HEADLINES:
MLB REPLAY MYSTERY...
For the second time this series, a disputed HR goes against the visiting Washington Nationals as the design of Citi Field helps the home team...The New York Mets' defensively-challenged replacement first baseman Daniel Murphy hits a fly ball to left off DC starter Jordan Zimmermann, and everyone assumes it's out until it falls in fair, and bounces on the track...Adam Dunn, who'd played it like it was a HR, throws in for an out on a play at the plate...? And we're going to the videotape...
(FLASHBACK) - Monday Night, Citi Field...
6th Inning, NY 1 DC 1...DC lefty John Lannan walks Carlos Beltran to put two on for Gary Sheffield. Sheffield explodes on the first pitch, a high heater, and sends one out to deeep left and GONE!! 3-run home ru...wait, a fan touched it...going to review...and the call on the field is upheld. 4-1 New York...
Tonight it was right field in Citi Field...and it seemed at first as if Daniel Murphy had connected for a HR, I thought it hit off the facade of the second deck and fell back into right field, but each replay I saw had me less and less convinced, there was not one replay shown that provided irrefutable evidence, unless the Umpires had a different definitive camera angle that just wasn't shown on any broadcast?...It was not called a HR on the field, so in order to overturn it, there has to be "clear and convincing evidence"...If they have it I'd like to see it...?
DUNN HITS ONE OVER THE BRIDGE!!!
Adam Dunn steps to the plate with the Washington Nationals trailing the Mets 3-0 in the fourth with NY's ace Johan Santana on the mound and DC's Face of the Franchise, Ryan Zimmerman, who'd walked to open the frame, standing on first...Fastball high and over the middle, Dunn fouls it off...Santana comes back with another fastball, low and outside, ball one...1-1 fastball, "What are you doing in there?" Dunn asks, and Adam Dun--SHAKE N BAKE!! SHAKE N BAKE!!! Two-run HR to right center that clears the fence...and the BRIDGE?!! Adam Dunn just hit a HR out of Citi Field and onto the bridge in the outfield...I'm going to guess...well it's 378ft at the wall...450ft? 470ft? Unreal...
SO THAT'S HOW A STRUGGLING ACE WINS...
The Washington Nationals had 3 hits, scored 3 runs, walked 6 times and K'd 11 times while the NY Mets' left-handed ace Johan Santana was on the mound tonight. Santana got just 1 ground ball out and 6 flyouts from the 27 batters he faced...threw 120 pitches, 73 for strikes, gave up one monumental HR to Adam Dunn, and then left the game in the sixth, after he'd issued a leadoff walk before retiring three straight, and Santana then watched as Daniel Murphy's disputed HR gave him the lead and eventually the "W", improving his '09 record to (7-2) in 10 starts.
The Nationals' rookie right-hander Jordan Zimmermann gave up two runs in the first, and one in the third, but before he gave up the HR to Murphy in the sixth, he was tied, 3-3, going toe-to-toe with (arguably) the best pitcher in baseball. Before the HR, Zimmermann had allowed 6 hits, 3 runs and 2 walks while striking out 8 Mets. 100 pitches, 66 for strikes, 6 groundouts, 0 flyouts...
Notes:
• Ron Vill0.00ne walks the one batter he faces, but the run doesn't score, Vill0.00ne remains perfect...
• Mets' closer Francisco Rodriguez got a grounder to first for what should have been the final out of the game, but NY's defensively challenged replacement first baseman Daniel Murphy couldn't come up with Cristian Guzman's ground ball. Nick Johnson follows with a trademark NJ™ single to drive in his 26th run...The run raises Francisco Rodriguez's '09 ERA to 0.79...
• The massive Dunn HR was the Big Dunn-K's 16th HR, the two RBI's give Dunn 42 in 47 games and 166 at bats, in which he's hit, .283 with a .417 OBP, .608 SLG, 1.026 OPS...
THE CORRECT ANSWER, NICK JOHNSON, IS "NO! I WOULD NEVER PLAY FOR THE METS!"
The "Acting" DC GM Mike Rizzo made it known, as clearly as possible yesterday, which Nationals players were being offered around the league, when he told newsday.com writer Ken Davidoff, in an article entitled, "Nationals are building for the future", that the following Nationals were available:
"'Nick Johnson, or (Josh) Willingham, or (Austin) Kearns, anyone on our roster, if we can make a good baseball trade and improve ourselves, not only for our present but also for our future -- a player that can impact us -- we have to make those kinds of trades...'"
Daily News Sports Writer Peter Botte quotes DC first baseman Nick Johnson, in article entitled, "Nick Johnson wouldn't be against bringing first aid to the Mets", responding to the rumors of the Mets' interest in his services by stating:
"'I can't worry about rumors or any of that stuff...I don't deal with anything until it happens.... But I enjoyed (New York). Fans are into it, they want to win. It's all about winning and that's what I want to play for, to get that ring on my finger. I definitely had a good time while I was here those three years.'"
Yahoo! Sports' writer Gordon Edes puts some names behind the NY/Nick Johnson rumors in an article entitled, "Trade winds begin as a breeze", where Mr. Edes writes:
"...the Nationals have scouts watching the Mets’ Triple-A team in Buffalo, N.Y., and Double-A team in Binghamton, N.Y., evaluating pitchers Jon Niese, Mike Antonini and Eddie Kunz among others...The linchpin to the potential deal from Washington’s perspective may be Bobby Parnell..."
Asked back in Mr. Davidoff's column, what he thought of the recent rumors about a trade with the Red Sox involving Johnson and reliever Manny Delcarmen, the "Acting" DC GM, Mr. Rizzo told Mr. Davidoff, "That was never proposed to anybody. That was never rejected by anybody. It was fabricated by somebody." I wonder what Mr. Rizzo will have to say about this new round of rumors?
Mets win, 7-4 final.
Miss The Game? The DC Faithful (And A Few Interlopers) Were Watching...
For The Completists, Full Game Report After The Jump...
Nationals now 13-33.
Washington Nationals at New York Mets. Game 46 of 162.
Cristian Guzman takes a swing at a 1-2 change down low for a swinging K to start the evening. Nick “Two-Spot” Johnson sends a sharp grounder up the middle that Ramon Ramirez miraculously gets to, but the throw to first bounces on Daniel Murphy, Johnson’s safe. Ryan Zimmerman takes a 3-2 pitch up high for ball four and two on in front of Adam Dunn. Dunn-K goes down on a low two-strike fastball inside. Josh Willingham gets called out looking on a low fastball outside to end the top of the first...Jordan Zimmermann gets Angel Pagan swinging for the first out and K. Luis Castillo whips his bat at a full-count fastball, slicing a single to left. Castillo’s running on a full-count fastball, and Wright sends it through short allowing Castillo to take third ahead of Willingham’s throw. Gary Sheffield gets a hanging slider outside and drives it to the right of center for a two-RBI double and a 2-0 lead. Daniel Murphy gets punched out by the the ump at third on a fastball inside he can’t decide what to do with. 93 mph on the outside edge, and Ramon Castro K’s looking to end the inning.
Ronnie Belliard pops the second pitch he sees out to short. Justin Maxwell’s never seen Johan Santana’s change, he K’s looking at it. Wil Nieves grounds to short and Johan Santana has a quick scoreless second...Fernando Martinez gets thrown out by Ronnie Belliard on a grounder up the middle. Ramon Martinez stares at strike three. Johan Santana K’s swinging.
Jordan Zimmermann picks up a bat in the third, but doesn’t connect, though he tries. 2-2 change over the heart of the plate and under Guzman’s bat. Johan Santana gets Nick Johnson, who’s late on a two-strike fastball...The ball pops out of Guzman’s glove as he chases Angel Pagan’s short fly. Luis Castillo gets down a bunt, Zimmerman’s all over it but no one’s on first. Zimmermann throws a 2-2 fastball to a frozen Wright. Ryan Zimmerman takes a chopper from Sheffield off the chest, and has to settle for the force at second on what should be a DP. Nick Johnson dives in front of Sheffield at first, but can’t come up with Daniel Murphy’s grounder. Pagan scores, 3-0 Mets. Ramon Castro grounds into a force at second.
Ryan Zimmerman works the count full and takes a leadoff walk in front of Dunn. Adam Dun---SHAKE N BAKE!! SHAKE N BAKE!!! Adam Dunn hits the bridge in right center with a two-run blast. 3-2 Mets. Josh Willingham singles off Santana, but Ronnie Belliard flies out unproductively. Justin Maxwell takes a walk, and there are two on for Wil Nieves, who strikes out swinging for the second out, but Jordan Zimmermann walks to keep it alive. Cristian Guzman takes a 2-2 change, bases loaded, the full count pitch...is high, Guzman walks, tied at 3-3. Nick Johnson pops out to short center to end the inning!!...Fernando Martinez is out at first on a grounder to the mound. Wil Nieves pops out of the crouch to field a swinging bunt from Ramon Martinez. Jordan Zimmermann gets the opposing pitcher to put the Mets down in order in the fourth.
Ryan Zimmerman gets a two-strike change off the outside edge, for a swinging K. Adam Dunn pushes Fernando Martinez back to the wall 378 ft from home in right, where the rookie makes the catch. Josh Willingham gets punched out by the Ump at first, who says he went around...Ryan Zimmerman throws to first in time to get Angel Pagan for the first out of the Mets’ fifth. Jordan Zimmermann issues a one-out walk to Luis Castillo. David Wright K’s swinging late at a heater. Zimmermann’s eighth K ends the fifth.
Ronnie Belliard takes a full-count pitch from Johan Santana. Justin Maxwell gets a 92 mph 1-2 fastball upstairs and K’s swinging for the first out of the sixth. Angel Pagan runs a looong way to catch up to Wil Nieves’ fly ball. Jordan Zimmermann gets as far as the warning track in center, where Pagan catches the final outo of the frame...Jordan Zimmermann issues a leadoff walk to Gary Sheffield. Daniel Murphy goes deep? The ball drops in play, possibly off the wall? Dunn throws in and the Nationals nail Sheffield at home!!! They go the replay. It’s called a HR. 5-3 Mets. Ramon Castro doubles to left, Willingham misses it. Jordan Zimmermann out, Ron Vill0.00ne on to face Fernando Martinez. Martinez pops up to the catcher, Wil Nieves has it bounce off his head, but Martinez doesn’t run, gets thrown out. Vill0.00ne walks Ramon Martinez. Kip Wells gets a line drive to short from Guzman to Belliard at second, double play!!
Nick Johnson hits a trademark single off Bobby Parnell to start the seventh. Ryan Zimmerman K’s swinging over a bender in the dirt. Parnell out, Pedro Feliciano will come to face Adam Dunn. Dunn K’s staring a fastball all the way in on the outside edge...Kip Wells vs Angel Pagan to start the Mets’ seventh. Pagan beats out a dribble to short, Guzman’s throw is late. Wells walks Luis Castillo, and Wells is done. Jesus Colome on with two on, no outs. Balk. Runners advance to second and third. David Wright swings through a 96 mph two-strike fastball upstairs. Gary Sheffield gets the intentionals. Daniel Murphy goes the other way, two runs score, RBI double. 7-3 NY. Fernandeo Martinez flies out to short center to end the frame.
J.J. Putz starts the eighth against Willingham, issuing a leadoff walk. Ronnie Belliard erases the runner with a DP grounder back to the mound. Willie Harris lines out to short...”Wild” Joel Hanrahan takes over for Washington, Angel Pagan doubles to left center gap to start the inning. Jeremy Reed K’s swinging. Angel Pagan takes a one-out walk. Luis Castillo walks to load the bases for David Wright. Wright K’s. Wilson Valdez grounds out to end the eighth.
Wil Nieves grounds out to second. Anderson Hernandez lines out to Angel Pagan in center. Francisco Rodriguez gets a ground ball to first from Guzman...Daniel Murphy flubs it, Guzman’s safe. Nick “Two-Spot” Johnson...singles up the middle! Guzman scores!! Ryan Zimmerman takes a fastball down the pipe for a backwards K to end it. Mets win, 7-4 final.
Nationals now 13-33.