HEADLINE...
Odalis Perez Shuts Out NY, Doubles and Scores To Beat Mets...
DC lefty Odalis Perez held the desperate, teetering-on-the-brink, New York Mets to just 4 hits in 7.1 shutout innings, before handing the ball to the Nationals' left-handed reliever, Mike Hinckley, who pitched Washington out of a two-on, one-out jam when he drew a grounder out of Jose Reyes and brutalized Ryan Church with curves inside for a swinging K and the final out of the eighth, preserving the Nationals' 1-0 lead.
The only run scored in the game came on a fifth-inning ground rule double by Cristian Guzman that followed a two-out double by Odalis Perez and a walk to Willie Harris, as Mets' starter Mike Pelfrey's sloppy pitch to the opposing pitcher comes back to haunt him and the Mets when Guzman's line drive bounces into the opposing team's bullpen to score Perez from second for a 1-0 DC lead.
Pelfrey's every bit as nasty as Odalis, busting right-handers inside all night with the late-sinking heavy fastball, and holding the Nationals to the one run and 7 hits in 7.0 innings in which he walked 4 and K'd 4....Perez K'd 6 and didn't walk a single batter, Hinckley struck Church out with the curves and Hanrahan brought the heat to the meat of the Mets' order and blew them away...(ed. note - "Sorry, I wasn't going for a heat + meat = 'cooked' thing...Sorry to disappoint.")
"Wild" Joel Hanrahan didn't disappoint, however, even if he didn't continue the DC Closer Tradition of, Making It Interesting either:
“Wild” Joel Hanrahan is on to close it out. David Wright works the count full, fouls off a few...97 mph fastball, strike three swinging!!! Carlos Beltran lines out to Milledge DEEP IN CENTER!!! Aha-ha-ha!!! Why Does He Play So DEEEP? (ed. note - "Good thing Milledge was playing DEEEP, huh?...")!!! Carlos Delgado...swings at a two-strike slider in the dirt! Strike three swinging!!! 1-0 Nationals win."
A Full Game Report That's A Must Read For The Faithful...The Completists, All DC Fans...After The Jump...(currently editing)
Update: 10:52 pm EST. Dateline: Atlanta...Brad Lidge K's Gregor Blanco with 2 outs and the bases loaded in the 9th to beat Atlanta 8-7, lifting Philadelphia into first place in the NL East...
Nationals now 58-93. (Countdown To 100 Losses Stuck At...7.)
Jose Reyes takes a pitch from Odalis Perez for a ride to left, but only as far as the warning track, where Willie Harris makes the catch. Perez throws a 2-2 change under Ryan Church’s bat for a swinging K and the second out. David Wright lines the first pitch he sees into center for a two-out single. Even with a late start, Elijah Dukes tracks down Carlos Beltran’s line drive to right to end the Mets’ first...Put it in your pocket, Wright. Willie Harris bounces one off Pelfrey’s glove and beats out a leadoff infield single in the DC first. Jose Reyes has to dive to backhand Cristian Guzman’s grounder, and Reyes takes the force at second. Ryan Zimmerman up, Guzman steals second without a throw from Brian Schneider. Pelfrey dials it up to 94 to get Zimmerman swinging through a fastball. Lastings Milledge gets a grounder deep enough into the hole to reach first safely and get Guzman to third. Elijah Dukes swings over a two-strike 93 mph fastball inside, no score after one.
Carlos Delgado grounds into the dramatic shift, and Anderson Hernandez fields it on the outfield grass, firing to first in time. Odalis Perez throws the change he told Lannan about by Fernando Tatis. Argenis Perez is another K victim, as “Opening Night” Odalis Perez rolls through the second...Aaron Boone chases a big league two-strike slider out of the zone. Anderson Hernandez grounds out to his counterpart at second, Argenis Reyes. Wil Nieves grounds to third to end another scoreless frame...Brian Schneider grounds weakly to Boone to start the third. Pelfrey chops one straight down and back to the mound. Zimmerman charges in, fields Reyes’ grounder and throws him out...Odalis Perez chops out to short. Willie Harris gets robbed by Carlos Delgado who fields and steps on the bag himself. Cristian Guzman takes the first pitch from Pelfrey to right for a two-out single. David Wright fields Zimmerman’s hard hit grounder and throws from third to end the, uh, third.
Church tops off a fastball and grounds weakly to Boone at first, Odalis Perez covers. David Wright takes a high third strike for the second out. Zimmerman stabs a sharp grounder from Beltran and throws to first to end the Mets’ fourth...Lastings Milledge K’s swinging through a fastball outside. Dukes works the count full and walks on a high outside heater. Aaron Boone grounds to short, Reyes to Reyes to Delgado, double play...Delgado grounds into the shift again. Tatis K’s swinging, and Perez gets Argenis Reyes swinging too to end his fifth scoreless...Mike Pelfrey walks Anderson Hernandez in front of Wil Nieves. Nieves grounds weakly to second, Reyes to Reyes to Delgado, double play. Odalis Perez lines to left and it gets under a diving Fernando Tatis for a two-out double that goes rolling into the left field grass. Pelfrey walks Willie Harris on four straight. Cristian Gu...The Guzzzz...smacks a ground rule double to left center and into the visiting bullpen to score Perez from second, 1-0 DC. Ryan Zimmerman skies the third out to right to end the fifth.
Brian Schneider rips one to first that eats up Boone and bounces into right. Pelfrey gets down a defensive sac bunt on a fastball inside from Odalis Perez. Jose Reyes gets hit on the cleat by a curve. Ryan Church lines out unproductively to Dukes in right. WILLIE HARRIS WANTS TO PLAY!! Wright lines to left, Harris turns in the wind, races back and makes a diving play to end the Mets’ sixth!!!...Lastings Milledge goes back up the middle with a single on a full-count pitch. Elijah Dukes up, Milledge tries for second, and Schneider nails him. Dukes uses his Discerning Eye to draw a one-out walk off Pelfrey. Aaron Boone flies out to Church in right. Anderson Hernandez grounds weakly to short and Jose, JoseJoseJose has it bounce off his wrist, both runners are safe. Wil Nieves gets the gift AB, and wastes it, as he grounds out to third to end the sixth.
Ryan ZImmerman scoops a short-hop grounder from Beltran and fires to first on the run to get the runner. Carlos Delgado K’s swinging over a 1-2 change. Nick Evans flies out to Dukes, Perez is through seven. 1-0 DC. Stand up and Stretch...Odalis Perez bats in the seventh too, ripping a liner to Beltran for the first out. Willie Harris hits a line-drive single to center. Pelfrey’s still battling. Guzman grounds into the force at second. ZImmerman? Zim flies out to short center. 1-0 DC after seven.
Odalis Perez is back for the eighth. Change-up outside, Argenis Reyes reaches out and grounds it to second, Anderson Hernandez catches and throws in time in one smooth motion. Ramon Castro gets a pinch hit chance, and lines a high 1-1 hanging change to left for a single. Ramon Martinez runs for Castro. Robinson Cancel singles through second, but Martinez only takes one base. Odalis Perez is done. Mike Hinckley’s called out of the pen to face Jose Reyes. Reyes grounds back to Hinckley, who throws high to second, but Guzman leaps, gets it and tags the bag. Two down. Hinckley vs Church. Runners on first and third. Lefty vs Lefty. Hinckley’s all curves, and Church K’s swinging!!! 1-0 DC after seven and a half...”Generic” Joe Smith starts the bottom of the frame. Milledge flies out to right. Elijah Dukes pops out foul of first. Aaron Boone can’t hold back and Smith gets the check-swing K to end the eighth...Wait for it...
“Wild” Joel Hanrahan is on to close it out. David Wright works the count full, fouls off a few, 97 mph fastball strike three swinging!!! Carlos Beltran lines out to Milledge DEEP IN CENTER!!! Aha-ha-ha!!! Why Does He Play So DEEEP?!!! Carlos Delgado...swings at a two-strike slider in the dirt! Strike three swinging!!! Nationals win. 1-0 final.
Nationals now 58-73. (Countdown To 100 Losses Stuck At...7.)