• Jason Marquis didn't record an out in the start which led to his elbow surgery and rehab, and it took five at bats before he got the first out in his last outing against LA, but Marquis pops up the first battter he faces tonight, then issues a one-out walk and a hard hit grounder that could've been trouble if Ian Desmond wasn't at short. Diving backhand stab, backhand toss to Adam Kennedy and on to Adam Dunn. Double play. Marquis gets through this first inning in a hurry.
• The second doesn't go so well. Roger Bernadina misses a fly ball to center from Adam LaRoche when the Nats' CF collides with the wall, and Marquis gives up a two-run HR in the next AB when Miguel Montero swings at a 3-0 fastball and launches it over Bernadina and the wall and out to center. 2-0 D-Backs on Montero's 7th HR. 3-0 Arizona when Gerardo Parra takes Marquis deep for his 3rd HR of the season.
• First-pitch fastball...GONE!!! Ryan Zimmerma--THE KIDS CALL HIM ZIM!! THE KIDS CALL HIM ZIM!!! Zimmerman launches the first pitch he sees from Ian Kennedy and gets it over the wall into the visitor's bullpen in left. 3-1 D-Backs after Zimmerman's 23rd. Marquis gives it right back, throwing a sinkless fastball that Kelly Johnson hits out for a solo opposite field HR in the top of the third. 4-1 Arizona after three and a half. 4-2 after four innings after Adam Kennedy drives in Adam Dunn with an RBI single off Ian Kennedy in the fourth...
• Marquis can't get out of the fifth. A half-inning after the Nats get a run and have a rally ended by Pudge Rodriguez's 21st DP of the season, (Even MASN's Bob Carpenter is begging him to stop!), Marquis gives up a leadoff single to the pitcher and a double to Chris Young, (who'd flown into hard-hit outs in his first two AB's), but it's a base-loading walk to Kelly Johnson that finally ends Marquis' night. And Nats' Skipper Jim Riggleman hears cheers just for walking out to the mound and giving the right-hander the hook. Marquis' Line: 4.0 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 2 K's, 3 HR's, 69 pitches, 39 strikes, 7 groundouts, 3 flyouts.
• Miguel Montero's got two HR's tonight after he takes Miguel Batista deep. Maybe it wasn't just Marquis (it was, he was bad), because the D-Backs rough Old Rubber Arm up too, scoring three runs to make a 5-2 game an 8-2 blowout. And the D-Backs tack one on in the ninth to make it 9-2. Rubber match Sunday with Strasburg on the hill...
Game Notes: Bernadina goes 0 for 4 with 3 K's and a groundout. Nats go 1 for 11 with RISP. Pudge's 21st DP of the season really kills what was probably the Nats' best chance of avoiding having this turn into the laugher it became. A 79 mph 1-2 curve outside gets Pudge in the third after a leadoff double by Dunn, one-out walk by Willingham and Kennedy's RBI single. Highlight of the Night: Desi's DP? Bernadina's leaping miss at the wall? I'm going with Craig Stammen's relief appearance in the fifth, though Justin Upton helped by grounding into a DP on the second pitch he saw, Stammen handled Adam LaRoche and got a swinging K to at least keep it close...
• Miss The Game? The DC Faithful Were Watching...
?'s Raised:
• With Stammen looking sharp, do you move him back to rotation where he's struggled at time, or develop him in the bullpen since there are an abundance of eligible starters for the 2011 rotation?
• Did someone say Wilson Ramos? No? OK, just checking...
• Seriously, does Marquis get to make another start? Nats' Skipper Jim Riggleman has always said it's a results league and as was discussed in last night's gamethread, the veteran starter is not getting it done right now.
• Final Score: D-Backs 9, Nats 2.
Nationals now 50-67.
• FULL GAME REPORT:
1 - Jason Marquis pops up Chris Young. Marquis walks Kelly Johnson with one down and gets help from Ian Desmond, who dives to make a backhand stab and tosses to Adam Kennedy at second to Adam Dunn at first, double play...Roger Bernadina K's looking at a two-strike curve from Ian Kennedy. Ian Desmond grounds weakly to short. Two down. Adam Dunn K's looking to end the first.
2 - Roger Bernadina gets to a long fly by Adam LaRoche but drops it when he collides with the wall. Marquis gets behind 3-0 to Miguel Montero and gives up a two-run blast on a fastball that's crushed. 2-0 D-Backs. Mark Reynolds K's swinging and Stephen Drew grounds out to short. Two down. Gerardo Parra goes yard. Straight center. 3-0 D-Backs on Montero's bombshot. Ian Kennedy grounds out to third, Zim throws him out....Ryan Zimmerman goes yard on the first pitch he sees, 3-1 Arizona. Josh Willingham singles on a line drive to center off Kennedy. Adam Kennedy K's swinging at a nasty bender inside. Ivan Rodriguez grounds out to second, Willingham safe at second. Willie Harris K's looking at a curve on the outside edge.
3 - Chris Young sends Willingham back to the track on a hard hit flyout to left. Kelly Johnson goes opposite field with a sinkless fastball for the third HR off Marquis, 4-1 AZ. Justin Upton grounds out to second. Adam LaRoche follows with a single to right. Roger Bernadina tracks down a Montero line drive to center...Jason Marquis grounds out to start the Nats' third. Roger Bernadina K's swinging over a curve inside. Ian Desmond grounds sharply to third.
4 - Ryan Zimmerman backhands a grounder to third and throws Mark Reynolds out from behind the third base bag. Stephen Drew grounds to Kennedy at second. Parra K's swinging at ball four...Adam Dunn takes second as Stephen Drew and Gerardo Parra both lose sight of his high pop. Ryan Zimmerman flies out to Justin Upton in right. Josh Willingham walks with one down. Adam Kennedy scores Dunn from second with a grounder into right, 4-2 D-Backs. First and second for Pudge. DP grounder, Drew to Johnson to LaRoche.
5 - Marquis gives up a single to the opposing pitcher. Chris Young flies to deep center. Kelly Johnson walks to load the bases. Ian Kennedy scores on a DP grounder by Justin Upton to second, Kennedy fields, steps on second and throws to first. Adam LaRoche K's swinging to end the D-Backs' fifth...Willie Harris grounds out to second. Justin Maxwell hits for Stammen, or more accurately pops out. Bernadina K's looking to end the fifth.
6 - Miguel Montero does it again. HR to left-center on a fastball from Miguel Batista. 6-2 D-Backs. Mark Reynolds grounds out to the mound. Stephen Drew doubles to right in front of Gerardo Parra, who singles through short, first and third for Ian Kennedy. Single to right, Drew scores and it's 7-2 D-Backs. 8-2 when Chris Young singles through short off Batista. Kelly Johnson grounds out to first. Two down. Justin Upton grounds out to short...Ian Desmond singles through short and steals second with Adam Dunn up. Dunn grounds out to first. Ryan Zimmerman pops out to first. Josh Willingham pops out to waste Desmond's effort.
7 - Doug Slaten strikes out LaRoche. Zim throws out Miguel Montero. Two down. Mark Reynolds grounds to third, Zim throws him out...Adam Kennedy lines out to Chris Young in straight center. Ivan Rodriguez takes an 0-2 curve for a called strike three. Willie Harris lines to left and is robbed by a diving Gerardo Parra.
8 - Stephen Drew flies out to left. Gerardo Parra K's looking. Bobby Crosby hits for Ian Kennedy, and Slaten gets a groundout to end the top of the frame...Alberto Gonzalez takes a leadoff walk and moves to second and then third as Bernadina and Kennedy ground out. Adam Dunn walks with two down, and Ryan Zimmerman battles Blaine Boyer, but eventually grounds out to third.
9 - Chris Young singles to center to start the D-Backs' ninth. Kelly Johnson doubles off Miguel Batista and Young scores from third on Justin Upton's sac fly. 9-2 D-Backs. Adam LaRoche K's swinging. Two down. Miguel Montero grounds out to second to end the top of the ninth...Josh Willingham dumps a soft fly into short right. Adam Kennedy grounds to first, one down. Ivan Rodriguez flies out to center. Willie Harris grounds out to first to mercifully end it.