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Washington Nationals Lose 3-2 To Florida Marlins On Walk-Off HR, Will Not Reach .500 In 2011.

MIAMI GARDENS, FL - SEPTEMBER 27:  John Lannan #31 of the Washington Nationals pitches during a game against the Florida Marlins at Sun Life Stadium on September 27, 2011 in Miami Gardens, Florida.  (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
MIAMI GARDENS, FL - SEPTEMBER 27: John Lannan #31 of the Washington Nationals pitches during a game against the Florida Marlins at Sun Life Stadium on September 27, 2011 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
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• Sun Life Dolphin Top 5: 

5. OE, Original Expo: Javier Vazquez gets a ground ball to short off Roger Bernadina's bat, and a leadoff single by Ian Desmond's erased on a 6-4-3 DP. Emilio Bonifacio to Omar Infante and on to Gaby Sanchez. The Marlins' right-hander, in what will likely be the last start of a 14-year career that began when he debuted for the Montreal Expos who drafted him back in 1998, throws an 8-pitch opening frame to complete his 26th-straight scoreless inning overall. Javier Vazquez hasn't allowed a run since the fourth inning of a September 5th start against the New York Mets in which he went 7.0 innings. Since then it's 6.0 shutout innings against the Pirates, 9.0 against the Nats in a complete game shutout and 7.0 against the Atlanta Braves. John Lannan gives up a two-out double by Mike Stanton in an 11-pitch first, but completes his own scoreless frame. After 12 pitches, two K's and three quick outs in the second, Javier Vazquez is at 27.0-straight scoreless. 0-0 in the 2nd. 

4. 29.2 Actually: John Lannan needs 15 pitches to retire the Marlins in order in the bottom of the second. Javier Vazquez has 28.0 scoreless (ed. note - "Really 28.2.") after an 11-pitch third in which he retires the Nats in order. 22-year-old Florida Marlins' '07 1st Round pick Matt Dominguez just misses his 1st major league HR, crushing a 3-1 fastball from Lannan that hits the top of the high wall in left and falls to Michael Morse below. A sac bunt by Vaquez and a sac fly to center by Emilio Bonifacio move Dominguez to third and then home as the Marlins take a 1-0 lead. Javier Vazquez responds with an 11-pitch 1-2-3 fourth for his 29th straight scoreless inning (ed. note - "29.2 actually.") 

3. MORSE CRUSH: Javier Vazquez is through four scoreless before Michael Morse drills a first-pitch fastball to straight center field in Sun Life Stadium and high over the 404 ft sign for HR no. 31 of 2011. Javier Vazquez retires the next three Nats in order, striking two of them out. John Lannan gives up a leadoff walk to Bryan Petersen in the Marlins' 5th, but Petersen's erased in the next AB. Jayson Werth goes a long way from left-of-center to right-center to get to a line drive by Matt Dominguez that Petersen apparently felt Werth wouldn't reach. Werth comes to a halt as quick as he can, spins and throws to Danny Espinosa and on to Chris Marrero at first before Petersen can get back. 8-4-3 DP. Lannan gets a line drive to left from the opposing pitcher for out no. 3 and it's still a 1-1 game after 5.0 innings in Florida. 

2. Lombardouble!!: Nats' rookie Stephen Lombardozzi collects his first extra base hit in his 27th plate appearance, doubling to left on a 1-0 fastball from Vazquez to lead off the sixth. A sac bunt by Lannan moves Lombardozzi to third and an RBI single by Captain Tightpants (aka Ian Desmond) brings Lombo home. 2-1 Nationals, for a moment at least. Emilio Bonifacio rips a double by third and into left on a 1-1 change from John Lannan, and two outs later steals third so that he can score on a passed ball with Logan Morrison up against the Nats' lefty. 2-2 game in the rain in south Florida. 

1. OK, Javy, Enough Already: Javier Vazquez throws an 11-pitch 1-2-3 seventh in what may very well be his last inning on the mound in the majors. The right-hander is at 83 pitches, 63 of them strikes after 7.0 IP in which he allows 4 hits, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB and records 9 K's. 8/1 GO/FO, and a nice career for the former Montreal Expo if he's done. He's not. After an 11-pitch 1-2-3 seventh by Yunesky Maya, Javier Vazquez comes back out and throws a scoreless eighth, retiring the Nationals in order on five pitches. Five. Todd Coffey gives up a leadoff single by Emilio Bonifacio, but a sac bunt, groundout and swinging K later it's tied at 2-2 after eight. 

0. Walk-Off Winner: Javier Vazquez gives up a two-out single by Jayson Werth but nothing else in a scoreless ninth. Nats' lefty Doug Slaten gets two outs on six pitches, but pitch no. 7 is not coming back. Marlins' outfielder Bryan Petersen crushes a first-pitch fastball from Slaten and sends it soaring out to right. GONE. Marlins win on a walk-off HR. Bryan Petersen's second HR of the year. Vazquez gets the win by hanging around. Win no. 165 of Vazquez's career, and his sixth straight to go from 8-11 to 13-11 on the season. The Nats will not reach .500. 

• Miss The Game? The DC Faithful Were Watching...

Num Name - Comments
1 dc Roach - 168
2 hscer - 63
3 RobBobS - 53
4 MissB - 41
5 d_c_guy - 19
6 Joey Fox - 18
7 cat daddy3000 - 18
8 Jeff T - 17
9 jbg2772 - 14
10 Doncosmic - 13

 

• Doghouse's Post Game WPA Graph: "COMING SOON"

Nationals now 79-81.