Washington Nationals Sweep Seattle Mariners With A 1-0 Win On A 9th Inning Walk-Off Sac Fly.

• BTW: There was a game today. This is what happened...

• This Afternoon's Top 5:

"Good teams win two out of three, great teams sweep." - FP Santangelo

5. That's Too Shallow!!: Five pitches. Five strikes. Three groundouts. If I hadn't seen the Immaculate inning Jordan Zimmermann threw earlier this year, I'd swear that was close to perfect. Five pitches into the bottom of the first, Mariners' starter Michael Pineda gives up a double to Jayson Werth. The Nats' right fielder pushes his counter part, Ichiro Suzuki back to the track where a one-out double bounces off the wall over Ichiro's head. Werth takes third on a wild pitch that gets by M's catcher Miguel Olivo, and he's running on a fly to short center by Ryan Zimmerman. Franklin Gutierrez's throw is up the third base line, but the veteran backstop makes the catch and a swiping tag to get Werth. Double play...

4. Less Leadoff Walks, Please?: Jason Marquis walked Justin Smoak to start the Mariners' second, but pitched his way out of trouble by retiring the next three batters in order. Another leadoff walk to Dustin Ackley starts the M's fourth. The Nationals' right-hander gets a fly ball to left from Adam Kennedy, and a weak grounder to second from Smoak, Danny Espinosa fields, feeds a backhand toss to Ian Desmond and on to Michael Morse, 4-6-3 DP to end Marquis' fourth scoreless frame. Michael Pineda enters the fourth inning at 33 pitches.

3. Pineda Gets Serious: The Seattle starter's 35th pitch is crushed by Roger Bernadina, who knocks a 1-0 fastball off the GEICO sign to the left of the out-of-town scoreboard in right for a leadoff double. Werth walks on four pitches. Ryan Zimmerman flies out to right, but Michael Morse's fly to center drops in. Bases loaded for Danny Espinosa, who K's swinging at three-straight heaters from Pineda, the third one high and away at 94 mph. Pudge Rodriguez battles back from 0-2 to 2-2 but K's swinging through a 95 mph heater. No score through four. 

2. It's A Duel: Jason Marquis throws a 10-pitch 1-2-3 fifth. Pineda throws just eight pitches in the bottom of the frame, the last three sliders to get Ian Desmond swinging and end the fifth scoreless inning. Marquis starts the 6th at 55 pitches, Pineda's at 67, 48 of them strikes. Marquis strikes out the first batter he faces in the sixth, Jack Wilson, and then the opposing pitcher breaks up Marquis' bid for a no-hitter after 5.1 IP with a single to center field that drops in front of Bernadina. The second hit, of course, follows quickly in the next AB when Ichiro singles to center, but two groundouts later, Marquis is through his sixth scoreless frame. 

1. "Trouble, trouble, trouble, trouble..." - Ray LaMontange: Justin Smoak singles to left to start the seventh after a scoreless bottom of the sixth for the Mariners' starter. Marquis drops a filthy slider on Miguel Olivo to get the M's catcher swinging, but he loses outfielder Mike Carp and issues a one-out walk to put two on. Marquis gets the force at second on a grounder by Dustin Ackley, and it's first and third with two down for Jack Wilson, who lines out to center where Roger Bernadina [CHOMP!] makes the inning-ending catch,. Still 0-0 in the seventh. The Nats put two runners on with two outs in the 7th and Nats' Skipper Jim Riggleman leaves Marquis in to hit, but he K's and it's still 0-0 after seven. 

0. The Aychilles Is Fyne!! Jason Marquis rewards Riggleman's faith with a quick scoreless eighth, and the three groundouts he gets give him 14 total on the afternoon. M's right-hander David Pauley throws a scoreless bottom of the eighth after relieving Pineda, and after eight innings of play there's no score in Nats Park. Tyler Clippard takes over for Marquis in the ninth, and gives up a one-out double to Justin Smoak before striking Miguel Olivo and Mike Carp out to end a scoreless top of the ninth. Michael Morse starts the Nats' ninth with a leadoff single through short off right-hander Chris Ray...Danny Espinosa gets a bunt by the pitcher and he's on. Pudge bunts to first and pinch runner Brian Bixler beats a throw to third by Adam Kennedy and the bases are loaded. Jerry Hairston grounds to short, this time the Mariners get the force. Bixler out at home. Laynce Nix, who's been sitting with an achilles injury, steps in against Chris Ray and flies to left! That'll do it!! Sac fly to win it and complete the sweep of Seattle! 1-0 final!! Nats win! Nats Win!...

SWEEEEEEEEEP!!!

• Miss The Game? The DC Faithful Were Watching...

• Doghouse's Post Game WPA Graph: "Game 75: I don't care--small ball is still FAIL":

via www.fangraphs.com

• Pitching Duellist: Jason Marquis (+53.6%) pitches 8 scoreless, scattering 3 hits and 3 walks with 4 strikeouts.
• Bad hitting day all around: Ryan Zimmerman (-22.3%) is 0-4 with 4 LOB.
• It won't always work this well: Danny Espinosa (+4.0%) puts Michael Morse (+8.5%)  on second in the 9th with a bunt single (+10.5%).  Ivan Rodriguez (-2.0%) tries to sac them to 2nd/3rd, but ends up loading the bases on an FC that doesn't get the out at third (+12.5%).
• Not-Hero/HERO! Jerry Hairston (-12.6%) grounds to short with the bases loaded in the 9th for a force at home (-10.5%). Laynce Nix (+16.9%) follows him with a sore-Achilles, pinch-hit sac fly to shallow LF that scores Espinosa on an offline throw home.
• Reliably awesome: Tyler Clippard (+13.2%) keeps it tied with 2 strikeouts after allowing a one-out hit in the 9th.

Nationals now 38-37.