• Tonight's Top 5:
5. Little Leagued: First and third, one down in the Braves' first. 1-0 already after a sac fly by Chipper Jones allows Martin Prado to tag and score after singling and moving to third on Jason Heyward's double. Atlanta's left fielder Eric Hinske K's swinging with McCann breaking for second. Pudge Rodriguez throws to second, Ian Desmond chases the Braves' catcher back toward first and throws to Dunn (big mistake), Jason Heyward heads home right when Desi throws it so Dunn's throw to the plate is too late to stop the second run of the game from scoring. 2-0 Atlanta after one...
4. Livan Follows Up Complete Game With...: Nats' Skipper Jim Riggleman didn't like what he saw from his veteran right-hander Livan Hernandez, who needed 85 pitches to get one out in the fifth. Livan gives up a one-out double by Martin Prado and a one-out walk by Jason Heyward before Chipper Jones singles in the third Braves' run and ends Hernandez's night in the fifth, one outing after the 35-year-old starter had thrown a complete game against Cincinnati. Hernandez allows 6 hits, 3 ER, 2 BB, collects 3 K's, throws 85 pitches, 55 strikes, and gets 4 groundouts and 6 flyouts before he departs...
3. "Who's the leader of the club that's made for you and me? M-i-c-k-e-y M-o-r-s-e!!" - souldrummer: Nats' lefty Doug Slaten replaces Livan and gets one out before Nats' Skipper Jim Riggleman goes for his trademark double switch™ and brings Tyler Clippard out to the mound batting fifth while Michael Morse takes over for Roger Bernadina in right after Bernie'd K's twice. Pudge starts the Nats' fifth with his first extra base hit since July 11th. Willie Harris strikes out, Ian Desmond grounds out, but at least the grounder moves Pudge up. Michael Morse comes up with two down and singles to center to score Pudge, 3-1 Braves. Nyjer Morgan singles. Adam Kennedy's groundout ends the two-out threat...
2. Tim Hudson Can't Be Beat: The Washington Nationals haven't beaten Braves' right-hander Tim Hudson since June 5, 2006 when Brian Schneider, Livan Hernandez and Jose Vidro combined to drive in five runs in the sixth inning of what ended up a 5-4 win over Atlanta. Since then Hudson's 9-0 in 12 GS including tonight's win in which the 34-year-old right-hander goes 7.1 IP allowing 7 hits, 1 walk and 1 ER while recording 7 K's and throwing 96 pitches, 63 strikes and collecting 12 groundouts to go with 3 flyouts....Jonny Venters replaces Hudson and strikes out Adam Dunn, who's the tying run at the plate with Ryan Zimmerman on first in the eighth. Billy Wagner throws a scoreless ninth and the Braves' win sets up the rubber match tomorrow afternoon in DC.
1. Adam Dunn Employee No.44 Will Start Hitting When You Stop Talking About TRADES!!!: Adam Dunn's said since the season started without he and the Nats agreeing on an extension that he despised having to listen to trade talk and answer questions about possible deals at the Deadline, and he's been quoted everywhere this summer as July 31 draws closer saying the same and expressing his annoyance. Dunn goes 0 for 4 with 3 K's tonight, and since the trade talk really picked up earlier this month, Dunn's 4 for 33 with just 1 HR in his last 14 games. Adam Dunn Will Start Hitting Again When You Sto....what? Who said what...Dern it!!!:
SI.com's Jon Heyman (@SI_JonHeyman): "#yankees remain interested in adam dunn. but no serious talks yet. do #nats have something else working?"
3 days left...
• Miss The Game? The DC Faithful Were Watching...
| Num | Name - Comments |
|---|---|
| 1 | souldrummer - 82 |
| 2 | Nationalpastime9 - 62 |
| 3 | ajk9hy - 61 |
| 4 | grizzy - 49 |
| 5 | Doghouse - 48 |
| 6 | plebescite - 31 |
| 7 | RoscoeNats - 26 |
| 8 | Doncosmic - 23 |
| 9 | Whiter Mage - 18 |
| 10 | bluelineswinger - 16 |
• Final Score: Braves 3, Nationals 1.
Nationals now 43-58.
• FULL GAME REPORT:
1 - Livan Hernandez with the traditional first pitch fastball for a strike and he gives up a single to right on the second 0-2 pitch he throws to Martin Prado. Jason Heyward lines a double to right and off the wall in the corner. Prado gets around to third. Chipper Jones flies out to center field to score the Braves' first run. 1-0 Atlanta. Brian McCann walks to put two on for Eric Hinske. Hinske K's with McCann running and caught in a rundown, Heyward breaks home from third and beats Dunn's throw home, 2-0 Atlanta. Troy Glaus grounds out to third to end a long first...Nyjer Morgan can't hold back on a fastball outside and he's punched out by the ump. Adam Kennedy lines a single to right. Chipper Jones wants his Gold Glove back, Jones fields Ryan Zimmerman's chopper on one hop and throws to first. Two down. Adam Dunn grounds out to Prado at second to end the first.
2 - Livan Hernandez drops a two-strike bender on Alex Gonzalez and gets a swinging K. Melky Cabrera grounds out to first. Tim Hudson grounds out to Ian Desmond...Roger Bernadina takes a fastball inside that breaks back in for strike three. Ivan Rodriguez grounds out Martin Prado at second. Willie Harris K's swinging to end the second.
3 - Martin Prado goes back up the middle for a leadoff single. Jason Heyward's groundout to second moves Prado up. Willie Harris gets to the corner of the stands that sticks out into left to catch Chipper's foul pop. Two down for McCann, who flies out to Morgan in center...Ian Desmond singles to left and moves to second on a sac bunt by Livan Hernandez. Nyjer Morgan lines a single to right that moves Desmond to third. Adam Kennedy grounds to first, Glaus throws to second, and gets back to first to catch Alex Gonzalez's return throw. Double play.
4 - Livan Hernandez gets a fly ball to left from Eric Hinske. Troy Glaus waits on a hanging bender from Livan and lines to center. Nyjer Morgan camps out under a high fly ball from Alex Gonzalez. Two down. Livan gets Melky Cabrera swinging on three pitches...Ryan Zimmerman leads off the Nats' fourth with a fly ball out to Melky Cabrera in center. Adam Dunn flies out to Hinske in left. Roger Bernadina K's swinging over a nasty diving breaking ball to end the bottom of the inning.
5 - Tim Hudson flies out. Martin Prado doubles to left-center and off the wall with one out in the fifth. Livan Hernandez walks Jason Heyward to put two on for Chipper Jones. Fastball outside and Chipper pops it to right for an RBI single, Prado scores, 3-0 Braves. Doug Slaten takes over for Livan and gets a line drive to left from McCann before he's lifted too. Tyler Clippard takes over with Matt Diaz up. Michael Morse takes over in right for Bernadina. Diaz flies out to Morse in right to end the top of the frame...Pudge Rodriguez doubles to center to start the home-half of the fifth. Willie Harris strikes out swinging at a rising heater outside. Ian Desmond sends out no.2 to short. Michael Morse drives Pudge in from third with a line drive to right, 3-1 Braves. Nyjer Morgan lines a single to center. Kennedy rips one off Hudson's foot, but Hudson stays with it and makes the play.
6 - Tyler Clippard gets Troy Glaus swinging. Alex Gonzalez is the second-straight batter to foul strike three into Pudge's mitt. Melky Cabrera walks with two down. Tyler Clippard gets Tim Hudson swinging to end the Braves' sixth...Ryan Zimmerman rips a grounder through short and into left for a leadoff single. Adam Dunn flies to deep left, one down. Alberto Gonzalez grounds to Chipper at third to move Zimmerman up. Ivan Rodriguez grounds out to third to end the sixth with it still 3-1 Atlanta.
7 - Joel Peralta gets Martin Prado swinging to start the seventh. Chipper Jones grounds into a force at second, but beats Ian Desmond's throw to first. Two down. Brian McCann hits a two-out double to right. Peralta pops Matt Diaz up to center to end the Braves' seventh...Willie Harris K's looking, 3rd K tonight. Ian Desmond grounds to short for the second out of the frame. Michael Morse takes a low fastball outside for a called strike three. Hudson through seven with a 3-1 lead.
8 - Troy Glaus pops out to left, one down. Joel Peralta gets a fly to right for Morse off Alex Gonzalez's bat. Melky Cabrera hits a two-out double to right field off Peralta. Tim Hudson stays in to hit, but K's looking to end the Braves' eighth...Nyjer Morgan vs Hudson in the eighth. Groundout to first. One down. Adam Kennedy pops out to center, two down. Ryan Zimmerman take a two-out walk and Hudson's done. Jonny Venters goes to a full count and gets Dunn chasing a wicked slider.
9 - Peralta's back out for the Nats. Prado grounds out to short. Jason Heyward K's looking at a 2-2 fastball inside. Two down. Chipper Jones pops to center to end the top of the ninth...Cristian Guzman flies out to center. Billy Wagner gets Pudge swinging at a bender that dives before it reaches home. Josh Willingham flies out to center to end the game. 3-1 Braves win.