Tonight's Top 5:
5. 9 Batters, 32 Pitches, 5 Hits, 1 Walk, 4 Runs: Florida sends everyone to the plate in the first inning this evening as the Marlins knock Nats' lefty Scott Olsen around early in the second of three in Washington, D.C. The Fish make Olsen throw 32 pitches to 9 batters who collect 5 hits (3 singles, 2 doubles) and a walk to force four runs across before the Nats come up to bat....
4. 6-1, Olsen's Done: Scott Olsen battled Hanley Ramirez for nine pitches before inducing a groundout to second from the defending NL Batting champ in the first, but in the second AB Olsen got bold and tried to throw a belt-high fastball inside by Ramirez, whose leadoff HR made it 5-1 FISH after the Nats had rallied for a run in the bottom of the first with Roger Bernadina walking, stealing second and scoring on a two-out RBI single by Ryan Zimmerman...
3. E: 12, 90 - 27, 91: Zimmerman looks sharp getting to a hard-hit grounder off Gaby Sanchez's bat. Zim loads up, throws from behind the third base bag and sails it. Adam Dunn comes off the bag, across the base path into foul territory to try to catch Zim's throw, but it's off his glove and to the wall. Logan Morrison, who'd walked with two out in the inning, scores to put Florida up 8-1. That's the Nats' Gold Glove third baseman's 12th error of the year and the Nats' 90th--make that 91 E's in 2010, Ian Desmond shows of his range on a grounder up the middle in the eighth that he fields on the grass behind second before making an ill-advised throw toward Dunn that gets by the big first baseman. Desmond's 27th error of the season is one he should've just pocketed after he managed to get to it.
2. Desi, Dunner, Desi: One down in the Nats' third, Ian Desmond jumps on a 1-2 bender from Marlins' starter Chris Volstad and deposits it in the left-center bullpen for his 8th HR of the year. Adam Dunn launches a full-count sinker from Volstad to straight-center and halfway up the batting eye grass in the fifth, 8-3 Marlins....and Desmond does it again in the seventh when Fish reliever Jose Veras throws an 0-2 curve that ends up the same place Volstad's 1-2 breaking ball landed in the third. 8-4 Marlins...the Nats' 5th run comes on a Pudge Rodriguez RBI single in the sixth...
1. Stanton and Ramirez Kill Nats: Hanley Ramirez has owned the Nats so far in his career, with a .361/.447/.697 slash line in 80 games and 310 at bats over which Ramirez has collected 27 doubles, 23 HR's, 62 RBI's and 21 stolen bases over the course of his 6 major league seasons. Mike Stanton, however, is just getting started. The 6'5'', 235lb 20-year-old '07 2nd Round pick had just 2 hits and 5 walks in 11 at bats against the Nats before tonight when Stanton went 5 for 5 with 2 runs scored and 4 RBI's, doubling twice and hitting what was reportedly a 450ft HR to left in the 7th off Nats' right-hander Joel Peralta. Hanley Ramirez hits his 16th HR of the year, walks twice and ends the night 1 for 3...
• Final Score: Marlins 9, Nats 5.
Nationals now 49-65.
FULL GAME REPORT:
1 - Scott Olsen can't put Hanley Ramirez away, but after battling for nine pitches he finally gets a groundout. Logan Morrison works the count full and lines a single to center. Gaby Sanchez flies out to Michael Morse in right. Dan Uggla lines to left to put two on with two out and Cody Ross due up. Ian Desmond can't get to a sharp grounder from Cody Ross, Willie Harris throws over home trying for a play at the plate, 1-0 Marlins, runners on second and third. Mike Stanton tears into a change and drills it by a lunging Ryan Zimmerman at third. Stanton scores on a Donnie Murphy double by third. Ronny Paulino is walked intentionally. Marlins' starter Chris Volstad pops out to Dunn foul of first to finally end the top of the first....Roger Bernadina takes a leadoff walk and steals second off Volstad. Ian Desmond pops unproductively to second. Adam Dunn pops out to Donnie Murphy behind third. Ryan Zimmerman smokes a low liner to center, Bernadina scores before Zim reaches first. 4-1 Marlins. Zimmerman steals second. Michael Morse grounds out to Uggla to end the first.
2 - Hanley Ramirez gets hold of an 0-2 fastball that ends up way back in the left-center seats. 5-1 Marlins. Logan Morrison singles to left in front of Gaby Sanchez, who walks. Dan Uggla K's swinging over an 0-2 bender from Olsen. Cody Ross flies to center for the second out. Mike Stanton smokes a grounder to short, Desmond bobbles it while Morrison scores, 6-1 Marlins. Olsen's done. 7-1 on broken bat single to left by Donnie Murphy. Miguel Batista gives up Olsen's last run before getting Paulino to ground out and end another long inning...Adam Kennedy grounds out to Donnie Murphy at short. Pudge reaches safely on an error by Hanley Ramirez. Willie Harris flies out, Batista K's looking, 7-1 Marlins after two.
3 - Miguel Batista gets Chris Volstad swinging and Hanley Ramirez looking at three-straight pitches after starting down 3-0. A two-out walk to Logan Morrison bites Batista as Morrison scores when Ryan Zimmerman sails the throw to first on a Gaby Sanchez grounder. 8-1 Marlins. Dan Uggla grounds into a force at second...Chris Volstad gets a groundout from Bernadina but gives up a HR to Ian Desmond who sends one out into the left field bullpen. 8-2 Marlins. Adam Dunn singles to center for the second-straight one-out hit. Ryan Zimmerman gets a grounder by Murphy at third for a third-straight hit. Michael Morse pops out to Ramirez at short. Adam Kennedy lines out to right, 8-2 Marlins after three.
4 - Ryan Zimmerman throws out Cody Ross. Mike Stanton flies to right and Michael Morse can't quite get there. Second error of the game on the Nats. Miguel Batista gets Donnie Murphy swinging for the second out. Ian Desmond throws out Paulino...Ivan Rodriguez grounds out to Donnie Murphy at third. Dan Uggla fields a deflection off Volstad and throws Willie Harris out. Miguel Batista flies to right, 8-2 Marlins after four.
5 - Miguel Batista gets Volstad to chase strike three. Hanley Ramirez walks. Batista gets a DP grounder from Logan Morrison to Kennedy, Desmond and Dunn...Roger Bernadina grounds back to Volstad. Ian Desmond grounds out to third, two down. Adam Dunn hits a two-out bomb into the batter's eye, 8-3 Marlins. Ryan Zimmerman rips a two-out double to left. Michael Morse K's swinging to end the frame.
6 - Roger Bernadina tracks down a fly ball to center by Gaby Sanchez. Ian Desmond throws out Uggla. Miguel Batista gets a fly to center from Cody Ross and that's three down...Kennedy flies to left and reaches safely when Logan Morrison drops it. Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez drives an RBI single over second, 8-4 Marlins in the sixth. Brian Sanches gets a sharp line drive to first, Gaby Sanchez catches it and steps on the bag to double up Pudge. Willingham with a two-out double. Roger Bernadina flies to right to end the sixth.
7 - Mike Stanton starts the seventh with a HUGE HR off Joel Peralta that makes it 9-4 Fish in the seventh. Adam Kennedy catches a liner off Donnie Murphy's bat. Ronny Paulino K's looking and pinch hitter Hector Luna pops out to first to end the frame...Ian Desmond gets hold of an 0-2 curve and sends it out to left to make it 9-5 with his second of the night. Adam Dunn flies out to center. Ryan Zimmerman flies to right. Michael Morse gets punched out by the first base Ump on check swing strike three.
8 - Hanley Ramirez vs Peralta in the eighth. Leadoff walk. Logan Morrison grounds up the middle, Desmond gets there by throws it away. Second and third for Gaby Sanchez. Sanchez foul strike three into Pudge's mitt. Uggla chases a sinker in the dirt. Two down. Cody Ross K's looking. Three-straight K's...Adam Kennedy goes down swinging. Pudge has another single, this one to center. Harris grounds back to the mound. Kevin Mench goes down chasing junk.
9 - Michael Stanton's fifth hit of the night is a single to right off Drew Storen. Storen abuses Donnie Murphy with a nasty two-strike bender. Ronny Paulino grounds to the mound, Storen to Desmond to Dunn, double play...Roger Bernadina vs Leo Nunez. Swinging K, one down. Desmond K's swinging. Adam Dunn grounds into the force.