ZOMG MORSE TOP 5:
5. Quick Recap: The Washington Nationals pulled a double steal with two down and runners on first and second in the first and got a run out of it. Anthony Rendon, who walked with one down, and Adam LaRoche, who singled with two outs, both took off on San Francisco Giants' starter Tim Hudson and when Giants' catcher Buster Posey's throw to second bounced off second baseman Joe Panik's glove and rolled into center, Rendon scored for a 1-0 lead early in the series opener in the nation's capital.
WATCH: The #Nats grabbed the early lead when a double steal and an error brought Anthony Rendon home: http://t.co/1j1D3UKAYO
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) August 22, 2014
The Giants rallied to take the lead with two down in the fourth. Pablo Sandoval and Michael Morse both singled and second baseman Joe Panik hit a three-run home run to straight center field for his first major league blast and a 3-1 Giants' lead.
#SFGReplay: Joe Panik hammers his first career home run in 3-run fashion: http://t.co/fGHPZN2lXW #SFGiants
— San Francisco Giants (@SFGiants) August 23, 2014
Jayson Werth cut that lead in half, however, taking a 1-2 splitter for a ride to left in the bottom of the fourth. Werth's line drive home run was his 13th of the year, 3-2 Giants.
WATCH: Who want to see Jayson Werth's 13th HR of the season? Here you go: http://t.co/hiIjShxbMN
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) August 23, 2014
Buster Posey's 15th home run of the season gave the Giants their two-run lead back. The catcher crushed a 2-2 fastball from Fister and sent a big home run out to left field in Nats Park to make it 4-2 after five and a half.
#SFGReplay: @BusterPosey’s solo shot extends the #SFGiants lead in the 6th: http://t.co/x43zw5saPz
— San Francisco Giants (@SFGiants) August 23, 2014
Jerry Blevins got into trouble with two down in his second inning of work in the eighth, giving up a two-out walk to Gregor Blanco and a single by Joe Panik. Both runners scored when Travis Ishikawa doubled to right, bouncing one off the out-of-town scoreboard to make it 6-2 Giants.
The Giants went up by five when Hunter Pence singled to center with two runners on in the top of the ninth to drive Joaquin Arias in from second for a 7-2 lead. An RBI double to right by Buster Posey made it 8-2. Pence scored on a sac fly to center by Pablo Sandoval, 9-2. An RBI single by Gregor Blanco made it 10-2.
Wilson Ramos drove Ian Desmond in with a two-out RBI double in the bottom of the ninth, but that's as close as the Nationals would get. 10-3 final.
4. Fister vs the Giants: Washington Nationals' starter Doug Fister faced San Francisco in AT&T Park back on June 10th in a 2-1 win over the Giants in which he threw 97 pitches over seven scoreless innings, giving up just eight hits and one walk.
"I thought he pitched really well," Nats' manager Matt Williams said after the strong outing against the Giants by the 30-year-old, 6'8'' right-hander. "He was aggressive as usual. In the last inning things got a little out of whack. Ball got up a little bit more than normal, but I think he battled. I think he was fine."
Fister improved to (5-1) on the year with the win over the Giants that night.
In eleven starts since then, the first-year National acquired in a 3-for-1 deal with the Detroit Tigers this past winter, has gone (7-2) with a 1.92 ERA, 11 walks (1.32 BB/9) and 43 Ks (5.16 K/9) in 75 IP, over which he's held opposing hitters to a combined .244/.276/.332 line.
It's @dougfister58 day! pic.twitter.com/5aUQFPWgnZ
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) August 22, 2014
Tonight in the nation's capital, Fister matched up against the Giants again.
The veteran righty has been solid at home so far with the Nationals.
Heading into tonight's game, he was (6-1) in eight starts in Nationals Park, with a 1.76 ERA, a 2.80 FIP, six walks (0.96 BB/9) and 41 Ks (6.55 K/9) in 56 ⅓ IP over which visiting hitters have put up a .204/.237/.296 line.
Fister's outing against the Giants earlier this season was the first of his career against the NL West franchise.
His second career start against San Francisco began with a single to center...
1st: Angel Pagan took an 88 mph 1-1 fastball to center for a leadoff single in the top of the first, but Hunter Pence grounded out to Asdrubal Cabrera at second to start a 4-3 DP. Buster Posey's groundout to short ended a quick, nine-pitch first.
2nd: Pablo Sandoval lined out to right on an 0-2 cutter. Michael Morse sent a grounder out to second on which Asdrubal Cabrera made a fairly ridiculous spinning throw to get the out. Joe Panik singled to center with two down. Travis Ishikawa's swinging K stranded the runner and ended a 23-pitch frame. 32 total for Fister after two.
Get out of here, Asdrubal Cabrera!! The #Nats' 2B robs #Giants' slugger Michael Morse with a spinning throw... https://t.co/WiClXOia3w
— federalbaseball (@federalbaseball) August 22, 2014
3rd: Brandon Crawford took a 2-2 two-seamer for a letter-high called strike three. Tim Hudson grounded out to third for the second out of the frame. Denard Span made a diving play in left-center to take an extra base hit away from Angel Pagan and end a nine-pitch, 1-2-3 3rd. 41 total for Fister after three.
4th: Hunter Pence sent a fly ball to Bryce Harper in left on the first pitch of the fourth. Buster Posey sent a soft, one-hop liner to short where Ian Desmond handled it. Pablo Sandoval stepped in with two down and reached on a high infield chopper not even Fister could reach. Michael Morse singled under a diving Ian Desmond at short. Joe Panik... homer to center in Nationals Park. 3-1 Giants. Travis Ishikawa took an 0-2 fastball for a called strike three and out no.3. 23-pitch frame for Fister, 64 total after four.
5th: Brandon Crawford sent a fly ball to center for the first out of the fifth. Tim Hudson grounded out to third. Angel Pagan's groundout to second ended a 10-pitch, 1-2-3 fifth. 74 total.
6th: Hunter Pence grounded out to start the top of the sixth. Buster Posey battled for eight pitches before launching a solo home run to left on a 2-2 fastball. 4-2 Giants on Posey's 15th. Pablo Sandoval took a one-out walk, but Michael Morse sent a fly to right for out no.2. Joe Panik stepped in with one on and two out and singled on a weak grounder to short. Travis Ishikawa's groundout to second ended a 33-pitch inning by Fister, who was up to 107 overall.
Doug Fister's line: 6.0 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, BB, 3 K, 2 HR. He threw 107 pitches, 74 strikes. Jerry Blevins takes over. #Nats trail, 4-2
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) August 23, 2014
• Doug Fister's Line: 6.0 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 3 Ks, 2 HR, 107 P, 74 S, 9/3 GO/FO.
We also heard from Patrick Reddington of @federalbaseball on the Nationals' walk-offs and win streak. Podcast: http://t.co/1YAeREgPjb
— Best Seat WINA (@BestSeatWINA) August 22, 2014
3. Hudson in D.C.: In 30 career starts against the Montreal Expos/ Washington Nationals before tonight, 39-year-old, 16-year veteran Tim Hudson was (17-5) in 30 starts with a 2.37 ERA, 47 walks (2.06 BB/9) and 142 Ks (6.23 K/9) in 205 IP, over which he's held Expos and Nats' hitters to a combined .233/.281/.334 line.
In Nationals Park, since it opened in 2008, Hudson took the mound tonight with a (5-1) record, a 2.95 ERA, 14 walks (2.07 BB/9) and 37 Ks (5.46 K/9) in 61 IP, over which he'd held Nationals' hitters to a .221/.274/.332 line.
The 30th start of Hudson's career vs the Nationals took place back on June 12th in San Francisco. He helped the Giants avoid a sweep in AT&T Park after they dropped the first three games of a four-game set, shutting the Nats down over seven strong innings on the mound in which he allowed six hits, two walks and one unearned run in a 7-1 win.
Hudson has gone (1-7) since then, however, with the Giants 4-7 in his last 11 starts, over which he's put up a 4.71 ERA with 14 walks (1.94 BB/9) and 35 Ks (4.85 K/9) in 65 IP in which opposing hitters have put up a .310/.343/.475 line against him.
The righty has been solid on the road this season, with a (3-5) record in 12 starts and 74 ⅓ IP in which he's put up a 2.42 ERA (vs a 3.60 ERA in SF), a 3.47 FIP and a .262/.298/.390 line against.
Hudson walked Anthony Rendon with one out in the first inning of the 31st start against the Nationals franchise in his career and gave up a two-out single by Adam LaRoche. With Ian Desmond up, Rendon and LaRoche pulled a double steal and when the throw from catcher Buster Posey got by second baseman Joe Panik, Rendon scored from third to make it 1-0 Nats. 19-pitch first by Hudson.
Bryce Harper singled to center, again, to start the Nats' second, but one out later he was picked off first and Asdrubal Cabrera K'd swinging to end a 21-pitch frame that left Hudson at 40 total after two.
Doug Fister singled to start the third, but was doubled up on a 6-4-3 DP off Denard Span's bat. Anthony Rendon's groundout to short ended a 17-pitch frame that pushed Hudson up to 57 pitches.
After the Giants took a 3-1 lead in the top of the fourth, Jayson Werth took Hudson deep for a solo home run in the first at bat of the Nats' half of the inning, crushing a 1-2 splitter and sending a line drive home run screaming out to left. Bryce Harper reached base on a two-out error, but was stranded at the end of a 15-pitch fourth by Hudson. 72 pitches total.
Hudson needed nine pitches to retire the side in order in the bottom of the fifth, leaving him at 81 pitches total after five.
Jayson Werth singled to center with one down in the sixth, ending Hudson's night...
• Tim Hudson's line: 5.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 Ks, 1 HR, 95 P, 59 S, 5/3 GO/FO.
.@HunterPence and Michael Morse share a tender moment. http://t.co/wZn9VQT4xi pic.twitter.com/9tCQ8YF5Yo
— Cut4 (@Cut4) August 22, 2014
2. Turning Point(s): An error on a double steal by Anthony Rendon and Adam LaRoche in the first inning led to the Nats' first run, but Joe Panik's three-run home run to center field in the fourth put the Giants ahead 3-1. Jayson Werth cut into that lead with a solo shot in the bottom of the fourth inning, but the first major league home run by the Giants' 23-year-old rookie put San Francisco ahead for good...
Tonight's #TGIF: Joe Panik's 1st Career HR #InsertPanikPun #SFGiants #StrongerTogether http://t.co/ieUQkcDDec
— San Francisco Giants (@SFGiants) August 23, 2014
1. The Wrap-Up: Javier Lopez took over for Tim Hudson with one on and one out in the Nationals' sixth and struck Adam LaRoche out on an 0-2 slider. Ian Desmond stepped in against the left-hander and grounded into a force at second to end the frame.
Jerry Blevins took over for the Nationals in the seventh and gave up a two-out single by Angel Pagan before completing a scoreless 20-pitch seventh.
Jean Machi took the mound for the Giants in the bottom of the seventh and retired the Nationals in order.
Blevins came back out for a second inning of work. A two-out walk to Gregor Blanco and Joe Panik's fourth hit in four at bats put two runners on, and a two-out double off the out-of-town scoreboard in right by Travis Ishikawa put the Giants up 6-2.
Machi came back in the bottom of the eighth. A two-out single by Anthony Rendon ended the right-hander's night. Sergio Romo came on to face Jayson Werth and struck him out to end the inning.
Ross Detwiler gave up a single by Joaquin Arias, Angel Pagan reached on an error by Adam LaRoche and Hunter Pence singled to center field to bring Arias around and make it 7-2 Giants. Buster Posey doubled to right to make it an 8-2 game. A sac fly by Pablo Sandoval made it a 9-2 game. 10-2 on an RBI single by Gregor Blanco.
Juan Gutierrez gave up a one-out walk to Ian Desmond and a two-out double by Wilson Ramos, whose 11th double of the season made it 10-3 in D.C. That's as close as the Nationals would get.
Nationals now 73-54