Washington Nationals Drop Eight Straight, 9-5 To The Florida Marlins.

Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse, the Washington Nationals best the two seven-game losing streaks they've strung together already this season by dropping eight-in-a-row with tonight's 9-5 loss to Florida. The Marlins' batters come in with a plan and settle back in the batter's box to get a good look at Livan Hernandez's slow junk and the home plate umpire, Tim McClelland, decides to squeeze the 34-year-old veteran forcing Livan to throw 107 pitches, 58 of them strikes in 5.0 innings on the mound over which he allows 8 hits, 1 HR, 6 ER and 5 walks while striking out 6. Down 3-0 after one inning, the Nationals load the bases against Florida starter Josh Johnson with no one out in the second and get an RBI single from Pete Orr to make it 3-1, but Wil Nieves K's swinging and Livan grounds into a rally-killing DP to end the threat. Washington goes hitless through the next four innings before adding three runs in the seventh on a single by Wil Nieves and a two-run double by Josh Bard, and they add a run in the ninth when Justin Maxwell doubles and scores on Mike Morse's single, but 9-5 is as close as Washington can get. Josh Johnson wins his 14th, Livan loses his 10th and the Nationals drop #90...Oh, and the Marlins improve to 11-3 against DC in '09...

Marlins win, 9-5 final.

BACKPAGE: 

• Victor Garate Is One Of Us...

• Saturday Night In the Minors.

For The Completists, Full Game Report (Currently Unedited) After The JUMP...

Nationals now 46-90.

• Victor Garate Is One Of Us...

Victor Garate entered tonight's game in the sixth, pitching for the first time above Double-AA ball, and the 24-year-old left-hander allowe...before I tell you what happened, if you don't already know, let me take you back a few posts to a conversation that took place in the comments section here the other day, where I asked, when Garate was officially added to the 25-man roster, what would happen when he made his DC debut:

Let's see:

A) Home run by first batter he faces?
B) Walks the first batter he faces?
C) Comes on with bases loaded to face a lefty, walks in run?
D) Successful first appearance, retires batter in a Lefty vs Lefty matchup?
E) Not even going to pitch?

Which would you have chosen? If you selected option "A) Home run by the first batter he faces?", you would've been correct, what's even worse is that it came on an 0-2 pitch down low in the zone to Marlins' pinch hitter Brett Hayes. Garate started Hayes with two fastballs, up high and down the middle at 86 for a called strike, and outside and high at 87 for a swinging strike two, but then Garate tried to waste a slider low and outside and Hayes reached down and lifted it up and out of the park into the first row of seats in left center. Garate now joins DC left-hander Sean Burnett, (who gave up a HR to these same Marlins in his DC debut back on July 1st) as another reliever who is clearly and instantly one of us...One of us...One of us...

• Saturday Night In the Minors.

The Syracuse Chiefs (Triple A) dropped an 8-2 decision to the Pawtucket Red Sox Saturday night, to fall 5.5 games behind the International League's North Division winners, the Scranton/Wilkes Barre Yankees. Daryle Ward went deep for the Chiefs, and Ian Desmond finished the night 2 for 4 with a .345 AVG...The Harrisburg Senators (Double-AA) lost 7-1 and 5-2 to the Bowie Baysox, the Baltimore Orioles' Double-AA affiliate, in a double-header Saturday night that saw the Senators held to just 1 hit, a solo HR by Ricardo Nanita, in Game 1 before the Bay Sox took Game 2 5-2 later in the evening. Nanita went deep in Game 2 too...The Potomac Nationals (Class-A) shut the Kinston Indians out Saturday night, with Tom Milone improving to 12-5 in '09 with an 8.0 inning, 4-hit shutout that saw Tim Pahuta smack his 8th HR of the year while Danny Espinosa hit his 18th...The Hagerstown Suns (Class-A) got a walk-off win when third baseman James Keithley singled to left with two down and a runner on third after a walk, stolen base and a throwing error by Lake County Captains' catcher Adam Abraham. Left-hander Jack McGeary gave up 4 hits, 3 walks and 8 R, 3 earned in over 1.2 IP in an 11-2 Vermont Lake Monsters' loss to the Staten Island Yankees on Saturday. Destin Hood was in right field for the Lake Monsters, going 1 for 3 and collecting his 23rd RBI in 37 games...That's your Saturday in the Nationals' system...

GAME REPORT: 

Florida Marlins At Washington Nationals. Game 126 Of 162.

Chris Coghlan drops the second pitch of the game into short right center for a leadoff single. DC righty Livan Hernandez gets help from his catcher, Wil Nieves, who throws out Chris Coghlan trying to take second. Hernandez issues a one-out walk to Cameron Maybin to put one on for Hanley Ramirez. Ramirez gets a free pass from Livan. Jorge Cantu waits on a slow slow curve and lifts it to the left field corner for a double, and a 1-0 lead. John Baker stares strike three all the way in. Dan Uggla walks with two down to load the bases. Cody Ross comes up and rips a single up the middle, two runs score, 3-0 Nationals. Wes Helms gets the two-strike slow curve in at 64 mph for a swinging K...Willie Harris walks to start the Nationals’ half of the first. Cristian Guzman flies out to left for the first out. Ryan Zimmerman grounds to third, Wes Helms to Uggla to Jorge Cantu, double play.

Josh Johnson grounds to Pete Orr at second for the first out of the inning. Chris Coghlan singles to right one hop in front of Elijah Dukes. Cameron Maybin’s called out on strikes as Livan evens out the evening’s K/BB ratio. Hanley Ramirez comes up just short of the left field wall, Josh Willingham’s catch ends the top of the second...Adam Dunn rips the cover off the ball, singling through the dramatic shift. Josh Willngham works the count full and walks. Elijah Dukes takes the second-straight walk and loads’em up for Pete Orr. Orr hits the first pitch from Johnson through second to score Dunn, 3-1 Marlins. Wil Nieves takes ball three for another full count, but K’s chasing a heater upstairs. Livan Hernandez grounds to third, Wes Helms to Uggla to Cantu, double play.

Jorge Cantu isn’t looking for the slow bender this time, swinging K. John Baker walks with one down. Livan drops the slow two-strike junk on Dan Uggla. Pete Orr sprints behind first in foul territory to catch Cody Ross’ pop out...Willie Harris grounds to short, Hanley Ramirez makes the throw to first. Cristian Guzman gets robbed by Cameron Maybin, who makes a diving play in left center, and Cody Ross runs into the wall in right to grab Ryan Zimmerman’s deep fly.

Wes Helms hits a high chopper over the mound and Cristian Guzman drops it as he pulls it out of his glove. Josh Johnson gets a successful sac bunt down. Chris Coghlan slaps a "fastball" from Livan out to left for another single. Cameron Maybin lifts a low liner to right, Dukes misjudges it, makes the catch and has his throw hit Adam Dunn at first as the run scores, 4-1 Florida. Hanley Ramirez leaves the yard in a hurry with a line drive HR to left, 6-1 Fish. John Baker lines out to center and it’s 6-1 in the middle of the fourth...Adam Dunn grounds into the dramatic shift. Josh Willingham pops up behind second. Elijah Dukes does the same to end the fourth.

Dan Uggla starts the fifth with a backwards K on a low fastball right down the pipe. Cody Ross grounds back to the mound. Elijah Dukes closes his glove on a fly ball to right from Wes Helms that ends the third...Pete Orr grounds to second and almost beats the throw to first, almost. Wil Nieves lines right back to Josh Johnson who makes the self-defense catch near his noggin. Jorge Padilla has hit bat shattered as he grounds out to short.

Victor Garate, the left-hander acquired in the Ronnie Belliard-to-LA deal, will make his DC debut right now-ish. Garate gets up two strikes and throws a low 0-2 slider to pinch hitter Brett Hayes that gets jacked out to left and into the first row for a solo HR. 7-1 Marlins. Garate gets a fly ball to left from Chris Coghlan and then walks Cameron Maybin with one down. Garate pops up Hanley Ramirez. Jorge Cantu takes a hanging curve that comes in chest high to left and to the wall for an RBI double and an 8-1 lead. John Baker grounds out to second to end the top of the sixth...Christhian Martinez takes over on the mound for the Marlins. Willie Harris gets a two-strike change and K’s swinging. Cristian Guzman flies out to Cody Ross in right. Ryan Zimmerman grounds to third, and Wes Helms thro...Wes Helms sails it, and Zimmerman takes second. Adam Dunn pops a 3-1 pitch out to left to end the sixth.

Dan Uggla doubles to left off Jorge Sosa to lead off the seventh. Cristian Guzman throws to first to get Cody Ross on a productive groundout. Ryan Zimmerman drops a liner from Wes Helms, but throws him out at first. Cristhian Martinez gets an AB and grounds out to second to end the top of the frame...Josh Willingham flies out to center to start DC’s seventh. Elijah Dukes lines one off the wall in center and slides in headfirst at third with a one-out triple. Pete Orr walks. Wil Nieves knocks Dukes in with a single to center. 8-2 Marlins. Josh Bard hits a fly ball to right that a diving Cody Ross can’t come up with, Orr and Nieves score, 8-4 Fish. Martinez out, Dan Meyer’s on in relief. Justin Maxwell K’s swinging through a fastball up high. Cristian Guzman pops out to end the inning.

Ron Villone’s on the mound in the top of the eighth. Chris Coghlan hits a one hop blooper to short for Cristian Guzman. Cameron Maybin drops a pop fly into short right in front of the outfielders. Hanley Ramirez goes with a pitch outside and lines to right for a double that scores Maybin. 9-4 Marlins. Ron Villone gives Cantu the intentionals. John Baker flies out to Willingham in left. Jason Bergmann comes on to face Dan Uggla, who grounds into a force at third...Ryan Zimmerman faces Dan Meyer in the Nationals’ half of the eighth. Zimmerman flies out to right, Cody Ross makes the grab. Adam Dunn hits a one-out liner to right in front of Josh Willingham. Ronny Paulino comes on to catch Brian Sanches. Josh Willingham singles through short to put two on for Elijah Dukes. Dukes K’s swinging through a 90 mph fastball up at the letters. Pete Orr flies out to Cody Ross in right to end the frame.

Bergmann vs Ross to start the ninth. Swinging K at a bender in the dirt. Bergmann pops up Wes Helms. Ronny Paulino takes a two-out walk. Chris Coghlan flies out to left to end the Marlins’ ninth...Wil Nieves grounds out to second. Alberto Gonzalez flies out to right. Justin Maxwell lines to left and Chris Coghlan flat misses it, J-Max safe at second. Mike Morse lines to right to score Maxwell from second. 9-5. Ryan Zimmerman flies out to Ross in right to end the game.

Nationals now 46-89.