The Streak Is Over, The Spoiling Starts Now...
• Alright, the baseball world can go back to ignoring the Washington Nationals now, or maybe after one last acknowledgement, tonight or tomorrow, that their eight-game win streak is over...oh yeah, and like I was reminded in tonight's GameThread, after the deadline to sign '09 Draft picks passes on August 17th, and Stephen Strasburg either does or doesn't sign with DC. Then the Washington Nationals can finish out the season and see what they've got, see where they stand, finish evaluating their talent, and prepare for 2010...
• The next couple years of having to face Tommy Hanson (W, 7-2) are not going to be fun. Even if DC lefty John Lannan had his best stuff tonight, which he didn't, the Nationals weren't going to get much off Atlanta's twenty-two-year-old rookie right-hander. Nyjer Morgan was thrown out trying to steal third with the game tied at 1-1 in the top of the third, not long after he'd taken second off Hanson and Braves' catcher Brian McCann, and the Nationals, who'd scored a run in the first on a Ryan Zimmerman single, failed to generate any real chances after that...Washington's held scoreless after the first by Hanson, who pitches 6.2 allowing 7 hits total, lefty Eric O'Flaherty, who goes 1.1 without allowing a hit, and right-hander Manny Acosta, who allows a single and a walk in the ninth but ends it there.
• John Lannan takes the loss, (L, 8-9) giving up 6 hits, 4 walks and 6 runs, 5 of them earned. The one unearned run is the result of the Nationals' 100th error of '09, on a misplay in left field by Josh Willingham on a hard hit grounder by Chipper Jones that got by Ryan Zimmerman in the third. Jones' single moved Martin Prado from second to third, where he paused, and then scored on the error, for a 3-1 Braves' lead after Prado's double in the previous AB scored Ryan Church from first for the winning run a batter after Church had walked with one down.
Braves win, 8-1 final.
Miss The Game, It Was Brutal, But The DC Faithful Were Watching...
Check Out The SB Nation's Atlanta Braves Blog: Talking Chop GameThread.
BACKPAGE:
• Streaks Of All Sizes...
• E: 100, E: 101.
• Clippard vs Chipper...
For The Completists, Full Game Report After The JUMP...
Nationals now 40-73.
BACKPAGE: (under construction)...
• Streaks Of All Sizes...
The Washington Nationals' eight-game win-streak may have ended with the 8-1 loss to Atlanta, but a few other streaks continued. Cristian Guzman hit in his 16th straight, 14 of which have featured multiple hits for the Nationals' shortstop. Ryan Zimmerman, who had a string of four-straight games with a HR end three games back, extended his second-longest hit-streak of the season to 14-straight, going 1 for 4 with an RBI and his first stolen base of '09, and Josh Willingham hit in his 9th straight, and 15th of his last sixteen...But...the Braves did end one other streak tonight, Adam Dunn's streak of games without 4 K's, which ended at 213-straight games when Tommy Hanson struck Dunn out 3 times and Manny Acosta added one in the ninth...
• E: 100, E: 101
E: 100 - Josh Willingham misplays a grounder from Chipper Jones that reaches left field. Outcome: Martin Prado, who went second to third on C.Jones' single, scores when Willingham misplays it. 3-1 Atlanta on the error.
E: 101 - Saul Rivera walks Braves' pinch hitter Greg Norton with two down in the eighth. Rivera gives up a single to Ryan Church to put runners on first and third with two down, but gets a ground ball to short from Martin Prado, that Cristian Guzman fails to field. Outcome: Greg Norton scores on the play. 8-1 Braves.
• Clippard vs Chipper...
It's was already 6-1 in the seventh inning when Tyler Clippard took over on the mound for the Washington Nationals with Larry "Chipper" Jones leading off. Clippard threw two fastballs high in the zone, to put Chipper in a nice position waiting for a 2-0 offering, and Jones just unloaded on the Nationals' 24-year-old right-hander's 94 mph fastball down the pipe, and hit it so hard and far that DC right fielder Elijah Dukes just turned to watch it soar out to right, for a 7-1 Braves' lead. Chipper's 15th HR of '09 is the 423rd of his career, so there no shame in Clippard having surrendered it, after all Chipper's a .362 hitter in his career swinging at 2-0 pitches, and the HR off Clippard is the 34th he's hit on a 2-0 count...
Washington Nationals At Atlanta Braves. Game 113 Of 162.
The next great Atlanta starter Tommy Hanson throws a fastball for a first pitch strike to Nyjer Morgan, who leads off tonight's game with a single up the middle. Morgan slides through Yunel Escobar’s legs and comes in hard at second with the stolen base. Cristian Guzman takes a two-strike curve up high for a called strike three. Ryan Zimmerman works the count full and rips a single under a diving Chipper Jones and into left, Morgan scores from second, 1-0 DC. Adam Dunn takes a swing at a 2-2 curve and doesn’t come close. Josh Willingham up, Ryan Zimmerman steals second on Hanson. (Zim's 1st SB). Willingham stares strike three all the way in, Hanson hits the high outside corner with a heater to end DC’s first...Ryan Church hits a one-hopper to third for Zimmerman to handle. Martin Prado grounds to Alberto Gonzalez at second. Chipper Jones goes opposite field with a flyout to Elijah Dukes.
Dukes leads off the second with a swinging K on a high fastball. Alberto Gonzalez pops out to short right. Wil Nieves gives Chipper Jones some work, Chipper throws to first to end DC’s second...John Lannan walks Brian McCann to lead off the second. Yunel Escobar takes four straight. Garret Anderson ground through second into right for a single to load the bases for Matt Diaz. Diaz grounds to Cristian Guzman to Alberto Gonzalez to Adam Dunn, double play. McCann scores, 1-1 game. Omar Infante flies out to left to end the second.
Lannan grounds to Martin Prado at first, Tommy Hanson covers. Ryan Church slides in feet first but can’t get to a short pop from Nyjer Morgan. Morgan steals second, and he goes for third, McCann throws to Chipper, and Morgan’s punched out. (Safe upon further review, but hey). Cristian Guzman rips a single over short, and takes second on a wild pitch from Hanson that bounces off McCann’s shinguard. Ryan Zimmerman tears into a full-count curve but pops out to left...Lannan gets a ground ball out from the opposing pitcher. Ryan Church walks with one down, and immediately scores when Martin Prado splits the left center gap with a sharp liner. 2-1 Braves. Chipper Jones drills a grounder through third, Josh WIllingham misplays it in left and Prado scores. 3-1 Braves. Adam Dunn saves the day with a "web gem", catching a liner from McCann and stepping on first. Double play.
Adam Dunn takes a 2-2 fastball for a low called strike three. Omar Infante knocks down a grounder at second and throws to first in time. Elijah Dukes flies out to Garret Anderson in left to end the Nationals’ fourth...Yunel Escobar grounds out to third, Zimmerman makes the throw. Garret Anderson grounds out to second. Lannan throws a high two-strike heater by Diaz to end a quick fourth.
Alberto Gonzalez lines out to Omar Infante at second. Wil Nieves goes the other way and gets a grounder through Martin Prado’s glove at first. Nyjer Morgan takes strike three on a curve that drops in over the top...Omar Infante chops a single back up the middle to start the Braves’ fifth. Tommy Hanson gets the sac bunt down. Ryan Church hits a ground rule double out on one hop to left center, 4-1 Braves. Adam Dunn makes a catch on a pop fly foul of first from Martin Prado. Lannan issues the intentionals to Chipper Jones. Brian McCann makes the Nationals pay, singling to center for a two-out RBI, 5-1 Braves when Church crosses. Lannan’s lifted. Logan Kensing gives up a line drive double to left, C. Jones scores, 6-1 Braves. Garret Anderson send a fly ball to left that Josh Willingham gets under.
The Guz starts the sixth against Tommy Hanson. Line drive single to right. Ryan Zimmerman K’s swinging through a low 1-2 fastball. Adam Dunn gets fooled by a two-strike bender and waves his bat over it. Cristian Guzman steals second and takes third when McCann’s throw gets by second. Hanson gets the Hammer swinging through a fastball...Matt Diaz beats Alberto Gonzalez to second with a leadoff single to center. Omar Infante flies out to Nyjer Morgan in center. Tommy Hanson gets the sac bunt down to move Diaz to second. Ryan Church works the count full and walks, but Martin Prado’s grounder ends the sixth.
Elijah Dukes grounds to short for the first out of the seventh. Alberto Gonzalez doubles off the wall in left center. Wil Nieves chops out to short, Gonzalez takes third. Hanson’s done. Eric O’Flaherty gets a fly ball out from Willie Harris to end the DC seventh...Tyler Clippard gives up a moon shot to Chipper, deeeep to right and GONE, 7-1 Braves. Brian McCann K’s chasing a high heater from Clippard. Yunel Escobar gets the same fastballs and K’s. Garret Anderson pops up behind home and a fan interferes with Nieves, so the Ump gives him the call.
Nyjer Morgan vs O’Flaherty to start the eighth. Morgan gets called out on strike and doesn’t like it. Cristian Guzman grounds out to Escobar at short. Ryan Zimmerman swings through a high two-strike heater to end the Nationals’ eighth...Saul Rivera pops Matt Diaz up to start the bottom of the frame. Nyjer Morgan charges in to catch the second out off Omar Infante’s bat. Pinch hitter Greg Norton takes a two-out walk and moves to third on a Ryan Church blooper to right. Martin Prado grounds to short and Cristian Guzman comes up empty. Norton scores, 8-1 Braves. Chipper Jones K’s swinging to end the eighth.
Manny Acosta gets Adam Dunn swinging to start the ninth. Josh Willingham hits a one-out single to right. Elijah Dukes takes a one-out walk. Alberto Gonzalez tips strikes three into Brian McCann’s glove. Wil Nieves grounds out to end the game. Braves win, 8-1 final.
Nationals now 40-73.