HEADLINE...
Wrong Debuting Starter Ends Up With Win...
DC's debuting right-hander Shairon Martis was announced as the Nationals' starter last night, (when Collin Balester went down with an injury), but it was Atlanta righty James Parr, a last-minute replacement for Jo-Jo Reyes, (who left the team to be with his wife and new-born daughter), that ended up making the biggest impression over 6.0 scoreless innings in his own MLB debut, in which the 22-year-old former 4th Round pick in 2004, allowed just 2 hits and 3 walks and then watched as the Braves' bullpen secured his first Major League win.
The Braves score one each in the third and fourth off Martis, who ends up allowing 4 hits over 5.0 innings in which he gives up the 2 ER's and 4 hits while walking 5 and striking out 2 Atlanta batters. Kelly Johnson scores after tripling, when Brian McCann hits a sac fly for a 1-0 Braves' lead after three, and after Martis walks the bases loaded in the fourth, Gregor Blanco's groundout allows the first batter walked, Casey Kotchman, to cross for Atlanta's 2-0 lead after four.
The No-O-Nationals...
Who knows how much of a scouting report Washington had on James Parr, it didn't matter with the Nationals' batters swinging like they'd never seen a right-hander before, but it wasn't just Parr, as Braves' closer Mike Gonzalez comes on in the ninth to dazzle Milledge, Boone and Dukes, (after a Zimmerman leadoff double), with the nastiest left-handed sliders they'd seen all season...
Braves' relievers Jeff Bennett, Julian Tavarez and then Gonzalez, allow one hit each for 5 Nationals' hits overall. Ronnie Belliard and Zimmerman double, but never cross, and Belliard's 3 for 3 on the night, pulling his groin while running out the third hit, with pinch hitter Roger Bernadina the only other National to hit his way on, as the Nationals' offense is completely shut down for the 21st time in '08
Tomorrow night in Turner Field at 7:35, it's Jason Bergmann (2-10, 4.83 ERA) and Jair Jurrjens (11-9, 3.59 ERA). The season series stands at 10-5 DC with three left this weekend.
For The Completists, Full Game Report Follows After The Jump...
Nationals now 54-87. (Countdown To 100 Losses Stands At...13.)
Willie Harris works the count full against the Braves’ debuting righty James Parr, and Harris grounds out to second to start the first of four in Atlanta. Parr can’t find the zone, walking Cristian Guzman in front of Ryan Zimmerman. Brandon Jones goes a few steps back on the track in left to catch ZImmerman’s fly. Guzman gets caught like a deer in the headlights, not even flinching as Parr picks him off first...Two-strike curve outside and Gregor Blanco can’t check his swing in time, Martis' first K. Kelly Johnson makes Martis come down off the mound to field and throw out his first runner. Chipper Jones drives a high fastball on one hop and into Elijah Dukes' ribs in right, as Dukes knocks it down and throws it in. Brian McCann slices a weak single into left. Omar Infante flies out to Milledge in center to end the first...
Lastings Milledge works the count full, fouls off a few and then stares strike three all the way in. Ronnie Belliard lines over second, and the rolling ball reaches the wall allowing Belliard to take two. Elijah Dukes pops out foul of first, and it stays in play for Casey Kotchman. Anderson Hernandez smacks a hard-hit liner right to Gregor Blanco in center, who catches it while backpedaling...Casey Kotchman chops down on a change, grounding out to first. Jeff Francouer connects with a high fastball but just drives it to Dukes in right. Brandon Jones spins a liner through short for a two-out single. Shairon Martis K’s the opposing pitcher Parr with a curve to end Martis' second scoreless...
Luke Montz reaches out and gets his bat on a pitch off the plate that he lines out to Brandon Jones in left in his first MLB AB. Shairon Martis walks in his first AB. Martis takes second on a pitch in the dirt from Parr. Willie Harris walks to put two on for Guzman. The Guz tips strike three into McCann’s glove for the second out. Ryan Zimmerman grounds up the middle, but Kelly Johnson’s there to get the force at second...Martis’ 1-1 pitch to Gregor Blanco is grounded to first, where Belliard handles it. Kelly Johnson bounces a long fly ball off the base of the wall and slides in safe at third. Martis goes to a full count with Chipper Jones and winds up walking him. Brian McCann hits a sac fly deep enough in left for both runners to advance. 1-0 Atlanta.
Lastings Milledge pops a high heater to CJones at third. Ronnie Belliard reaches on an infield single to second, that bounces off Parr’s glove and out of Kelly Johnson’s reach as he tries to barehand it. Elijah Dukes erases the runner with a DP grounder to end the top of the fourth...Shairon Martis walks Casey Kotchman to start the Braves’ fourth. Elijah Dukes comes in to catch Francouer’s fly ball. Martis walks Brandon Jones, and then walks Parr, the pitcher, who was waiting for a pitch to bunt. Full count pitch to Gregor Blanco, grounder to short, Guzman gets the force at second, but that’s all, one run crosses. 2-0 Braves. Kelly Johnson lines to second to end the fourth.
Gregor Blanco sprints and reaches out to catch a fly ball off Anderson Hernandez’s bat. Luke Montz flies out to left. Martis’ pop to center ends DC’s fifth... Martis’ fifth walk of the night puts Chipper Jones on in the bottom of the frame. 90 mph 1-0 fastball to McCann is up enough in the zone to result in a fly out. Omar Infante takes a full-count pitch out to Milledge to the left of center. Anderson Hernandez gets over and gets down on a groundout from Casey Kotchman. 2-0 ATL after five...Chipper Jones lunges at Willie Harris’ line drive for the first out. Cristian Guzman swings over a two-strike change that keeps sinking. Ryan Zimmerman grounds out to second for Parr’s sixth scoreless... DC righty Garrett Mock replaces Martis in the bottom of the sixth. A low 3-1 fastball gets a fly ball to right from Francouer. Brandon Jones goes down looking as Mock hits the outside corner with a fastball. Ruben Gotay grounds out to end the sixth.
Jeff Bennett takes over for Parra in the seventh. Lastings Milledge chops out to Kelly Johnson at second. Ronnie Belliard beats out a high chopper that Omar Infante can’t barehand. Belliard pulls his groin running to first. Kory Casto takes over at first. Elijah Dukes strikes out swinging through a two-strike fastball. Anderson Hernandez is barely beat to first by a throw from McCann that ends the DC seventh...Stand up and stretch...Gregor Blanco grounds to Anderson Hernandez at second. Kelly Johnson wraps a double around the third base bag and fair. Chipper Jones gets the intentionals to bring up Brian McCann. McCann will face Charlie Manning. Manning gets Brian McCann to K swinging over a slider inside. Steven Shell faces Omar Infante, who grounds into a force at second, Hernandez backhands to Guzman, 2-0 Atlanta after seven.
Julian Tavares to pitch the eighth for Atlanta. Luke Montz grounds weakly to third. Pinch hitter Roger Bernadina sneaks a single under a diving Kotchman at first. Willie Harris grounds to first, but Kotchman just takes one. Guzman gets called out looking at a full-count curve that’s up in the zone outside...Levale Speigner gets his second shot since being called up to DC. Kotchman grounds out to Guzman. Jeff Francouer grounds out to first, but he’s safe on catcher’s interference. Cristian Guzman fields and bobbles a grounder up the middle from Brandon Jones, and The Guz hikes it between his legs with his back to Anderson at second for the force on Francouer, Jones safe at first, but he gets nailed trying to steal.
3 outs to get 3 runs for DC off Braves’ closer Mike Gonzalez. Ryan Zimmerman bounces a double off the wall in left for a leadoff blast. Gonzalez almost screws Milledge into the ground as he swings and misses a brutal slider. Aaron Boone swings over a full-count slider. Elijah Dukes is using his Discerning Eye to stay alive against Gonzalez, but ends up called out on a check swing as a slider breaks in for strike three.
Nationals now 54-87. (Countdown To 100 Losses Stands At...13.)