WASHINGTON -- Tony Armas Jr.'s arm and Marlon Byrd's bat helped the Nationals defeat the Brewers, 5-2, in front of 26,606 at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium on Monday night.

Byrd, making his Nationals debut after being acquired from the Phillies in a trade for Endy Chavez last Saturday, went 3-for-4 with three RBIs and made a nice running catch in left field in the first inning.

In fact, Byrd gave the Nationals a 1-0 lead in the first inning off starter Doug Davis by hitting an infield single to drive in Nick Johnson. The run was unearned because Johnson reached base on an error by Davis.

After the Brewers tied the score in the third inning, Vinny Castilla untied it by taking Davis' 1-0 pitch and hitting his fourth home run of the season.

The Nationals then added three more runs off Davis in the eighth inning, highlighted by a two-run double by Byrd, who feels that he is close to being the hitter that he was in 2001, when he hit .316 for Triple-A Reading, the Phillies Minor League affiliate.

"I like the way the ball came off the bat, and I made adjustments as I went, which I wasn't able to do last year," Byrd said. "It seemed like pitch by pitch, it was getting worse last year. Tonight, it got better with each at-bat."

Manager Frank Robinson feels that a new location may do wonders for Byrd.

"A change of scenery can work out for both clubs, and that's what you like to see in baseball," Robinson said. "You don't want to try to fool anybody and you don't want them to fool you. You hope it works out for both sides. Both are outstanding individuals. I wish Endy Chavez all the luck in the world, except when they play us."

As for Byrd, he is grateful that Robinson believes in him.

"It's across the board when you walk into the clubhouse. It really helps. He believes in everybody on the team," Byrd said.

Armas, who won his first game since July 23, 2004, had another solid outing. He pitched seven innings and gave up two runs on five hits. He struck out three and walked two.

The only time Armas was in serious trouble was in the third inning. After giving up an RBI single to Geoff Jenkins, Armas walked Carlos Lee to load the bases, but Armas induced Lyle Overbay to fly out to Byrd in left field to end the inning.

Tony Armas  /   P
		Born: 04/29/78 Height: 6'4" Weight: 225 lbs Bats: R / Throws: R More info: Player page Stats | Splits Gallery Team Site | Shop

"He has the stuff (to get out of jams)," Robinson said. "Just before he got hurt (in 2003), he was understanding how to do it. When we looked at it, he was turning the corner. He has the package -- the full package.

"Armas was outstanding tonight. He just pounded the ball in the strike zone. He gave us seven good innings."

Armas feels that he is close to being the pitcher of 2003, before he injured his right shoulder. But there are some fixes that have to be made.

"I'm almost there. I just need a little bit more strength. I need to get my slider back a little bit," he said.

The Nationals have won three consecutive games and improved their record to 21-17.