Tonight's Top 5:
5. Dunn Stays!!!!: When the starting lineup was announced, the DC Faithful let their big middle-of-the order bat know that they wanted him to stay all along with a nice round of applause that was broken up only by the roar of the Philly fans who'd made their way south to take in the second game of the weekend series in the nation's capital. When Dunn stepped up to bat for the first time with two on and one out in the first, the Nats fans made it clear. A standing ovation for Dunn, who flew out to left, but he's here to stay, uh, at least through October...
Here's what Dunn had to say about the standing ovation he received in his first post-trade deadline AB as reported by Nats Insider.com's Mark Zuckerman on the Twitter:
@markzuckerman: "When I retire, that's one of the things that will be at the top of my list to remember."
4. Welcome To NatsTown: Two hours after Nats fans found out that Adam Dunn was going to remain a Nat through the rest of the season, Washington announced what has to be considered their first big international signing when 28-year-old Cuban right-hander Yunesky Maya was introduced to the nation's capital in a press conference before tonight's game. Asked what his first impressions of the nation's capital were, Maya responded through a translator that he only arrived at 2:00 in the afternoon yesterday, so he hasn't had a chance to look around and get acclimated, but so far what he sees he loves, and he did mention he wants to meet [President] Obama, but they'll work on that later.
On to the actual game...
3. Rally TIME!!!: What better way to celebrate keeping the middle of the Nats' order together than by rallying in the first inning after the Non-Waiver Trade Deadline passes? Nyjer Morgan leads off with a single up the middle off Philly righty Joe Blanton, Ryan Zimmerman hits a one-out single to center, and Josh Willingham drives in the first run with a shallow pop to left that Raul Ibanez can't come up with. 1-0 Nats. Roger Bernadina lines one over second for an RBI single, 2-0, and Ivan Rodriguez singles to right to plate Willingham 3-0 Nats after one.
2. Detwiler Leaves With Lead: Ross Detwiler gave up just one run in 5.1 IP. His replacement, Joel Peralta gave up a run on the fourth pitch he threw. Carlos Ruiz takes Peralta deep to left bring the Phillies within one run at 3-2. The Nats get their two-run lead back in the sixth when Roger Bernadina hits an opposite field double to start the frame and scores on a sac fly by Ian Desmond, but then it's....IBANEZ!!!! Raul "The Nat Killer" Ibanez who was 29 for 68 (.428/.506/.882) against Washington last year with 5 doubles, 8 HR's and 21 RBI's ties it with a two-run HR to right off Tyler Clippard that ties it at 4-4.
1. THEY CALL HIM MR. WALKOFF!!! After coming on to get the final out of the eighth, Nats' lefty Sean Burnett's brought back out for the ninth and he issues a leadoff walk to Jayson Werth, who eventually scores on a two-out single by Carlos Ruiz on a 1-2 fastball upstairs he somehow handles, 5-4 Philly...and the crowd full of noisy Philly fans thinks it's over...Don't they know their own closer? Brad Lidge gives up a leadoff single to Michael Morse, the leader of the club that's made for you and me, and a one-out walk to Adam Kennedy to get Ryan Zimmerman to the plate. 5-4 Philly, two on, one out. Lidge throws a 1-1 fastball that Zim just misses, and the Philly stopper throws another thigh-high fastball inside that ends up halfway up the batter's eye grass for Ryan Zimmerman's 7th Walk-off HR of his career. The Nats win!! The Nats Win!!!
• Miss The Game? The DC Faithful Were Watching...
| Num | Name - Comments |
|---|---|
| 1 | plebescite - 89 |
| 2 | grizzy - 84 |
| 3 | MissB - 69 |
| 4 | CapsFan75 - 65 |
| 5 | Nationalpastime9 - 43 |
| 6 | DC3 - 36 |
| 7 | BloggerVance - 26 |
| 8 | Doncosmic - 22 |
| 9 | G8RB8 - 9 |
• Final Score: Nats 7, Phillies 5
Nationals now 46-58.
FULL GAME REPORT: (unedited, or lightly edited, I'm tired)
1 - Jimmy Rollins shoots a single through short off lefty Ross Detwiler to start the second of three in DC. Placido Polanco flies to right on the first pitch he sees. Raul Ibanez pops out to Ryan Zimmerman just foul of third base. Rollins steals second with Jayson Werth at bat. Werth flies to center and Morgan makes a catch at the wall to end the top of the first...Nyjer Morgan singles up the middle off Philly righty Joe Blanton to start the Nats' first. Adam Kennedy flies out to center. Ryan Zimmerman goes back up the middle with a hard-hit single. Adam Dunn flies out to left. Josh Willingham flies to shallow left, and Ibanez dives for it and misses, Morgan scores, 1-0 Nats. Roger Bernadina singles to center, 2-0 DC. Ivan Rodriguez drives in Willingham 3-0 Nats. Bernadina takes third. Ian Desmond flies to right to end the first.
2 - Ross Detwiler walks Philly first baseman Cody Ransom to start the second. Domonic Brown flies out to left, one down. Carlos Ruiz pops out to second, two down. Wilson Valdez grounds back to the mound to end the top of the second...Ross Detwiler grounds weakly back to Blanton, one down. Nyjer Morgan K's swinging at a high 2-2 heater. Adam Kennedy swings over a 2-2 sinker to end the second, 3-0 Nats.
3 - Joe Blanton K's swinging. Jimmy Rollins hits his second single by Desmond at short. Placido Polanco goes down swinging at a 1-2 bender. Jayson Werth lines back to the mound to end the Phillies' third...Ryan Zimmerman pops out to Raul Ibanez in left. Adam Dunn K's looking. Josh Willingham K's swinging to end the third, still 3-0 DC.
4 - Detwiler walks Jayson Werth to start the third. Cody Ransom pops up to Pudge behind the plate. Domonic Brown grounds to second, Kennedy shuffles to Desmond to Dunn, but wide, Dunn's off first. Two down, but no DP. Carlos Ruiz goes down for a change from Detwiler and lines it to center for a two-out single. WIlson Valdez gets hold of a curve and singles to left to score Brown. 3-1 Nats. Blanton grounds back to the mound, still 3-1 Nats....Roger Bernadina K's swinging to start the Nats' frame. Ivan Rodriguez grounds out to Rollins at short. Ian Desmond sneaks a single into left. Detwiler tries, but K's.
5 - Jimmy Rollins grounds out to short for the first out he's made tonight. Detwiler issues a one-out walk to Polanco. Raul Ibanez gets up 2-0 and ends up K'ing. Two down. Jayson Werth rips a low liner between Zim and Desi and into left. Cody Ransom pops out to second to end Philly's fifth...Morgan K's looking. Adam Kennedy flies out to left. One down. Zimmerman takes a two-out walk. Dunn's hit. Hammer K's looking to end the fifth.
6 - Ross Detwiler's back to face lefty Domonic Brown. Brown grounds to short and Detwiler's done. Joel Peralta vs Carlos Ruiz. 2-1 pitch, GONE! Ruiz flies to left and over the wall, 3-2 Nats in the sixth. Wilson Valdez flies out to center. Joe Blanton pops out to Zim down the line in left and foul...Roger Bernadina goes to left for a leadoff double into the corner where Ibanez has to dig it out. Pudge singles through short. Ian Desmond's robbed by Domonic Brown who makes a spectacular diving catch at the line in right. Bernie tags and scores. 4-2 Nats. Willie Harris hits a single to right. Morgan grounds into an inning-ending DP. 4-2 Nats.
7 - Tyler Clippard takes over in the seventh. Jimmy Rollins pops out to third. Clippard issues a one-out walk to Polanco in front of Raul Ibanez, who ties it with one swing. Two-run HR to right, 4-4 game. Jayson Werth lines a single to left. Clippard's done. Doug Slaten on against pinch hitter Ross Gload. Single to center, Werth takes third. Domonic Brown goes down swinging. Riggleman's going to another reliever. Miguel Batista gets a fly ball to right from Ruiz to end a long top of the seventh...Adam Kennedy pushes a single through short to start the Nats' seventh. Ryan Zimmerman K's and Kennedy's caught stealing, double play. Adam Dunn takes a two-out walk. Josh Willingham's called out on strikes.
8 - Wilson Valdez spins one back to the mound for Batista. Ryan Zimmerman charges, scoops and makes a sidearm throw to get Greg Dobbs. Two down. Miguel Batista walks Jimmy Rollins. Placido Polanco shots a single through second with Rollins running and it's first and third with two down. Sean Burnett comes out of the pen and gets a groundout to first from Ibanez to end the Phillies' eighth...Philly righty Ryan Madson's on. Roger Bernadina grounds out to first. Pudge K's swinging. So does Desmond.
9 - Sean Burnett walks Jayson Werth to start Philly's ninth. Ross Gload bunts Werth over to second and Domonic Brown's groundout moves him to third. Two down. Riggleman's going to pen. Drew Storen vs Carlos Ruiz. Storen throws Ruiz a high 1-2 fastball that is driven to right for a run-scoring single and a 5-4 Philly lead. Wilson Valdez pops out to end the top of the frame...Brad Lidge on to close it. Michael Morse lines a single to center and takes second on Nyjer Morgan's sac bunt. Adam Kennedy works the count full and walks. Ryan Zimmerman, JUST CALL HIM MR. WALKOFF!!!!!!! Deeeeeeeep center and GONE!! NATS WIN!! NATS WIN!!