HEADLINES:
RON VILL0.00NE IS MY HER0.00!!!
Brought on in the seventh inning with a man on third and one out in a 5-4 ballgame that saw the Washington Nationals trailing the visiting San Francisco Giants, and in danger of losing their seventh straight game, DC lefty Ron Vill0.00ne proceeded to strike out the next two batters, Randy Winn and Bengie Molina, to leave Aaron Rowand, who'd doubled off Julian Tavarez to lead off the frame and moved to third on a groundout...stranded...by Mr. Perfect, Ron Vill0.00ne who gets the win (W, 3-0, 0.00 in 14.2 IP), after one more inning on the mound when his work allows the Nationals to mount a comeback with a six-run eighth.
• Don't Walk Dunn, Dukes Is Back...
Josh Bard started the eighth inning with a single to center off San Francisco reliever Bob Howry. Anderson Hernandez followed with his third hit of the night, and the visiting Giants' slim one-run lead was officially in jeopardy. Cristian Guzman singles, 5-5 ballgame. Alberto "The General" Gonzalez hits the fourth straight single, scoring Bard's-pinch-runner Wil Nieves from second and moving Anderson Hernandez to third, 6-5 DC takes the lead. Howry's replaced by Merkin Valdez, who gets Nick Johnson to K looking. Fooled by a slider. Ryan Zimmerman, who was just 1 for his last 19, doubles to the right center gap to score two to put Washington ahead 8-5. Merkin Valdez gives Adam Dunn the intentionals, which in recent weeks might have meant Austin Kearns or Josh Willingham were coming up, but Elijah "Super" Dukes is back, and he tears into a 1-0 slider for an RBI single to center. Zimmerman scores, 9-5 DC. Pinch runner Wil Nieves hits a sac fly to right, Dunn tags and scores. 10-5 DC.
• Let's just ignore the fact that "Wild" Joel Hanrahan gave up a run in the ninth, shall we?
• Rise of The Bard. The Fall of Flores.
In addition to hitting his first HR of the season in the second, which was only the second home run that San Francisco starter Tim Lincecum has surrendered all season, DC catcher Josh Bard scored the winning run by proxy in the eighth, and finished the night 3 for 4 with his sixth RBI. Bard and Wil Nieves are going to be counted on the rest of the way unless someone rises up from the system like "Disgruntled" Luke Montz, because, as the Washington Nationals announced and MLB.com's Bill Ladson reported this afternoon in an article entitled, "Shoulder could end Flores' season", Jesus Flores has suffered a "stress fracture inside his right shoulder", which will put him out for "a minimum of three months" according to "Acting" DC GM Mike Rizzo, who's quoted in Mr. Ladson's article stating that:
"'It's a bad day for the organization. It's not a devastating injury. It's going to take time to heal. Once it heals, we should have him at 100 percent.'"
• 49 and 50.
Error #49 - Josh Bard, (E - 1). - Men on second and third after Fred Lewis and Juan Uribe single in succession and one out later are sac'd over by Giants' pitcher Tim Lincecum. DC starter Craig Stammen uncorks a 3-1 curve to Aaron Rowand that hits the dirt and gets by Bard, but that's a WP, not the error, Fred Lewis comes home, and Bard tosses wildly over the covering pitcher's head and toward the first base dugout, E, Uribe comes around to score from second on the wild pitch-walk-error combo, Rowand takes second.
Error #50 - Cristian Guzman, (E - 7). - Bottom of the sixth, Pablo Sandoval leads off for the Giants with a broken bat grounder that saw the sawed off barrel shoot out toward right while the ball went up the middle to the short side of second, Cristian Guzman gets to it, reaches down, and comes up empty. Sandoval scores one out later on Juan Uribe's RBI double.
Miss The Game, The DC Faithful Were Watching.
Nationals win, 10-6 final.
For The Completists, Complete Game Report (currently unedited) After The Jump...
Nationals now 14-36.
San Francisco Giants At Washington Nationals. Game 50 or 51 of 162.
Did new Nationals' pitching coach Steve McCatty tell him to throw that? A 1-1 change from DC righty Craig Stammen acts more like a BP fastball, and Aaron Rowand treats it as such, homering to left to lead off the game. 1-0 Giants. Stammen gets squeezed a bit on a 2-2 pitch that’s arguably low, but Edgar Renteria flies out to deep center on a full-count fastball. Craig Stammen kicks the dirt at his feet for a moment before firing low again with a 2-2 fastball to Randy Winn, who ends up doubling to left center just out of Willie Harris’ reach. A groundout to third from Bengie Molina and a high pop to center from Pablo Sandoval and Stammen’s out with minimal damage...Tim Lincecum gets Cristian Guzman looking at a fastball Guzman thinks is low. Nick "Two-Spot" Johnson hits a trademark single to left center. NJ™. Ryan Zimmerman walks with one down and the Donkey’s up. Adam Dunn almost gets one, but it falls into right. Elijah Dukes swings over a 1-2 bender inside. 1-0 Giants after one.
Adam Dunn charges in behind Cristian Guzman to catch the first out off Fred Lewis’ bat. Ryan Zimmerman robs Juan Uribe, picking a one-hopper and firing to first, in time. Emmanuel Burriss flies out to Dunn in left, Stammen retires the Giants in order....Lincecum throws a 93 mph full-count fastball to Willie Harris that’s popped out to left. Josh Bard hits only the second HR Lincecum’s allowed in '09, taking a fastball inside to straight left, 1-1 ballgame. Craig Stammen pops up on a bunt out a foot in front of home when Bengie Molina pops up to catch it. Anderson Hernandez singles and then steals second with Cristian Guzman at bat. Guzman grounds out to second.
Tim Lincecum slices an arching liner out to left. Aaron Rowand only gets as far as short with a groundout Guzman handles. Edgar Renteria grounds to Guzman again and again Guzman throws to first to end the frame...Nick Johnson takes a swing at an 0-2 change in the dirt, and has to run it out after K’ing. Ryan Zimmerman grounds a 2-0 pitch to Burress at second. Adam Dunn goes the other way with a fastball outside and doubles to the left center wall. Elijah Dukes grounds to Uribe, who has it go under his glove, Dunn scores. 2-1 DC. Willie Harris K's to end the third.
Randy Winn grounds out to Guzman. Bengie Molina K’s swinging for a change in the dirt. Pablo Sandoval flies out to Dunn in left, and Craig Stammen’s mowing down Giants...Two-strike curve/change outside from Lincecum gets Bard looking. Anderson "Elvis" Hernandez goes the other way with a line drive single to left. Craig Stammen K’s trying to bunt with two strikes. Cristian Guzman patiently takes a free pass. Nick Johnson goes inside out to left, Fred Lewis has it...
...And Fred Lewis singles to center on a curve from Stammen. Juan Uribe singles on a hop in front of Dunn in left. Emmanuel Burriss flies out to Willie Harris in center. Craig Stammen tosses softly to first to get Lincecum on the sac. Second and third, Josh Bard misses a curve from Stammen with Aaron Rowand up, and it bounces away, Bard recovers and tosses it, over Stammens head, Lewis scores, Uribe scores as they chase down the ball, 3-2 Giants, Rowand, who walked on the pitch takes second on the errant toss. Edgar Renteria singles, Rowand to third, and Randy Winn goes back up the middle with an RBI single that scores Rowand, 4-2 Giants. Stammen gets a flyout to center to end the inning...Ryan Zimmerman grounds out to start the fifth. Adam Dunn pops out to the infield. Elijah Dukes chases a 2-2 curve out of the zone...
A broken bat sails toward second on Pablo Sandoval’s grounder to short, Guzman blows it, error No. 50 on the Nationals. Fred Lewis flies unproductively to Willie Harris in center. Pablo Sandoval scores from first on a line drive to left from Uribe that dies in the corner as Dunn awaits the bounce, 5-2 Giants. Cristian Guzman steps back to catch Emmanuel Burris' pop out. Cristian Guzman throws out the pitcher...Willie Harris lines a double to right that rolls into the corner. Bard dumps a single into left, Harris takes third. First and third for Anderson Hernandez. Hernandez grounds into what should be a DP, but Renteria throws it away after stepping on first, Harris scores, 5-3 Giants. Stammen out for PH Ronnie Belliard, Hernandez steals third, and scores when Belliard flies to right, sac fly, 5-4 San Fran. Cristian Guzman grounds out to end the sixth.
Aaron Rowand doubles off Julian Tavarez to start the seventh. Edgar Renteria moves Rowand over with a groundout to second. Tavarez out so Ron Villone can face Randy Winn, who’ll bat from the right. Ron Villone throws a low two-strike fastball outside by Randy Winn. Rowand still at third. Ron Vill0.00ne gets Bengie Molina to chase strike three out of the zone!! Vill0.00ne remains perfect...Nick Johnson pops out foul of third and it curves back in to Uribe. Ryan Zimmerman lines to left for a single in front of Adam Dunn. Jeremy Affeldt on to face Dunn. Lefty vs Lefty. Adam Dunn’s way out in front of a two-strike curve. Elijah Dukes up, Zimmerman takes second on a pitch in the dirt that gets by Molina. Another wild pitch, and Zimmerman takes third. Bob Howry on for Affeldt against Austin Kearns, who hits for Willie Harris. Kearns sends a dribbler to third, Uribe guns Kearns at first.
Ron VILL0.00ne gets a fly ball to left from Pablo Sandoval. Zimmerman throws out Fred Lewis after backhanding a hot shot and firing to first!!! Ground ball to second, and Hernandez throws out Uribe!! VILL0.00NE LIVES!!...Josh Bard singles to center off Howry to start the Nationals’ eighth.Wil Nieves runs for Bard. Anderson Hernandez singles Nieves over to second. Pinch hitter Alberto Gonzalez tries to bunt twice, but fouls them off, so he swings away and singles to center, Nieves scores, tied at 5-5!!! Cristian Guzman vs Merkin Valdez, Guzman gets a single under second, and into right, Hernandez scores the go-ahead run, 6-5 DC. Nick Johnson gets called out on a two-strike curve. Ryan Zimmerman lines to right center and into the gap, two runs score, 8-5 DC!!! Dunn gets the intentionals, and Elijah Dukes makes them pay, a new pitcher makes no difference, Dukes doubles off Giants’ righty Justin Miller, 9-5 DC. Austin Kearns gets the intentionals to bring Wil Nieves to the plate. Nieves hits one to deep right, Winn catches, Dunn tags and scores, 10-5 DC. Anderson Hernandez grounds out to end the eighth. Wait for it...
"Wild" Joel Hanrahan vs Emmanuel Burriss. Burriss reaches on a single back to the mound and off Hanrahan’s outstretched glove. Nate Schierholz pops out foul of third. Aaron Rowand singles to right, Burriss scores. 10-6. Edgar Renteria pops out to Zimmerman for out No. 2. Randy Winn doubles to right, Rowand to third. Bengie Molina pops out to second, Hanrahan ends it!! Nationals win, 10-6 final.
Nationals now 14-36.