With the Washington Nationals' 9-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks Sunday, the '09 Nationals now have the second-longest winning streak in the DC History of the franchise, behind only the '05 Inaugural Nationals, who were able to win 10-straight from June 2nd through June 12th, 2005. A win in Tueday's game against the Braves, and the Nationals will have won more than eight-straight for only the second time since the '97 Montreal Expos took 10-straight from the Chicago Cubs (4), Philadelphia Phillies (2), Detroit Tigers (3) and Baltimore Orioles (1) from June 6-16th, 1997.
The Nationals get the comeback over with early this afternoon with a two-run HR by Adam Dunn putting DC up 2-1 after Trent Oeljten's leadoff HR in the top of the first gave Arizona an instant one-run lead. Dunn's 30th HR scores Ryan Zimmerman, who'd doubled with two down, over the wall in center off D-Backs' starter Yusmeiro Petit to keep the inning alive for Adam Du---SHAKE N BAKE!!! SHAKE N BAKE!!! Dunn knocks in his 83rd and 84th RBI's, and ends the day 1 for 4. Ryan Zimmerman goes 3 for 5 with 2 doubles (25,26) and Zim's now hitting .306 on the season. Elijah Dukes collects 3 RBI's, and Dukes now has 10 runs batted in over his last three games. AND A BIG SHOUTOUT TO JORGE PADILLA!! WHO GETS HIS FIRST MLB HIT IN THE SIXTH!! Cristian Guzman...? More on the Guz on the BACKPAGE...
D.C. starter J.D. Martin (W, 1-2), records his first MLB "W", pitching 4.0 scoreless after allowing the leadoff blast to Oeltjen in the first. Martin walks 1, K's 1 and allows 5 hits in 5.0 innings, throwing 85 pitches, 52 for strikes, with 2 groundouts and 10 flyouts from twenty batters he faces. The Nationals' 26-year-old right-hander wins for the first time in 4 Major League starts, with the help of Tyler Clippard, Jason Bergmann and Ron Villone, who hold it scoreless through seven, and Jorge Sosa, who allows a run but ends it with 2.1 IP and the S for having allowed one to cross...
Nationals win, 9-2 final.
Miss The Game? The DC Faithful Were Watching...
Check Out The SB Nation's Arizona Diamondbacks Blog: AZ Snakepit GameThread.
BACKPAGE:
• Cristian Guzman Claimed Off Waivers By Boston Red Sox? Deal Or No Deal?
• Pitching Matchups In Atlanta...
For The Completists, Full Game Report After The Jump...
Nationals now 40-72. (Countdown To 100 Losses in Serious Jeopardy!!!!)
BACKPAGE:
GAME REPORT:
• Cristian Guzman Claimed Off Waivers By Boston Red Sox? Deal Or No Deal?
ROSCOEtheNATSfan, my source for all things twittered, sent me a note this afternoon about DC blogger Miss Chatter's tweet which said the Boston Red Sox claiming Cristian Guzman off waivers at 12:37 pm EST this afternoon. Several minutes later, Dave Nichols of the Nats News Network posted a FanShot at Federal Baseball.com entitled, "Guzman claimed off waivers by Red Sox, according to Boston Globe." The source of the rumors is Boston Globe writer Nick Carfado, who wrote this morning, in an article entitled, "Sox eye Nats shortstop Guzman", that:
"Major League sources indicate that the Red Sox have put in a claim on Washington Nationals switch-hitting shortstop Christian Guzman, who is hitting .315 after hitting .316 last season.
"If the Red Sox have been awarded the claim - which has not been confirmed - the Red Sox would have 48 hours to work out a deal with the Nationals. The Nationals could also just award Guzman to the Red Sox or they could pull him back."
MLB.com's Bill Ladson cites Mr. Carfado's claim in an article at the Nationals' official site entitled, "Nationals Put Guzman on Waivers" in which Mr. Ladson writes, "The Nationals have put shortstop Cristian Guzman on waivers, but it's not yet known which team put in a claim for him," before mentioning the Boston Globe's story and noting that "Acting" DC GM Mike Rizzo had no comment on the situation when asked.
• Follow The Story From The Red Sox' Perspective, On The SB Nation's Red Sox Blog: Over The Monster.
For the record, Washington Times' writer Mark Zuckerman, in a Chatter post entitled, "Guzman's Future", reports that from what he's heard, "...From the people I've talked to this morning, the sense I get is that the Nats would prefer to get something in return for Guzman."
• Pitching Matchups In Atlanta...
TUES: John Lannan (8-8, 3.39 ERA) vs Tommy Hanson (6-2, 3.22 ERA)
WED: Craig Stammen (3-6, 5.40 ERA) vs Derek Lowe (11-7, 4.15 ERA)
Arizona Diamondbacks At Washington Nationals. Game 112 Of 162.
Trent Oeltjen starts the game with a HR to right off DC starter J.D. Martin. 1-0 D-Backs. Ryan Roberts flies out to Nyjer Morgan to the left of center and fairly deep. Josh Willingham backs up to catch the second out off Stephen Drew’s bat. Mark Reynolds pops up foul of first and Adam Dunn makes the catch near the dugout...Nyjer Morgan pops up behind short, the left fielder Oeltjen rushes in. Cristian Guzman K’s swinging at a two-strike change in the dirt from Arizona right-hander Yusmeiro Petit. Ryan Zimmerman lines to center over AZ CF'r Chris Young’s head, and out of the park on one-hop for a ground rule double, and Adam Dunn has a two-out chance. Du---SHAKE N BAKE!!! SHAKE N BAKE!!! Dunn goes deep to left over the out-of-town scoreboard for a two-run blast. 2-1 DC. #30 for Dunn!! Josh Willingham pounds a grounder by Mark Reynolds and down the line for a double. Elijah Dukes grounds to third, Hammer’s tagged out.
Adam Dunn makes an underhand toss to J.D. Martin at first to get Chad Tracy on a weak grounder. Chris Snyder flies out to Elijah Dukes in right. Alex Romero lines one right into Nyjer Morgan’s glove...Josh Bard shoots a low liner to third, Mark Reynolds fields and throws. Alberto Gonzalez lines one off the out-of-town scoreboard for a one-out double. J.D. Martin lines a single just over Stephen Drew’s glove at short. Gonzalez to third. Nyjer Morgan gets an 0-2 slider inside and K’s swinging. Cristian Guzman battles Petit, fouling off a few 2-2 pitches, goes full and pops out.
Chris Young starts the third with a pop out over second. Yusmeiro Petit throws his bat at a two-strike bender and K’s. Trent Oeltjen grounds sharply to second, Alberto Gonzalez fields, spins and throws, but not in time. Ryan Roberts up, but Oeltjen gets greedy and gets caught going for second...Ryan Zimmerman slides in headfirst at second with a leadoff double to the wall in left. Adam Dunn pops out behind second and into the shift. Willingham gets the intentionals to bring Elijah Dukes up with two on. Willingham gets picked off first by the catcher, for shame. A bouncing bender from Petit bounces off the D-Backs’ backstop and allows Zimmerman to advance to third. Elijah Dukes rips a sharp grounder off Mark Reynolds wrist, Zimmerman scores, Dukes takes second on a throwing error. 3-1 DC. Josh Bard grounds out to second to end the third.
Ryan Roberts flies out to Nyjer Morgan in center. Stephen Drew sends Morgan sprinting back to the track. Mark Reynolds takes ball four on a fastball outside. Chad Tracy lines a two-out single to center. Nyjer Morgan goes back to catch the final out of the fourth off Chris Snyder’s bat, J.D. Martin is holding it down...Alberto Gonzalez flies out to the track in center where Chris Young makes the grab. J.D. Martin goes down swinging. Nyjer Morgan slices a single to left and in front of Oeltjen. Morgan takes second just for the heck of it. Cristian Guzman grounds to third, Mark Reynolds manages to field it, but throws over first, Morgan scores on the error, 4-1 DC. Ryan Zimmerman shatters his bat flying out to center.
Alberto Gonzalez dives with his glove extended but misses Alex Romero’s grounder. Chris Young doubles by Zimmerman, Romero first to third. Ryan Zimmerman calls for and catches a pop up over the plate by Josh Whitesell. J.D. Martin fields Oeltjen’s grounder, looks both runners back and throws to first. Ryan Roberts grounds out to second, and it’s 4-1 DC in the fifth...Clay Zavada, he of the handle-bar moustache, gets a groundout from Adam Dunn to start the fifth. Josh Willingham pops out over short. Elijah Dukes flies out to left to end the fifth.
Tyler Clippard comes on and issues a leadoff walk to Stephen Drew. Mark Reynolds takes the second straight walk. Jason Bergmann comes on for Clippard. Chad Tracy pops out to left. Chris Snyder grounds toward short, Zimmerman cuts it off, tosses to Alberto Gonzalez at second, on to Dunn, double play!!!...Zavata’s back out for Arizona. Josh Bard starts the Nationals’ sixth with a line drive single through short. Alberto Gonzalez pops out to second. Jorge Padilla lines the first pitch he sees to right for a single. Nyjer Morgan takes a one-out walk to load the bases. Leo Rosales on for Arizona. Miguel Montero in to catch. Cristian Guzman walks to force in a run and makes it 5-1. Ryan Zimmerman grounds back to the mound, Rosales takes the force at home. Adam Dunn K’s chasing a fastball outside.
Ron Villone gives up a single to Alex Romero on the first pitch of the seventh. Chris Young grounds to short, Guzman to Gonzalez to Dunn, double play. Miguel Montero beats Villone’s glove to the ground on the mound and gets a single to center. Trent Oeltjen singles through second and Villone’s done. Jorge Sosa’s turn. Ryan Roberts goes down swinging over two-strike junk...Josh WIllingham lines one right into Stephen Drew’s glove at short. Elijah Dukes sends the second out soaring into center. Josh Bard grounds out to end the seventh.
Jorge Sosa’s back to face Stephen Drew. Drew flies out to right. Mark Reynolds takes a slider from Sosa deeeep to left and GONE!! Halfway up the stands, 5-2 DC. Chad Tracy pops up down the left field line and it drops in in front of the Hammer. Gerardo Parra grounds to second, Gonzalez to Guzman to Ronnie Belliard at first, another double play...Scott Schoeneweis takes over for Arizona. Alberto Gonzalez goes the other way with a line drive single to right. Mark Reynolds takes the out at first on a grounder from Guzman. Nyjer Morgan rips a single through second, Gonzalez scores to make it 6-2. Cristian Guzman pops up to center, and it’s falling fast. Morgan scores when it drops, 7-2 DC. Ryan Zimmerman singles to center, Guzman to second. Jorge Sosa gets down a sac bunt. Schoeneweis is done. Josh Willingham will face Blaine Boyer. The Hammer walks to load’em up for Dukes. Elijah Dukes singles up the middle, two runs score, 9-2 Nationals. 9-2 Nationals. Josh Bard pops out to end the eighth.
Jorge Sosa starts the ninth against Alex Romero. Romero pops out to Zimmerman foul of third. Chris Young goes down swinging!!!! Miguel Montero grounds to first, Ronnie Belliard knocks it down and tosses to first to end it, Nationals win, 9-2 final.
Nationals now 40-72.