s RBI groundout to first base tied the game at 1, Lieber put the Phillies ahead with a sacrifice fly that sent right fielder Jose Guillen scurrying to the warning track.

Burrell had an RBI double in the third and a sacrifice fly in the fifth, before Lofton lined a three-run shot into the right-field seats to make it 7-1.

Hernandez gave up seven runs and eight hits in 4 2-3 innings.

Four Phillies relievers held the Nationals to one run and three hits over the last 3 1-3 innings.

Notes: The Phillies are 56-65-2 in season openers. They hadn’t opened the season at home since 1996 and hadn’t won a season opener at home since 1980. … Lieber hadn’t driven in a run since June 26, 2001, when he was with the Chicago Cubs in a game against the Mets. … The three sacrifice flies by the Phillies tied a team record. … Each of the Nationals’ starters, including Hernandez, had a hit. … Wilkerson struck out three times.

AP-ES-04-04-05 1829EDT