Washington’s rookie right-hander Collin Balester gets help from Pete Orr at third, who comes in, cuts off a grounder headed for left, and throws out Jeff Keppinger for the first out of the afternoon. Balester throws a low full-count change and gets a weak groundout to first from Joey Votto. Jay Bruce pops out to the infield to end the Reds’ first...Emilio Bonifacio tips a 93 mph two-strike fastball into Reds’ catcher David Ross’ glove. Willie Harris chases a nasty breaking ball into the dirt. After getting fooled by a 1-1 curve, Lastings Milledge waits for a fastball and destroys it to left for a solo shot and a HR in two straight AB’s for Lasto. 1-0 New Nationals. Austin Kearns beats out an infield single. Kory Casto lines a one-hop single to left. Pinch Hittin’ Pete Orr goes the other way with a low liner and when Adam Dunn has the ball go under his glove, two runs score and Orr takes third. 3-0 Nationals. Wil Nieves pops up to short right...and Brandon Phillips loses it in the sun, Orr scores. 4-0 Nationals after one. (4 runs with 2 outs!!)
Brandon Phillips lines a single to right to leadoff the second. Adam Dunn swings over a drooping two-strike curve down the pipe. Balester hits Edwin Encarnacion in the hip. Alberto Gonzalez sneaks in behind Brandon Phillips and Balester nails him with a spinning pickoff throw to second. Corey Patterson swings over a two-strike change...4-0 middle of the second...Balester flies out to center. Bonifacio slices a liner out to left. Corey Patterson slides in and steals a single from Willie Harris ending the second...Reds’ catcher David Ross swings over an offspeed pitch for strike three. Johnny Cueto goes down swinging. Keppinger grounds to first, Bonifacio’s throw ends the top of the third...Milledge takes a leadoff walk to start the DC third. Kearns lines out to short. Kory Casto pops out to the infield. Pete Orr strikes out swinging...
Joey Votto and Jay Bruce single in succession to start the fourth. Balester gets a grounder to short from Brandon Phillips...to Alberto Gonzalez at short to Bonifacio at second, to Casto at first, double play. Balester walks Adam Dunn, but pops up Encarnacion for his fourth scoreless frame...Wil Nieves flies out to center field. Alex Gonzalez grounds out and Balester K’s swinging, as Cueto rolls through the bottom of the DC order...Balester’s back on the mound against Corey Patterson. Patterson lines a one-hop single to right. Patterson steals second. Balester throws a brutal cut-back two-strike two-seamer to get David Ross staring...Balester pops Cueto up to the infield. Jeff Keppinger grounds sharply to third, Pete Orr makes the play and the throw, Balester’s through five...Emilio Bonifacio drives a low-liner to left for a leadoff single in the DC fifth. Willie Harris flies out unproductively. Lastings Milledge grounds into a force at second. Milledge gets nailed stealing second. 4-0 DC after five.
Joey Votto leads off the sixth with a solo shot to deeeep center that Milledge tracks and eventually just watches fall over the wall. 4-1 Nationals. Jay Bruce grounds out to Bonifacio. Brandon Phillips takes ball four waay inside to put a man on in front of Adam Dunn. Dunn works the count full from an 0-2 count, and reaches on an infield single to short against the dramatic shift defensive alignment. Steven Shell comes on for Balester, facing Edwin Encarnacion, and Shell throws a curve inside for a called third strike. Corey Patterson grounds out to second. Shell gets Balester out of trouble. 4-1 New Nationals in the sixth...Austin Kearns goes back up the middle with a leadoff single to center. Casto grounds to first, Votto, to Keppinger back to Votto, double play. Johnny Cueto hits Pete Orr, but gets a fly ball from Nieves to end the DC sixth. Still 4-1 New Nationals.
Thrillie Harris lays out to rob David Ross of a line-drive single to left. Alberto Gonzalez dives to rob Andy Phillips of a single, and Bonifacio and Casto combine with a quick throw and catch to get Jeff Keppinger at first, ending the top of the seventh...Stand up and stretch...Mike Lincoln gets Alberto Gonzalez to ground out, and K’s Langerhans looking, but Bonifacio avoids a tag at first and reaches on a bunt single, only to get thrown out trying to steal second, ending the seventh...
Charlie Manning, DC’s lefty reliever, starts the eighth opposite Joey Votto. Lefty vs Lefty? Votto reaches down and lines a low slider to right for a leadoff single. Jay Bruce flies out to Milledge in center. Brandon Phillips flies out to Kearns in right. Manning vs Dunn? Fly ball to Kearns, Manning throws a scoreless frame. 4-1 New Nationals. Middle of eight...Reds’ righty David Weathers on to end the eighth...Willie Harris flies out to center. Lastings Milledge takes a one-out walk. Milledge steals second with Kearns at bat. Kearns singles Milledge over to third. Kory Casto grounds into an inning-ending DP...Wait for it...
"Wild" Joel Hanrahan’s on in the ninth...Edwin Encarnacion taps a slider back to the mound for the first out. Corey Patterson takes Hanrahan deeeep to right and GONE! 4-2 New Nationals. David Ross swings over a low two-strike slider! Pinch hitter Javier Valentin swings over a nasty two-strike slider for a swinging K to end the day! The New Nationals Sweep The Reds!! The Nationals Sweeep The Reds. Nationals win. 4-2 final.
New Nationals now 3-0.
THE NEW NATIONALS WITH THE DC SWEEEEEEEEEEEP!!!!!
Nationals now 41-70. (Countdown To 100 Losses Stands Stuck At...30.)