A Good Start?...
XM 184 for the day game, Willie Harris starts things off right for Washington with a leadoff single and a stolen base. Pete Orr's groundout is then productive, cause it moves Harris to third, and gives Ryan Zimmerman an opportunity he cashes in with an RBI single to left to put Washington up 1-0 on Brewers' starter Dave Bush. (ed. note - "Can you believe 27.2 innings passed where the Nationals couldn't do what they just did?")...DC righty Garrett Mock takes the mound in the bottom of the first, and immediately gives back the run, surrendering a leadoff homer to Rickie Weeks that leaves it tied at 1-1 after the first inning of the finale of DC's 4-game visit to Miller Park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Coming Up Empty...
The Nationals had a chance to get back in the game in the top of the fifth...(after Garrett Mock had issued a leadoff walk to Prince Fielder and then surrendered another HR to Corey Hart, making it 3-1 Milwaukee in the bottom of the fourth)... Washington's fifth started with Kory Casto walking, a Wil Nieves' single and a HBP on Mock, bringing up Willie Harris, (who had singled and doubled in his first two at bats), with the bases loaded and 0 outs, but Harris hits into a fielder's choice at home for the first out of the frame. Pete Orr has the second RBI opportunity, but he strikes out swinging, and Ryan Zimmerman...grounds to second to let Dave Bush completely off the hook...
Garrett Mock...
Gabe Kapler, (federalbaseball.com's new arch enemy...More on that later...) had a run handed to him in the Brewers' fifth, when Mock gave him a two-out walk, committed a throwing error and threw a wild pitch to move Kapler all the way 'round to third, allowing him to score easily when Prince Fielder doubled in a run in the next AB. 4-1 Milwaukee. That was it for Garrett Mock's 3rd Major League start, in which he pitched, 4.2 innings, allowed 5 hits, 4 ER's and 3 walks, while striking out 9! and giving up the 2 HR's. Mock takes the loss to drop to (0-3) with a 5.59 ERA on the season. Steven Shell replaced Mock and pitched 1.1 scoreless, before Charlie Manning surrendered 3 runs on 3 hits and 3 walks in 1.0 inning.
7-1 Brewers after seven, and that's how it ends. The Brewers sweep the Nationals, taking four straight in Miller Park and sending Washington back home to Nationals Park, where they'll face their NL East rivals, the New York Mets. The Nationals are outscored 23-5 in 4 games in Milwaukee.
Yeah, But Did Lastings Milledge Continue His Hit Streak?
You'll be happy to know that Lastings Milledge...did in fact stretch his hit streak to 12 games with a one-out single in the sixth. Over the streak, Milledge has raised his AVG from .237 to .257...Milledge finished the day 1 for 3 with a walk, a K, a stolen base and a .257 batting average. Ryan Zimmerman was 2 for 4 with an RBI, (his 30th), but 4 LOB. Thrillie Harris? 2 for 5, 1 R, 1 2B. Wil Nieves had the only other hit for DC...
The Mets and Nationals kick off a three game NL East series tomorrow night at 7:10 pm EST in the nation's capital.
Federalbaseball.com's Line Of The Day...
TIE!!
"I hope our pitcher doesn't Mock up this bunt attempt "ahem"
- "I'm worried about the beer supply. After this case, and the other case, there's only one case left- Barney Gumble" - CptChaosSidekick
- (explaining the Nationals' pitchers' approach to the Milwaukee batters to another commenter...)
"Think of it as a "topsy-turvy" thing like in Gilbert & Sullivan...
...except with no singing and instead of the hero and heroine getting married at the end, the bullpen gives up 10 runs."
- "When in doubt, blame PLoD" - Doghouse
Dave at Bottomfeeder Baseball.com just checked in...
With a FanPost entitled, "BREAKING NEWS: Nationals Sign Espinosa and Hicks", in which he reports on the Nationals inking two more of their previously unsigned '08 picks.
GABE KAPLER SEPARATED AT BIRTH???....
(ed. note - "I wrote this a while back, but it's worth a look to see not only Gabe Kapler's doppelganger, but also Ryan Zimmerman's and Craig Biggio's among others???")
Sorry, Completists. No Full Game Thread And No Jump Today, I Caught The Game On The Radio.
New Nationals now 6-5.
Nationals now 44-75. (Countdown To 100 Stands At...25.)