Washington Nationals' Bullpen Holds Lead, Brad Peacock Earns Win In 1st Start, 2-0 Nats Over New York Mets.

by Patrick Reddington on Sep 14, 2011 10:43 PM EDT

NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 14: Brad Peacock #41 of the Washington Nationals throws a pitch during the game against the New York Mets at Citi Field on September 14, 2011 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Christopher Pasatieri/Getty Images)

5. Bring Back The Mouthpiece: Mets' right-hander Mike Pelfrey avoided the Washington Nationals this season until September 4th, when he made his first start of the year against New York's NL East rivals. In that outing, Pelfrey's 18th career start against the Nats, the 27-year-old '05 1st round pick carried a 2-0 lead into the fourth before Danny Espinosa and Wilson Ramos doubled in runs around an RBI groundout by Chris Marrero in a three-run inning that temporarily gave the Nationals a lead they blew later in a game in which Pelfrey received no decision. Ian Desmond singled to start the Nats' 19th game against Pelfrey and stole second with Rick Ankiel at bat. Ankiel walked to put two on, but a DP grounder off Ryan Zimmerman's bat and a swinging K by Michael Morse brought an abrupt end to a 16-pitch first by Pelfrey...

4. Peacock Strut: Brad Peacock got squeezed on a low 95 mph 1-2 fastball, but popped Jose Reyes up behind home with an 83 mph 2-2 change for his first retired batter as a Major League starter. Ruben Tejada flew to center on a 95 mph 1-1 fastball and Lucas Duda flew out to left in an 11-pitch, 9-strike 1-2-3 bottom of the first by the Nationals' 23-year-old right-hander. After a 17-pitch second by Pelfrey in which Chris Marrero singled with two down but was stranded, Peacock retook the hill. A 94 mph full-count fastball got a fly to left from David Wright. A 1-1 change got a fly to right from Angel Pagan and Peacock popped Jason Bay up with an 0-2 fastball that Jesus Flores and Ryan Zimmerman converged on behind home before letting it in fall in foul. Peacock wasted three pitches popping Bay up again to complete a 19-pitch second.

3. Zim > Wright: Error no. 17 on the year by David Wright to start the top of the third. Ian Desmond reaches first safely on what should have been a routine groundout. Desmond then scored from second on a single to center by Michael Morse after a walk to Ryan Zimmerman. 1-0 Nationals. Pelfrey gets ahead of Jayson Werth then leaves an 0-2 fastball up that the Nats' right fielder sends back up the middle for the second-straight RBI single, driving Zimmerman in for a 2-0 lead. Brad Peacock's third inning is extended slightly by a two-out walk to the opposing pitcher. The right-hander starts Jose Reyes with a 73 mph bender that gets a swinging strike, then goes with an 81 mph change for strike two before a 92 mph 4-seamer gets a groundout. 3.0 scoreless on 47 pitches by Peacock, just one walk allowed...

2. No-Hit Bid Ruined: Brad Peacock strikes out to end the Nats' fourth, then gives up the first hit of his starting debut on a single to center by Ruben Tejada in the Mets' half of the inning. A wild pitch to Lucas Duda allows Tejada to take second and Peacock misses with a full-count curve and walks Duda. Two on, no one out for David Wright. A fly to right advances Tejada to third. Peacock gets a called strike three with a 93 mph 0-2 fastball to Angel Pagan, then issues walk no. 3 of the night to Jason Bay to load bases for rookie 1B Josh Satin, who pops a 2-2 change up to third to end the fourth scoreless by the Nats' starter. The Nationals go down in order on seven pitches from Pelfrey in the top of the fifth and Peacock responds with a quick inning in which he allows only a two-out single to Jose Reyes before he completes a 16-pitch fifth after a 31-pitch fourth. Peacock's at 94 pitches, 61 strikes, with 2 H, 3 BB, 2 K's, 2/6 GO/FO through 5.0 scoreless.

1. Hold On For Peacock: Tom Gorzelanny replaces Peacock in the sixth and puts two runners on with two down before striking Josh Satin out to end another scoreless inning in New York. Still 2-0 Nationals. Mike Pelfrey sets the Nats down in order in a 10-pitch top of the seventh. The Mets' right-hander's retired 11 of the last 12 batters he's faced with Danny Espinosa's two-out single in the 6th the Nats' only hit after Chris Marrero's leadoff single in the fourth. 94 pitches, 67 strikes for Pelfrey. Gorzelanny returns in the seventh, surrendering a leadoff double by Justin Turner before retiring the next three batters in order to strand the Mets' infielder at third. Still 2-0 Nats.

0. Clip And Store: Tyler Clippard takes over in the eighth. Lucas Duda K's swinging over a filthy 82 mph 2-2 change. David Wright K's looking at a 78 mph 1-2 slider. Angel Pagan pops a 93 mph 1-2 fastball up to the infield. 3 up, 3 down. Still 2-0 after the Nats go down in order in the ninth and Drew Storen's out looking for save no. 37 of 2011. Jason Bay works the count full and walks on a 94 mph fastball up and inside. The Nats' closer gets behind Willie Harris 3-1 and misses with a full-count fastball. Two on, 0 outs. Justin Turner pops up a bunt attempt. One down. Jason Pridie grounds back to Storen and into a force at second, but no DP. Jose Reyes rips into a 2-0 fastball to center but lines out to a diving Rick Ankiel to end it. Great catch. Storen's 37th save. Peacock's first curly-W and the Nationals 70th win of 2011.

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

Num	Name - Comments
1	dc Roach - 173
2	MissB - 72
3	cat daddy3000 - 46
4	RobBobS - 43
5	jeff550 - 29
6	Doghouse - 24
7	Jeff T - 23
8	PerryMason - 21
9	Doncosmic - 20
10	IAPiratesFan - 16

• Doghouse's Post Game WPA Graph: "Game 146: "[Franking] Ankiel OWNS Center!" --Mrs. Doghouse":

via www.fangraphs.com

C'mon, shake your tail-feather: Brad Peacock (+26.2%) doesn't go yard, but he throws 5 shutout innings in spite of 3 BBs and only 2 Ks.
He'd still really rather start: Tom Gorzelanny (+13.7%) throws 2 clean innings in relief.
Two-out rally time! Michael Morse (7.8%) singles in a run for the lead in the 3rd (+13.4%), then Jayson Werth (+5.4%) singles in another one to tack on (+10.3%)--both with two outs.
ANKIEL!! Rick Ankiel (-2.0%) doesn't actually get the WPA for his game-ending diving catch on a liner hooking and diving away from him, but the +8.6% it was worth didn't do the snag justice anyhow.

Nationals now 70-77.

Tweet Comment 19 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Around SB Nation

Fake Teams Fantasy Links of Interest

May 2012 from Fake Teams - 0 comments

Know Your Foe #14: Rockies Welcome Offensively-Inept Mariners to Town to Kickoff Interleague Play

May 2012 from Purple Row - 19 comments

Mets Player Performance Meter, Week 5: Hitters

May 2012 from Amazin' Avenue - 36 comments

Orioles 2, Nationals 1 (11): 695 - 1, 495 - 0

May 2012 from Camden Chat - 113 comments

Rob Johnson Pitched Last Night Applesauce: Niese & Mets Pitchers Rocked, Catcher Was Team's Most Effective Pitcher, Hello Hefner?

May 2012 from Amazin' Avenue - 4 comments

Comments

our Mets' friends at AA are not happy with the bunting.........

I’d say small ball won the game again for the Nats… “Bunty B. McBunterson, Esq.” …heh…

"LESS LOON...!!!" by MissB on Sep 12, 2011
"He only knows what strengths he wants his players to have." -by RobBobS on Aug 24, 2011

by cat daddy3000 on Sep 14, 2011 11:54 PM EDT reply actions

I guess your mets friend was right about the shutout

by TJL on Sep 15, 2011 9:49 AM EDT reply actions

Really enjoyed so much from last night's game

Peacock looked good. Got cheated on a couple of pitches that were strike 3’s.
DJ, in my opinion, made the RIGHT choice not to bring him out for the sixth.
Marrero had three very good hits (two of them fell in). As FP said, the guy can hit.
Ankiel – thank you thank you thank you.
Clip – ‘nuff said.
Werth didn’t fail.
Decent D (except for Zimmerman’s miscue with the foul pop up, which, contrary to the game account above, cost Peacock at least 5 more pitches).

And I simply HAD to check out the game thread to view MissB’s strikeout avatar for Peacock. It’s been rec’d again.

Now win today – Mets don’t seem to care, so please take advantage!

If you don't eat your meat, you can't have any pudding! How can you have any pudding if you don't eat your meat?!

by ricksnats on Sep 15, 2011 10:18 AM EDT reply actions

One wrong decision - and it almost went disastrously wrong: Drew Storen

I don’t give a damn if Storen’s supposed to be automatic or not.

Back up. Let’s consider the pitching changes, one by one. First, DJ’s conservative and lifts Peacock when he’s still ahead. Fine. Gorzelanny next, and actually, he had the Mets firmly in hand, and I figured he could’a finished. No? OK, bring on Clippard; he’s razor-sharp and I figured him for two, no sweat. Everything still going good? Damn, thinks DJ, I just gotta’ eff this thing up somehow: bring in Storen!

Two walks, and memories of Philadelphia, September 19, 2010 (a date that shall live in infamy) crowd out my confidence and send me reeling toward the liquor cabinet. Finally, the circus catch of a sure, base-clearing triple….and Rick Ankiel has saved us. From a Storen FAIL.

"On my tombstone just write, 'The sorest loser that ever lived.'" - Earl Weaver

by Whupass on Sep 15, 2011 11:51 AM EDT reply actions

its all about the DC closer tradition

by TJL on Sep 15, 2011 11:59 AM EDT up reply actions

Heh. Hehhehhehheh

If DJ goes two with Clippard and Clippard melts down, it’s “how could he not go to his closer there? Clippard has been overused, he’ll burn him out, doesn’t DJ know anything [yow yow yow etc].” Add exclamation points to flavor. And I shudder to think what the reaction would be if he had left Gorzo in – Gorzo wasn’t exactly in lock down mode last night.

After every game, we cue the chorus. It’s quite possible that one of the major factors in Clip & Store’s success this season has been that they know and are comfortable with their roles. But it’s a lead pipe lock that if a team loses a game, the manager was an idiot and cost his team the game. And if the team wins, it’s despite the manager, not because of him. Fortunately, we are all in this together, because it’s every team. I keep telling you guys, the 30 stupidest people in the world at any given time are the managers of the 30 MLB teams. If only they knew as much as we did!

You can’t manage or pitch with a memory/fear of failure – especially in baseball, where everyone fails (even Roy Halladay). You put your team in the best position to win as many games as possible, and you let the chips fall where they may.

by d_c_guy on Sep 15, 2011 12:05 PM EDT up reply actions

Surely you jest

Fear of failure is precisely what I complained about – that, and doing it “by the book.” What d’ythink motivated all those extraneous pitching changes? T’weren’t confidence.

"On my tombstone just write, 'The sorest loser that ever lived.'" - Earl Weaver

by Whupass on Sep 16, 2011 12:37 AM EDT up reply actions

T'wasn't it?

It takes a subtle psychological profiler and mind reader to determine the distinction between “fear of failure” and “putting your team in the best position to win.” I have not that skill, but salute you for yours. It’s possible for two observers to see the same thing and interpret it in different ways. And quite likely that they are both, in whole or in part, wrong. But more importantly ….

Stop calling me Shirley ;-)

by d_c_guy on Sep 16, 2011 10:43 AM EDT up reply actions

I dunno, Whupass

I read the thread this morning, and I’m pretty sure you did your darnedest to jinx Storen last night. Let’s point the finger of blame where it belongs.

;-)

If you don't eat your meat, you can't have any pudding! How can you have any pudding if you don't eat your meat?!

by ricksnats on Sep 15, 2011 12:15 PM EDT up reply actions

Y'all really gotta let this jinx stuff go

…crissake, you over-estimate me – or yourselves, or somebody. We did not create this world, men; we just gotta wake up in it every day, go out and play ball, and make a livin’. We cannot keep life and death from going on.

But I could be wrong: maybe pulling the covers over my head when I was a little kid really did make the boogie-man go away. Who’s to say? Believe what you want, fellers – but I’ll thank’ee to keep your fears to yourselves, for I do not share them.

"On my tombstone just write, 'The sorest loser that ever lived.'" - Earl Weaver

by Whupass on Sep 16, 2011 12:29 AM EDT up reply actions