QUICK RECAP:
Washington Nationals' center fielder Nyjer Morgan started the bottom of the first with a leadoff triple and scored when Adam Kennedy singled to left off LA Dodgers' knuckleballer Charlie Haeger. 1-0 Nats early. Luis Atilano, the 25-year-old right-hander called up to replace the injured Jason Marquis in the DC rotation, makes his MLB debut nearly eight years after the Atlanta Braves drafted him out of Santurce, Puerto Rico with the 35th pick in the 1st Round of the '03 Draft, and almost four years after then-DC GM Jim Bowden acquired the pitcher from the Braves in a late August '06 deal for bench bat Daryle Ward. Atilano starts his career in the majors with three scoreless against a Manny-less LA team, but gives up a run in the fourth when Dodgers' catcher A.J. Ellis hits a bases-loaded one-out groundout to score James Loney from third and tie the game at 1-1 after three and a half...
Adam Du...SHAKE N BAKE! SHAKE N BAKE!!! Adam Dunn hits his second HR of 2010 deeeeeep to right field and GONE!! Off the facade of the second deck, and it probably put a dent!! Dunn's solo shot makes it 2-1 Nationals, and his two-run blast in the sixth puts Washington up by three at 4-1 after six, and 5-1 after seven as Justin Maxwell works a one-out walk, steals second and trots home on an RBI double down the line in right by Nyjer Morgan!! Atilano earns the win when Tyler Clippard and Miguel Batista combine for 3.0 scoreless. Atilano's line: (W, 1-0), 6.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, 93 pitches, 57 strikes, 10 groundouts, 6 flyouts...and one very proud former DC GM:
"@JimBowdenXMFOX: "So proud of Luis Atilano on his ML debut! like Albaladejo for Clippard, the Ward for Atilano deal was for the future...happy for him and NATS!"
• Miss The Game? The DC Faithful Were Watching...(At Least Those Not Watching The Caps!)
Nationals now 9-8. (Yeah, 3rd place!)
BACKPAGE:
Game Notes: Jim Riggleman Sees Future.
Full Game Report, You Know, For The Completists.
BACKPAGE:
Game Notes: Jim Riggleman Sees Future.
-- Asked about three hours before the game what he thought about Adam Dunn's power outage through most of the first 16 games, DC Skipper Jim Riggleman responded that Dunn was, "...adamant about 'I feel so good up there,' so it looks like because of the results he's not comfortable, but he says the opposite. He says, 'I feel great. I'm seeing the ball good. I'm just not pulling the trigger on strikes and I'm making some bad decisions up there.' You know, this is the nature of a power hitter. Th at's what you go through and you know, we just gotta plod through it, and when he comes out he's gonna come out with power, so we just gotta wait him out..." Three or four hours later, Dunn pulled the trigger on a strike and launched an 0-1 knuckler from the Dodgers' starter deeeeep to right and off the second-deck!!
-- Ryan Zimmerman for tomorrow? Jim Riggleman: "Doubtful."
-- Pudge?
Jim Riggleman: "Pudge is alright. Early in the game he indicated to the trainer that his back was tightening up on him, and that last at bat that he had, I just uh, watching him after he hit first base, I felt like he looks a little tender so I checked with him and he said, "Yeah, it's pretty tight," so we got him out of there, I think it's just going to be a day and we'll get him back in there...Nieves will catch tomorrow, that was going to be the case anyway."
FULL GAME REPORT:
1 - Luis Atilano starts his Major League career with a strike to Rafael Furcal, and gets a groundout to first baseman Adam Dunn for the first recorded out of his debut. Garret Anderson flies out to left center on a 1-2 bender. Andre Ethier connects for the first hit off Atilano, singling through second and into right. Matt Kemp connects with a 2-2 curve, but grounds it to short, Cristian Guzman fields and throws to end the top of the first...Nyjer Morgan splits the gap in left center for a leadoff triple off LA knuckler Charlie Haeger, who gives up an RBI single to left to Adam Kennedy in the next at bat to make it 1-0 Nats early. Cristian Guzman takes an awkward swing at an 0-2 knuckler and fouls it into the catcher's (A.J. Ellis') glove. Adam Dunn flies out to left field. Adam Kennedy steals second with Josh Willingham at bat, but is stranded on a groundout to Ronnie Belliard at third.
2 - Justin Maxwell takes a step back, then comes in a few to catch James Loney's liner to right. Ronnie Belliard works the first major league walk out of Luis Atilano. Blake Dewitt beats out the back end of his own DP grounder. A.J. Ellis grounds to third, Willie Harris takes the force at second, 1-0 after one and a half...Pudge Rodriguez is fooled and swings through a 79 mph full-count fastball from Haeger, but Willie Harris works the count full and walks in front of Justin Maxwell. J-Max hustles to beat the throw to first on near DP. Luis Atilano's up. The debuting pitcher works the count full but grounds out to Furcal at short to end the second.
3 - Luis Atilano gets the opposing pitcher swinging to start the third. Rafael Furcal reaches on a grounder to first when the covering pitcher steps off the bag. Atilano recovers, pops up Garret Anderson and gets a groundout from Ethier to first that Dunn handles. 1-0 DC after two and a half...Nyjer Morgan grounds back to the mound. Adam Kennedy grounds out to short, and Guzman grounds to first to end the third, still 1-0 Nats.
4 - Cristian Guzman makes a sidearm throw to first to get Matt Kemp for the first out of the fourth. James Loney slices a liner into the left field grass for a one-out double and takes third on a fly ball from Ronnie Belliard that Nyjer Morgan loses in the lights. Atilano walks Blake DeWitt intentionally to get to the catcher. A.J. Ellis grounds weakly toward third and Willie Harris has no choice but to take the out at first, Loney scores, 1-1 game. Charlie Haeger lines out to second to end the Dodgers' fourth...Adam Dun...SHAKE N BAKE!! SHAKE N BAKE!! Adam Dunn goes deeeeep to right on an 0-1 pitch from Haeger that bounces off the facade in front of the second deck!! 2-1 Nats. Josh Willingham lines a single to right. Ivan Rodriguez makes the DP easy with a slow roller to second. Willie Harris pops out to the infield to end the fourth.
5 - Rafael Furcal flies out to deep left. Garret Anderson pops up to center and Andre Ethier grounds out to first to end the Dodgers' fifth...Justin Maxwell works the count full and flies out to deep center where Matt Kemp makes the catch. Luis Atilano battles but ends up with a swinging K. Nyjer Morgan grounds to first, 2-1 Nats after five.
6 - Willie Harris loads up and throws out Matt Kemp on a chopper to third. James Loney slices a fly ball to left that Willingham handles. Two down in the sixth for Atilano. Ronnie Belliard does not quit, lining what sounds like a broken bat single to center with two down. Blake DeWitt with the two-out chance. Line drive to center and by a diving Nyjer Morgan. Belliard takes third. Two on, two out and Atilano gets a grounder to short from the catcher, A.J. Ellis, Guzman throws to first, in time!! 2-1 Nats in the sixth...Adam Kennedy starts the Nats' sixth with a groundout to short. Cristian Guzman reaches on a throwing error and scores on Adam Du...SHAKE N BAKE!! SHAKE N BAKE!!! Two-run HR just over the out-of-town scoreboard and GONE!! 4-1 Nats!! Willingham takes a two-out walk. Haeger's done. Russ Ortiz gets a DP grounder from Pudge to end the sixth.
7 - Tyler Clippard replaces Luis Atilano. Jamey Carroll's up for LA, and he goes down swinging at a 2-2 change outside. Adam Kennedy boots a grounder from Furcal, who's forced out on Garret Anderson's grounder to third. Clippard throws two-straight fastballs by Andre Ethier to end LA's seventh...Ramon Ortiz on for LA. Willie Harris lines out to first. Justin Maxwell walks with one down in front of Wil Nieves. Nieves pops up. J-Max takes second himself. Stolen base. And he scores on an RBI double to right by Nyjer Morgan, 5-1 Nats!!!
8 - Matt Kemp K's swinging at a high heater from Clippard to start the eighth. James Loney chases a 1-2 heater out of the zone for the second swinging K!! Ronnie Belliard pops up behind second for the final out of the LA eighth...Cristian Guzman walks. Adam Dunn walks. LA's Ramon Ortiz gets a visit at the mound. Josh Willingham takes the third-straight walk. Alberto Gonzalez pops out. Bases loaded for Willie Harris. Harris grounds to first, Loney throws home for the force, Harris thinks there are three outs, and he gets tagged out as he walks to first from the dugout.
9 - Russell Martin grounds out to start the ninth. Miguel Batista hits pinch hitter Casey Blake, but gets the DP grounder from Jamey Carroll to Guzman to Ian Desmond, double play to end it. Nats win, 5-1 final.