HEADLINE...
Padres' Starter Chris Young Throws 7.0 Scoreless Hits First Major League HR...
San Diego starter Chris Young held the Washington Nationals off the board over 7.0 scoreless innings tonight, and before he was done, Young took a break from dominating DC batters to hit the first HR of his Major League career on a bomb into the left center bullpen in the top of the seventh.
Young surrendered a leadoff single to Wil Nieves in the bottom of the seventh for one of Washington's 2 hits off the Padres' starter, but Nieves was caught daydreaming off first and erased by Padres' catcher Nick Hundley. The only other hit the 6'10'' 250 lb right-handed Princeton graduate allowed all night was a one-out double by Cristian Guzman in the first with the 4 walks Young gave up providing the rest of the Nationals' baserunners.
DC lefty John "Cool Hand" Lannan matched the Padres' starter through four scoreless, but in the top of the fifth Lannan walked the leadoff batter, and two outs later an error by Emilio Bonifacio on a ground ball from Will Venable let the first run of the game in, quickly followed by the second and third runs on one swing from Adrian's older brother Edgar Gonzalez, who smacked a two-run blast to left off Lannan on just the second hit "Cool Hand" had allowed to that point.
After Young's solo shot, the Padres added to their lead in the eighth when another DC lefty, Charlie Manning, gave up what was ruled a leadoff triple in spite of the fact that Willie Harris lost it in the lights and almost took one off the dome, but instead ended up gifting a triple to Brian Giles when the ball soared over the DC left fielder and rolled to the wall. A single by Adrian Gonzalez scored Giles, and a throwing error by Ryan Zimmerman on a DP attempt set up Chase Headley with two on for the Padres' left fielder to knock in another run for a 6-0 lead before DC could get anything started.
When the Nationals did finally get a two-out RBI hit, it came with two on in the eighth and Aaron Boone at bat against Padres' reliever Mike Adams, but Boone's line drive bounced over the outfield wall for a ground rule double and just one run scored when two surely would have come around. 6-1 San Diego, and that's how it ends after SD reliever Clay Hensley comes on in the ninth to finish things up.
Cristian Guzman's first inning double is the 35th of the season for the Guzzzz, who goes 1 for 3, ending the day hitting .313. Zimmerman's 0 for 3 evening leaves him at .278 on the season. Dukes goes 0 for 2 with 2 walks...uh?...Jason Bergmann's curve was snapping and he pitched 2.0 scoreless? There's the positive!
The Padres take the first two of three with the finale of the weekend and season series tomorrow at 1:35 pm EST in Nationals Park, with "Opening Night" Odalis Perez against Cha Seung Baek on the mound. The Nationals look to avoid getting swept at home in the next-to-last series of the season in Nationals Park...
Nationals now 58-97. (Countdown To 100 Losses Stands At...3.)
Cristian Guzman catches a sharp grounder up in his gut and throws out the runner, Will Venable for the first out of the evening. John Lannan busts Edgar Gonzalez inside with a two-strike slider that drops off the inside corner under his bat. Lannan fields a weak grounder from Brian Giles and tags the runner as he head into the dugout...Will Venable jogs in a few steps and reaches up for Emilio Bonifacio’s line drive to center. Cristian Guzman starts the night with a double to the left center gap, doing the "DY salute" back to the dugout after sliding in safe at second. Ryan Zimmerman puts a charge into a line drive to center but it dies on the track, Guzman takes third. Elijah Dukes’ Discerning Eye draws a two-out walk. Aaron Boone grounds back to the mound and Padres’ starter Chris Young throws to first in time.
Adrian Gonzalez sends a weak roller out to Bonifacio at second. Kevin Kouzmanoff takes a one-out walk. Chase Headley knocks Willie Harris down with a low liner that Harris grabs as he falls back. Nick Hundley drills a single to center. Sean Kazmar takes a two-out walk to bring up the pitcher, Chris Young, who flies out to end the Padres’ second...Willie Harris pops out behind second. Wil Nieves flies out to right. Roger Bernadina swings through a high full-count fastball for the final out of the second.
Will Venable breaks his bat popping out to second. Edgar Gonzalez lines out to left where Willie Harris coralls it. Guzman throws out Brian Giles on a grounder to short to end San Diego’s third...Lannan takes a leadoff walk when Chris Young offers. Emilio Bonifacio skies one to left. Cristian Guzman takes a full-count pitch in the elbow. Zimmerman K’s swinging under a high two-strike fastball. Elijah Dukes uses the Discerning Eye for his second walk of the night. Aaron Boone lines out to center to end the third...Adrian Gonzalez leads off the fourth with a ground ball out to first. Kouzmanoff’s grounder is cut off by Ryan Zimmerman, who ranges right, fields and throws to first, in time. Lannan paints the inside edge with a two-strike fastball to get Headley staring....DC fourth, Willie Harris flies out to Will Venable. Brian Giles gets under Wil Nieves’ fly ball to right. Bernadina grounds out to end the fourth.
Lannan walks Nick Hundley to put the leadoff runner on in the fifth. Sean Kazmar tips strike three into Wil Nieves’ glove. Chris Young gets a sac bunt down, advancing both runners. Will Venable grounds to second, but Bonifacio boots it, allowing one run to cross and Venable to reach first. 1-0 Padres. Edgar Gonzalez takes Lannan’s first pitch to left and GONE! Two-run blast. 3-0 Padres. Brian Giles pops out to end the Padres’ fifth...Lannan K’s swinging through a heater. Emilio Bonfacio walks. The Guzzz pops out foul of third. Zimmerman grounds into the force at second.
Adrian Gonzalez grounds out to Boone. Bonifacio catches a pop fly from Kouzmanoff a few steps onto the centerfield grass. Chase Headley K’s swinging to end the top of the sixth...Elijah Dukes sends the second pitch to center where Venable makes the catch. Aaron Boone pushes a high fastball out to right. Willie Harris K’s chasing a two-strike sinker out of the zone...Nick Hundley grounds out to Guzman at short. Sean Kazmar goes down swinging for Lannan’s fifth K. Chris YOUNG??? Long fly ball to left and into the visiting team’s bullpen for a solo shot...His First Ever HR...4-0 Padres. Willie Harris misplays a line drive from Venable into a triple. Edgar Gonzalez grounds to Guzman, who throws to first to end the top of the seventh...Stand Up and Stretch... Wil Nieves drills a liner to left for a leadoff single to start the DC seventh. Nieves gets caught off first by the catcher, run-down and tagged out. Bernadina K’s looking. Pinch hitter Ryan Langerhans flies out to left center to end the inning.
DC lefty Charlie Manning starts the eighth...Willie Harris loses a line drive in the lights and falls as the ball soars over his head and bounces to the wall...Brian Giles takes third...Adrian Gonzalez lines a single to Dukes, Giles tags and scores, 5-0 Padres. Kevin Kouzmanoff hits a broken bat grounder to third and Zimmerman throws the ball into right field on the DP attempt. Chase Headley grounds to second, and Guzman can’t backhand it, allowing one run in, 6-0 San Diego. Jason Bergmann gets a DP grounder from Nick Hundley to Zimmerman to Bonifacio to Boone, double play. Sean Kazmar K’s staring. 6-0 Padres...Mike Adams to pitch the bottom of the frame. Emilio Bonifacio slaps a low fastball through second for a leadoff single. Cristian Guzman pops out to third off his fists. Ryan Zimmerman takes a walk from Adams. Elijah Dukes K’s swinging over a two-strike curve. Aaron Boone lines a ground rule double one-hop and into the bullpen in left center, one run scores, 6-1 Padres. Willie Harris K’s staring to end the eighth.
Jason Bergmann strikes out Drew Macias to start the ninth. Will Venable grounds out to Bonifacio. Zimmerman charges in to field and throw out Edgar Gonzalez to end the top of the ninth...Three outs to get five runs off Padres righty Clay Hensley. Anderson Hernandez flies out. Roger Bernadina walks with one down. Lastings Milledge gets a pinch hit chance, and lines out to short. Emilio Bonifacio’s up. Bernadina takes second, uncontested. Bonifacio rips a grounder to first, but Adrian Gonzalez gets it and tosses to the covering pitcher to end the game. Padres win. 6-1 final.
Nationals now 58-97. (Countdown To 100 Losses Stands At...3.)