Washington right fielder Rob Mackowiak has to take a knee to catch Jimmy Rollins' line drive off Tim Redding for the first out of the evening. Shane Victorino and Chase Utley sneak back-to-back one-out singles into right. Ryan Howard and his abominable .191 AVG are up...and after fouling off a 3-0 pitch, Howard eventually strikes out swinging. Pat Burrell rips a two-strike pitch to third, Ryan Zimmerman stabs it, jumps to his feet and throws to DY at first, In Time! to end the Philly first...Cristian Guzzzzzman beats out a one-out grounder for the first hit off Philly righty Brett Myers. THE KIDS CALL HIM ZIM!! Ryan Zimmerman doubles off the wall in left on an 0-2 fastball that gets too much plate. Guzzzzman to third. DY flies out to center, Guzzzzman thought it was dropping, so he has to go back and tag, and he just barely beats the throw home. 1-0 Nationals. 

Geoff Jenkins, (who I'm sure is nicknamed Jenks) doubles to right, where Mackowiak plays it on one hop off the wall and almost nails Jenks going in at second. Zimmerman handles a hard-hit grounder and throws out Pedro Feliz, holding Jenks at second. Carlos Ruiz grounds to short, moving Jenks to third, but Redding gets the opposing pitcher to ground weakly to second to end the top of the frame...Jesus Flores ropes one to left and then turns on the wheels to force a throw and easily take second with one down in the Nationals' half. Flores moves to third on a groundout to second by Willie Harris. Myers gets the opposing pitcher to ground weakly back to the mound to end the second. 

Tim Redding hits the bottom of the strike zone with a two-strike fastball that gets Jimmy Rollins looking. Shane Victorino and Chase Utley hit back to back singles again in the third. Ryan Howard backs Willie Harris up to the warning track with a long fly ball out. Pat Burrell hits it right to Willie Harris, who closes his glove on another threat...Felipe Lopez starts DC's third with a line drive double to left center. Cristian Guzzzzzman smokes a single through second. Lopez to third. Ryan Zimmerman walks on four straight. DY up with the bases loaded, and he strikes out swinging at a nasty curve from Myers. Lastings Milledge finds some real estate about halfway down the line in right. Two runs score. 3-0 Nationals.

Geoff Jenkins demolishes the first pitch of the fourth, out to center and by Milledge to the wall for a double. Pedro Feliz pops out foul of first. Carlos Ruiz grounds out to second. Redding's fourth scoreless ends with Brett Myers grounding out to short. Willie Harris leads off the bottom of the frame with a walk. Redding gets down a sac bunt to move Harris up. Felipe Lopez flies out to right center. Guzman grounds back to the mound. 3-0 DC after four. 

Rob Mackowiak catches the first out of the fifth off Jimmy Rollins' bat. Ryan Zimmerman barehands a grounder and throws the lightning-quick Victorino out at first. Felipe Lopez fields Utley's weak grounder and Redding's through five scoreless. Brett Myers gets Zimmerman and DY out in the Nationals' second, but gives up a double to Lastings Milledge, and takes a hard hit off the ankle on a comebacker from Mackowiak, before striking out Flores to end the fifth. 

Redding gets Ryan Howard to ground into the dramatic shift. Burrell grounds out to short. Geoff Jenkins works a two-out walk. Pedro Feliz grounds into a force at second...Brett Myers gets a ground ball from Willie Harris. Tim Redding hacks at a few and takes a walk. Felipe Lopez beats out the back end of a DP grounder, but gets nailed trying to steal his way into scoring position. 

Carlos Ruiz dumps a leadoff single into right to start the seventh. Pinch hitter Greg Dobbs pops out foul of third. Redding walks Jimmy Rollins...and Nationals' Manager Manny Acta's seen enough. (Redding's line as he leaves - 6.1 IP, 7 hits, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K's)...Saul Rivera gets a ground ball from Shane Victorino, which advances both runners, and a fly ball from Chase Utley which ends the top of the seventh...Stand up and stretch...Cristian Guzzzzzz-man unloads on Philly reliever Ryan Madson for a double over VIctorino's head in right. Ryan Zimmerman drops a single into short right, Cristian Guzman takes third. DY grounds into a DP, but Cristian Guzzzzman scores. 4-0 Nationals. 

Luis Ayala takes over on the mound...Ayala gets Ryan Howard to fly out to left for the first out of the eighth. Pat Burrell down swinging. Geoff Jenkins flies out to end the top of the inning. Ryan Madson's back for the eighth. Aaron Boone goes down swinging. Jesus Flores grounds to third for the second out. Felipe Lopez pops out to the catcher. 

"Wild" Joel Hanrahan comes on to end it...Pedro Feliz flies out to center. Carlos Ruiz grounds out to short. "Wild" Joel Hanrahan is throwing hot fire, and Jayson Werth can't catch up, strike three swinging. Nationals win!! 4-0 final. 

Nationals now 20-26. 

GAME NOTES AND ?'s...

 

Who thought Felipe Lopez would be starting and hitting .262 in the leadoff spot when the season started? 

Cristian Guzman - 3  for 4, .307 AVG, 2B, 3 runs scored.

Ryan Zimmerman - 2 for 3, .251 AVG, 2B.

...and the offensive player of the game? Guzman? No....

...I'm going with Lasto, Lastings Milledge, who was 2 for 4, (.241 AVG), 2 2B, 2 RBI's last night, going the other way, with a fortuitous drop into right to give the Nationals a 3-0 lead that was more than they'd need to beat Philadelphia. 

Two great starts in a row...

Yesterday it was John Lannan's 7.1 IP, 4 hits, 1 ER, and 5 K's against the Orioles, tonight Redding took care of the Phillies, combining with Rivera, Ayala and Hanrahan on the shutout win, with only 4 K's recorded between them...ground balls galore...1 run, 3 walks allowed in 13.2 IP, and the bullpen does the rest...easy, right?

 

Who are we gonna see in the outfield tomorrow? Is Kearns out for a while? Or just resting? Am I starting to like Mackowiak? Did Elijah Dukes really come in as a defensive replacement? Good for Dukes...

 

Congratulations to Jon Lester.