HEADLINE...
Entering the fourteenth inning, Elijah Dukes was 0 for 6 on the day, but Braves' reliever Jeff Bennett walked Lastings Milledge to load the bases for Dukes, who came through with a bases-clearing double that put DC ahead for good at 7-4, after a long last game of '08 with Atlanta. Dukes collects his 14th double of the season, and RBI's 34-36, as the Nationals beat the Braves for the 12th time in '08...
...DC's rookie right-hander Collin Balester was long gone before this one ended, having allowed 4 ER's on 11 hits and 2 walks, with 3 K's in 6.0 innings, but the Nationals nearly played an entire game after their starter had departed. Charlie Manning, Jesus "Everyday" Colome, Garett Mock, Mike Hinckley, Saul "Sa-ool" Rivera, Steven Shell(W), and "Wild" Joel Hanrahan(S) combine to keep Atlanta off the board over the final 8 innings of the 14-frame game...
...Lastings Milledge provided the early offense for DC with a leadoff HR off Braves' starter Jo-Jo Reyes in the second. (Milledge's 14th), and Lasto ends the day, 2 for 5. Aaron Boone, who started at first, finished the day 3 for 5. Ryan Zimmerman went 0 for 7 to end his hit streak at 12 games.
Alberto Gonzalez has his best day as a National, going 3 for 4 with a double (that ties it at 4-4 in the eighth), after a solo HR in the seventh(1st in Majors), a walk, 3 RBI's and 3 runs scored, and "The General" plays superb defense throughout, saving the Nationals more than a few times this afternoon/evening.
The Nationals finish the season series with the Braves up 12-6.
Next game Tuesday night in NY...and federalbaseball.com will be live from Shea Stadium Wednesday night for the second of two with the Mets...
For The Completists, Full Game Report Is After The Jump...(unedited as of 6:54 pm EST)...
Nationals now 56-88. (Countdown To 100 Losses Stuck At 12.)
Anderson Hernandez swings so hard at a two-strike fastball from Braves’ lefty Jo-Jo Reyes that Anderson falls to a knee at the violent, empty finish of his cut. Willie Harris pops high enough to short right for Jeff Francouer to hustle in and get under it. Ryan Zimmerman grounds weakly to his counterpart at third, Chipper Jones, whose throw ends the Nationals’ first...DC right-hander Collin Balester walks the leadoff batter Gregor Blanco in the bottom of the first. Martin Prado singles up the middle, but Blanco stops at second when he should be on third. Chipper Jones can’t hold back on a 1-2 curve in the dirt from Balester. Kelly Johnson flies unproductively to short right for the second out. Yunel Escobar drills a grounder up the middle that Alberto Gonzalez dives on to hold Blanco at third. Jeff Francouer flies to short left, Alberto Gonzalez tracks it down and makes a basket catch over his shoulder to end a scoreless first.
Lastings Milledge leaves the yard on the first pitch of the second from Jo-Jo Reyes. 1-0 Nationals. Elijah Dukes flies out to center, Aaron Boone pops to second, and DC catcher Luke Montz grounds out to end the DC second....Brandon Jones takes a swing at a high hanging curve from Collin Balester and strokes a single to right center. Braves’ catcher Corky Miller lines right to Lastings Milledge in center. Jo-Jo Reyes can’t get down a bunt so he lines a single to center instead, moving B.Jones to third. Gregor Blanco jumps on the first pitch and lines an outside fastball to center for an RBI single. 1-1 ballgame. Martin Prado swings over a drooping 73mph two-strike bender from Balester. Chipper Jones flies out to MIlle...Milledge shields his eyes, and ducks as it drops for a two-out, two-RBI double. 3-1 Atlanta.
Alberto Gonzalez lines to center and Gregor Blanco decides not to dive, taking it off the knee as Gonzalez stops at first. Collin Balester gets down a successful sac bunt moving Gonzalez to second. Anderson Hernandez aka “Little Guillen” grounds out to move Gonzalez to third, but Willie Harris strands Gonzalez there with a weak groundout to second... Ryan Zimmerman swipes at a ground ball from Yunel Escobar, but drops it and bobbles twice before pocketing the ball. Jeff Francouer grounds to second, Anderson Hernandez shuffles to Alberto Gonzalez, who gets spiked but still throws to first, in time, double play. Brandon Jones slices a 92 mph fastball to left to end the third.
Gregor Blanco backs up to the wall in center and catches Zimmerman’s fly with his back to the wall. Lastings Milledge grounds out to second. Elijah Dukes flies to center, Jo-Jo Reyes with the 1-2-3...Corky Miller shakes some dirt up with a groundout to short. Balester walks the opposing pitcher. Gregor Blanco tears into a full count pitch but takes it as far as right field where Dukes makes the grab. Alberto Gonzalez shields his eyes with his glove and catches Prado’s pop to end the fourth...
BOOONE! Aaron Boone singles to start the fifth. Luke Montz pops unproductively to short right. Jo-Jo Reyes walks Alberto Gonzalez in front of the pitcher, who chops a bunt straight down allowing the catcher to field and gun down the lead runner. Two on, two outs for Anderson Hernandez. Reyes walks the bases loaded for Willie Harris. Harris pops out to second...Chipper Jones lays his bat on a low sinking fastball and drives it center for a leadoff single. Kelly Johnson swings over an 83 mph two-strike change. Yunel Escobar tries to turn an inside heater around but flies out to left when Willie Harris catches up. Jeff Francouer finds room between Harris and Milledge in left center, Chipper takes third. B.Jones, goes the other way, right to Willie Harris to end the fifth...Zimmerman works the count full, but grounds out to second. Lastings Milledge takes a one-out walk. Elijah Dukes drives one off his fists to Francouer in right. Boone singles to center, Milledge takes second. Luke Montz flies out to center...3-1 ATL, middle of six... Luke Montz catches his catching counterparts pop up for the first out of the Braves’ sixth. Pinch hitter Ruben Gotay flies out to right. Gregor Blanco singles under a diving Gonzalez at short. Blanco steals second off Montz. Martin Prado singles to right, Dukes comes up throwing, but Boone cuts the throw and tags Prado, one run scores, 4-1 Atlanta.
Fastball inside from Julian Tavarez to Alberto Gonzalez, and the General rips it to left and over the wall...GONE! Gonzalez’s first MLB HR. 4-2 Braves. Pinch Hittin’ Pete Orr’s called out on strikes. Anderson Hernandez takes a one-out walk. Willie Harris grounds weakly to second. Ryan ZImmerman chases a two-strike slider off the edge of the plate to end the Nationals’ seventh...DC lefty Charlie Manning turns Chipper Jones around to the right side. CJones pops up behind second. Kelly Johnson takes a one-out walk, and Nationals’ Manager Manny Acta wants Jesus “Everyday” Colome to come on. Johnson tries to run on Montz and gets nailed at second. Yunel Escobar hits a check-swing grounder to first to end the seventh.
Blaine Boyer’s gonna pitch the eighth for Atlanta. Yunel Escobar spins and throws from short on a grounder, but it goes wide of first and out of play, allowing Milledge to take second. Elijah Dukes stares at a two-strike fastball on the outside edge that’s a called strike three. Aaron Boone pops the first pitch out to right. Luke Montz walks on a 3-1 pitch outside and low. Alberto Gonzalez drops a double just inside the line in right, two runs score, 4-4 ballgame. Gonzalez takes third. Will Ohman’s on to face Cristian Guzman. Guzman grounds out, just a step behind the throw from short...Garrett Mock’s gonna pitch the bottom of the frame. Jeff Francouer goes down swinging through a slider. Josh Anderson’s hole’s been exposed, breaking ball in and low, strike three swinging. Corky Miller pops out to end the eighth, still tied, 4-4 after eight.
Mike Gonzalez walks the leadoff batter, Anderson Hernandez. Willie Harris grounds to short, and Kelly Johnson can’t get a throw off toward first. Ryan Zimmerman pops out to second. Harris takes second with Milledge at bat. Fastball low, called strike three on Milledge...Braves look to walk off...Mike Hinckley gets a fly ball to Harris in left from Martin Prado for the first out. Gregor Blanco takes a fastball on the hip. Martin Prado flies to Dukes. Hinckley vs CJones. Full count pitch to Jones, who grounds out to end the ninth. 4-4 game. Extra frames.
Vladimir Nunez vs Dukes to start the tenth. Escobar throws out Dukes. Aaron Boone doubles to right, just out of Francouer’s reach. Roger Bernadina comes on to run at second. Luke Montz swings through a high fastball. Alberto Gonzalez gets hit by a pitch. Nunez is done. Ryan Langerhans vs Jeff Ridgway. Lefty vs Lefty. Langerhans K’s swinging...Saul Rivera comes on for the bottom of the frame. Kelly Johnson singles to start the Braves’ tenth. Yunel Escobar grounds to third, Zimmerman comes in and picks it, throws to second for the force, but the throw to first pulls Langerhans off the bag. Jeff Francouer grounds to Gonzalez at short, to second for Hernandez, to Langerhans, double play.
Eleventh. Ridgway’s back. Anderson Hernandez K’s hacking. Willie Harris grounds out to first. Zimmerman, with an extra chance to continue the streak, grounds out to first to end the DC eleventh...Saul Rivera has Josh Anderson’s liner bounce off his glove and die in the grass, leadoff hit. Casey Kotchman gets the pinch hit chance. Rivera walks Kotchman. Rivera gets Brian McCann swinging over a two-strike slider inside. Gregor Blanco can’t hit Rivera’s slider...On To The Twelfth...Lastings Milledge grounds out to short. Dukes grounds to second. Emilio Bonifacio K’s swinging through high heat...Steven Shell vs. Chipper. CJones singles through the right side of the infield for a leadoff hit. Kelly Johnson can’t get down a bunt, but he lines up the midd...Emilio Bonifacio reaches out to rob Johnson, taking the force at second to get Chipps. Yunel Escobar K’s swinging. Jeff Francouer grounds out to end the twelfth.
Buddy Carlyle’s back in the thirteenth. Montz flies out to right. Alberto Gonalez flies out foul of first. Carlyle gets Langerhans swinging to end the DC thirteenth...Shell vs Josh Anderson to start the bottom of the frame. Anderson goes down swinging. Casey Kotchman flies out to Milledge. Brian McCann splits the gap in right center for a two-out double. Jair Jurrjens on to run for McCann. Gregor Blanco flies out to end the thirteenth....
Anderson Hernandez works a leadoff walk off of Jeff Bennett. Willie Harris grounds weakly to short, and it’s so weak it’s a single. Two on for Zimmerman, no outs, fourteenth inning. Zimmerman grounds out, advancing both runners. Bennett walks Milledge to bring up Elijah Dukes. Dukes clears the bases with a double to the corner in right. 7-4 DC. Pinch hitter Odalis Perez grounds out. Jorge Julio strikes out Luke Montz...
...”Wild” Joel Hanrahan’s gonna try to close this one out. Greg Norton, Brent Lillibridge and Kelly Johnson due up. Norton grounds out. Lillibridge grounds to third, Zimmerman throws him out. James Parr pinch hits. Hanrahan walks the pitcher. Yunel Escobar rips a double to right, second and third for Francouer. Frenchy grounds out to short to finally, finally, ends it. Nationals win. 7-4 final. Nationals wins season series with Braves, 12-6.
Nationals now 56-88. (Countdown To 100 Losses Stuck At 12.)