Odalis Perez walks Milwaukee Brewers’ leadoff batter Rickie Weeks, but the Nationals’ Opening Night starter gets a fly ball from Mike Cameron and a double play grounder from Brewers’ left fielder Ryan Braun to end the top of the first. Milwaukee righty Jeff Suppan gets a pop and a fly out, before walking Ryan Zimmerman to bring up DY, who grounds out ending a scoreless first. 

1-2-3 second for Odalis Perez on the mound. WIly Mo Pena’s two-out HR is his first of the season, as Suppan leaves a fastball up over the plate and WMP blasts a laser-line drive to left and and rewards a fan two rows deep in the stands with a bruised baseball. 1-0 Nationals. Brewers batter Bill Hall hits one over the second base bag and into center for a leadoff single in the third. Apparently every team in the NL Central has fallen under Tony LaRussa's spell, as Milwaukee bats their pitcher eighth, and their light-hitting catcher Jason Kendall ninth. Odalis Perez strikes out the pitcher, gets a groundout from the catcher and gets a grounder back to the mound from Rickie Weeks to end the top of the inning...Jeff Suppan pitches a quick bottom of the frame. 1-0 DC after three. 

Mike Cameron starts the Brewers’ fourth with a hard hit grounder through short for a leadoff single. Ryan Braun flies out, Prince Fielder grounds to Felipe Lopez, to Guzman to DY at first double play to end Milwaukee’s half of the fourth. A swinging K and two groundouts from Zimmerman, DY and Milledge, respectively, and Suppan’s through the fourth. Corey Hart grounds back to the mound. J.J. Hardy takes a swing at an Odalis Perez offering on the outside of the plate and punches it into center. Hardy steals second with Bill Hall up at bat. Hall flies out to center, deep enough for Hardy to take third, and Hardy scores when Jeff Suppan singles up the middle to tie the game. 1-1 ballgame after four and a half. Flores, Pena and Dukes go down in order to end the fifth inning of play.  (Odalis Perez's line - 5.0 IP, 5 hits, 1 ER, 1 walk, 3 K's, 4.13 ERA, no decision...)

New Nationals’ reliever Brian Sanches drops a sinking fastball under Mike Cameron’s bat, dropping out of the air for a swinging strike three. Sanches’ slider starts on the outside edge and ends up in the dirt as Ryan Braun flails trying to chase it. Prince Fielder takes a low two-strike pitch and lifts it to right and off the wall for a two-out single. Full-count pitch to Corey Hart, Sanches blows a 90 mph fastball by Hart, up and in to end the top of the sixth. Ryan Langerhans bat for Sanches in the DC sixth, and grounds back to the mound. Felipe Lopez works a one-out walk in the home half of the inning. Cristian Guzman grounds to J.J. Hardy, who bobbles the ball, missing the step on second, and throwing too late to first for either out. Ryan Zimmer- THE KIDS CALL HIM ZIM!! THE KIDS CALL HIM ZIM!!! RBI double into the right field gap scores Felipe Lopez from second, giving the Nationals the 2-1 lead. Lastings Milledge grounds out to first. 3-1 DC. Jesus Flores rips into a hanger and knocks in two runs to clear the bases and give Washington a 5-1 lead after six. 

Ryan Langerhans in right, Aaron Boone at first, and Saul “Sa-ool” Rivera on the mound as the seventh inning starts. Rivera gets J.J. Hardy swinging through a fastball. Bill Hall hits an excuse-me grounder back to the mound. Tony Gwynn chases a ball for another swinging K. Stand up and stretch...Brian Shouse, who got the last out of the sixth, is back for the seventh, and he gets Langerhans, Lopez and Guzman in order to bring on the eighth. 

Luis Ayala’s on in the eighth, and so is Rickie Weeks after he splits the left center gap with a one-out double. Mike Cameron grounds out through Weeks' feet as he runs to third, but Zimmmerman fields and throws to first in time. Wily Mo Pena closes his glove on Ryan Braun’s inning-ending fly out. 5-1 middle of eight. Tim Dillard, up from the Minors with Eric Gagne going on the Brewers DL, retires the Nationals in order to end the eighth. Top o’ the ninth up next....

The Tallest Pitcher in MLB History is on to end the DC win. Rauch walks Prince Fielder to start the ninth. Craig Counsell singles off Rauch to move Fielder into scoring position at second. Ryan Zimmerman rushes in and throws to first to cut down J.J. Hardy. Bill Hall pops out to short right. Tony Gwynn pops out foul of third, Nationals win 5-1. Brian Sanches gets the win for his first inning of work in '08. Four scoreless from the bullpen. Why not play two now, and take off Monday?

Nationals now 21-28.