HEADLINE:
Adam Dunn Hits 300th HR!!!
Adam Dunn’s solo shot off Braves' right-hander Tommy Hanson in the seventh inning this afternoon was huge, but his line-drive single in the 8th was the difference in the Washington Nationals' 5-3 4th of July victory over Atlanta. Adam Dunn's 22nd HR of 2009 is the 300th of his 9-year MLB career, and no. 300 comes on a 2-2 fastball from the Braves' 22-year-old starter, who had pitched a two-hit shutout to that point, and hadn't allowed a run to cross in his previous 26.0 innings on the mound. Down 3-1 after the dinger, Dunn's second big hit of the day, an inning later, is a line drive RBI-single to center off ATL lefty Eric O'Flaherty which puts Washington ahead 4-3 after Ryan Zimmerman's 2-run single had tied it one at bat earlier in DC's 4-run eighth. The Nationals' get a shaky ninth from DC's stopper Mike MacDougal, who continues the DC Closer Tradition of, "Making It Interesting", but eventually locks down the Nationals' 23rd win of the season.
Nationals win, 5-3 final.
Miss The Comeback? The DC Faithful Were Watching...
BACKPAGE: (Under Construction)
• Lannan Does His Whole "Ace" Act!!!!
• Ronnie Belliard Everyone!!! Now Say You're Sorry To Belli!!!
• Mike MacDougal Learns To Trust His Stuff...
For The Completists, Full Game Report After The Jump...
DWDT: 20.
Nationals now 23-55.
BACKPAGE:
• Lannan Does His Whole "Ace" Act!!!!
John "Cool Hand" Lannan allowed 9 hits, 3 ER and 1 BB in 8.0 innings on the mound, over which he K'd just one Braves' batter, inducing 17 groundouts, 4 of them of the double play variety, to keep the Nationals close in what could have easily been a blowout Braves' win. Lannan throws just 98 pitches, 65 for strikes, and working with what was clearly not his best stuff, he gets by and hangs around long enough to see the Nationals provide some support and lift the lefty to his 6th win of the season, putting him above .500 for the first time since August of '07 when he was (1-0) after the first start of his career.
• Ronnie Belliard Everyone!!! Now Say You're Sorry To Belli!!!
Ronnie Belliard was 2 for 18 in June, and 0 for 1 so far in July when he stepped to the plate in the bottom of the eighth for a leadoff pinch hit appearance against Atlanta lefty Mike Gonzalez. Belliard, a career .282 hitter against lefties, was hitting just .164 against southpaws this season, with a .159 AVG overall, so you can imagine some of the groaning that occurred when he picked up a bat, but after a 7-pitch AB which ends in a leadoff single, Ronnie B. scores to make it 3-2, just seconds before Josh Bard crosses the plate to tie it on Ryan Zimmerman's two-run single to center.
• Mike MacDougal Learns To Trust His Stuff...
A 4-run eighth puts the Nationals ahead 5-3, and DC closer Mike MacDougal takes the mound in the top of the ninth looking to save win no. 23 of 2009. Garret Anderson grounds out to short, but then MacDougal goes wild. A one-out walk to Yunel Escobar, is followed by a wild pitch to put the Braves' SS in scoring position. Walk No. 2 goes to Matt Diaz, bringing the tying run to the plate in the form of Brian McCann. McCann lines a 2-1 fastball to right, and right into Josh Willingham's glove. Rookie Brooks Conrad's up next with two out and two on, and MacDougal throws three straight fastballs at 97 mph, 96 and 97, with the last fastball hit to second for Anderson Hernandez, who fields and throws to first to end it.
GAME REPORT...
Atlanta Braves At Washington Nationals. Game 78 or 79 of 162.
Nate McLouth cracks a bat grounding out to second, Anderson Hernandez throws to first. High 2-2 fastball to Martin Prado, who lines out to Adam "299" Dunn. 1-1 fastball on the outside edge and Anderson Hernandez’s throw retires Chipper Jones and ends the first...Nyjer Morgan’s line drive to left hangs up long enough for Garret Anderson to get to it. Nick "Two-Spot" Johnson hits a trademark single up the middle for the Nationals’ first hit. NJ™. Ryan Zimmerman gets a fastball in on the fists and he pops one up to the left side of the infield. 0-1 to Adam Dunn, Braves’ righty Tommy Hanson goes with a fastball outside and gets fly ball to left to end the first.
Garret Anderson grounds back to the mound. Yunel Escobar rolls a 2-2 pitch out to third for Ryan Zimmerman to handle. Matt Diaz shoots a two-out single through short. Braves’ backstop Joshn Willingham flies out to right, Josh Willingham has it...Josh Willingham can’t hold back and he’s punched out on a slider outside from Hanson. Cristian Guzman grounds out to Yunel Escobar at short. Anderson Hernandez hits a dribbler off the end of his bat and beats the throw to first. Wil Nieves pops up foul of first and Martin Prado makes the catch.
Brooks Conrad hits a bloop single over second. Tommy Hanson gets a sac bunt down and moves Conrad into scoring position. Nate McLouth’s line drive to center scores Conrad from second, 1-0 Braves. Martin Prado grounds to short, Guzman to Hernandez to Johnson, double play...John Lannan starts the Nationals’ third with a backwards K. Not even Nyjer Morgan can beat out his swinging bunt. Nick Johnson pops out to short to end the third.
Chipper Jones lines out to the Hammer in right. Garret Anderson almost hits Lannan on the mound with a single to center. Lannan gets a DP grounder from Yunel Escobar to Zimmerman to Hernandez to Johnson, double play...Ryan Zimmerman watches a two-strike slider all the way in for a backwards K. Adam Dunn draws a one-out walk from Tommy Hanson. Josh Willingham grounds into a force at second, but the DP throw to first is offline. Cristian Guzman slaps a one-hopper to first, Martin Prado makes the play.
Matt Diaz takes a high outside fastball to right for a leadoff double in the Braves’ fifth. David Ross pops out over second. Josh Willingham charges in to catch a pop fly halfway down the line in left off Brooks Conrad’s bat. Cristian Guzman gets to and drops a grounder from Hanson, but he recovers and throws to first in time...Yunel Escobar guns Anderson Hernandez at first on a weak grounder. The first base ump punches out Wil Nieves on a check swing strike three.
John Lannan walks the Braves’ leadoff batter, Nate McLouth, to start the sixth. Martin Prado doubles over Dunn’s head in left, off the wall, McLouth to third. Chipper Jones buzzes John Lannan, taking a 2-0 fastball back up the middle for an RBI single. 2-0 Braves. Garret Anderson knocks Prado in with another single over the mound, 3-0 Nationals. John Lannan gets another DP gorunder out of Yunel Escobar, Guzman to Hernandez to Johnson, double play. Chipper to third. Matt Diaz grounds out to second to end the Braves’ sixth...Nyjer Morgan leads off the sixth. Nick Johnson grounds out. Ryan Zimmerman? Garret Anderson gets under Ryan Zimmerman’s liner which ends the sixth.
John Lannan starts the seventh against David Ross. Fly ball to right, one down. Brooks Conrad K’s swinging over a two-strike bender. Tommy Hanson grounds out to second. 3-0 Braves at the stretch...Hanson vs Dunn to start the DC seventh. Adam Dun--SHAKE N BAKE!!! SHAKE N BAKE!!! HR to right and waaaay back into the stands, #22 in ‘09, #300 of his career, congrats Mr. Dunn. 3-1 Braves. Josh Willingham flies out. Cristian Guzman grounds to second, and Anderson Hernandez K’s looking to end the seventh.
Nate McLouth singles through second to start the eighth. Martin Prado grounds to first, Johnson to Guzman at second and back to Johnson, double play. Chipper Jones grounds out to his counterpart at third...Ronnie Belliard gets a PH chance to start the eighth. Line drive single to left. Josh Bard works a walk. Nyjer Morgan’s bunt moves both runners into scoring position. Nick Johnson fouls off a 3-1 pitch that was ball four. But Johnson’s Discerning Eye does it again, walk to load the bases. Peter Moylan on to face his arch nemesis, Ryan Zimmerman. Zimmerman singles up the middle, tie ballgame, two runs cross, 3-3 in DC!! First pitch fastball to Adam Dunn from Eric O’Flaherty and Dunn singles to right, 4-3 DC. Cristian Guzman K’s swinging through a high fastball. Anderson Hernandez K’s looking at a two-strike curve.
Cristian Guzman throws to first in time to get Garret Anderson for the first out of the ninth. MacDougal issues a one-out walk to Yunel Escobar. Wild pitch with Diaz at bat, Escobar takes second. Mike MacDougal walks Matt Diaz. Brian McCann flies out to right. Brooks Conrad grounds to second, Anderson Hernandez to Johnson to end it, 5-3 DC wins.
Nationals now 23-55.