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Washington Nationals Win It In 11th On Walk-Off Throwing Error By Houston Astros, 4-3 Final.

• Houston vs Washington Friday Top 5: 

5. What Do The Kids Call Him? Tom or Tommy: Nats' lefty Tommy Milone got former Braves' outfielder Jordan Schafer swinging with a 74 mph 2-2 curve to start tonight's game against the Astros, got a fly ball to center from Houston infielder Jose Altuve and a pop behind first from Jason Bourgeois in a 13-pitch 1-2-3 opening frame. 'Stros' right-hander Bud Norris got a weak grounder to second to start the Nationals' half of the first, but a one-out walk to Rick Ankiel really hurt when Ryan Zimmerman launched a 92 mph 0-1 fastball just to the left of center field, over the W.B. Mason sign on the outfield wall and into the red Red Porch seats for HR. no. 11 of 2011 and an early 2-0 Nats' lead. THE KIDS CALL HIM ZIM!! THE KIDS CALL HIM ZIM!!! In just his second outing at the major league level, Tommy Milone responds to the early lead with a second quick 1-2-3 inning on the mound, in which he throws just 10 pitches, six of them strikes...

 4. BARMES!! [Shakes Fist]: The first hit of the game off Milone is a ground-rule double to left to start the third by Clint Barmes on a 2-1 change from the Nationals' lefty. Barmes takes third on a groundout by a jammed Humberto Quintero that Ryan Zimmerman plays through the runner legs with a bat barrel headed towards him. A sac fly to center by the opposing pitcher allows the Astros' shortstop to tag and score and Barmes is now 5 for 10 with a double and HR in 3 games vs the Nats in 2011. 2-1 Washington after one and a half. As has been the case recently, the Nats get the runs early and after a 1-2-3 third by Bud Norris, eight-straight have been set down after the Michael Morse single that followed Zim's first inning HR. 2-1 Nats after three.

3. Milone Has Plus Luck: Two bloop singles to center and a one-out HBP load the bases with Astros in the fourth, and Tommy Milone gives up a second sac fly, this one by Houston third baseman Chris Johnson who ties it at 2-2 with a fly ball to Werth that scores Jose Altuve, whose single started the inning. Tommy Milone strikes Clint Barmes out with an 0-2 fastball that ends a 19-pitch 4th after which the Nats' left-hander is at 61 pitches. The Astros threaten again in the top of the 5th after the 9th, 10th and 11th Nationals go down in order to Houston's Bud Norris, who hasn't allowed a hit since the first. Milone gives up a one-out single by the opposing pitcher and a double by Jordan Schafer to put runners on first and third with one down, but the Nationals' left-hander pops Jose Altuve up and gets a little lucky when a grounder off Jason Bourgeois' bat hits Schafer on the basepaths for the third out of the inning. Still 2-2 after five, though Wilson Ramos' one-out single in the Nats' fifth breaks Norris' streak of retired batters at twelve. 

2. BARMES!!: El Caballo Carlos Lee starts the Astros' fifth with his 35th double of 2011 on a 2-1 fastball from Tommy Milone, but the rookie lefty manages to get two outs without Houston's first baseman scoring. Then Clint Barmes comes up, and the Astros' shortstop is 2 for 3 tonight and 6 for 12 vs the Nats in 2011 after a two-out RBI single over a leaping Lombardozzi at short finally scores El Caballo to give the Astros a 3-2 lead. Milone's done after 5.2 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 3 K's, 89 pitches, 64 strikes, 3/5 GO/FO. Craig Stammen replaces Milone and gets the third out with one pitch, his first of the year with the Nats. Rick Ankiel singles to start the Nats' sixth, but he's doubled up at first on a fly to left off Ryan Zimmerman's bat looks like it will fall in but doesn't. One out later, Bud Norris completes a 12-pitch frame that leaves it 3-2 Astros after 6.0 innings in Nats Park. 

1. Dern BB's: Bud Norris' first walk of the game in the first inning was immediately followed by Ryan Zimmerman's two-run HR. Six innings later, Norris' second walk of the game costs him too. Danny Espinosa takes a full-count slider for a one-out walk in a seven pitch at bat, then goes first-to-third on a throwing error by Norris on a pick attempt to set rookie Nats' first baseman Chris Marrero up with a RISP he cashes in with an RBI double to center that drives Espinosa in and ties it. Henry "Lightning" Rodriguez gives up a leadoff single to Jason Bourgeois, who steals second, takes third on a groundout, but is stranded three outs later. 3-3 after eight. 

0. FREE BASEBALL: Drew Storen got hit hard yesterday, but the Nats' Skipper brings his closer right back in the top of the ninth tonight. Storen strikes Clint Barmes out with a filthy 0-2 slider that gets by Barmes and Wilson Ramos all the way to the backstop. Barmes beats the throw to first, but he's double up when Humberto Quintero pops up a bunt attempt that Storen catches before throwing to Marrero at first. Two down. Make that three. Brett Wallace K's chasing a 97 mph full-count fastball. 3-3 after nine when the Nats go down in order against Astros' right-hander Enerio del Rosario. Tyler Clippard throws a 9-pitch, 1-2-3 10th. Astros' right-hander Lucas Harrell issues a one-out walk to Wilson Ramos in the Nats' 10th, and Roger Bernadina replaces the slow-footed catcher at first, but two outs later it's still tied after 10. 

-1. Werth = H3R0??: Tyler Clippard gives up a two-out single but nothing else in his second scoreless frame in the 11th. Lucas Harrell issues back-to-back one-out walks to Ryan Zimmerman and Michael Morse in the bottom of the inning. Houston right-hander Wilton Lopez comes on to face Jayson Werth. The Nats' outfielder grounds sharply to third, where Jimmy Paredes, who entered the game as a pinch runner in the top of the frame and stayed on at third, commits a throwing error going for a force at second. Zimmerman scores. Nats win. 4-3 final. 

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

Num Name - Comments
1 dc Roach - 208
2 Ed Chigliak - 85
3 MissB - 75
4 d_c_guy - 66
5 cat daddy3000 - 64
6 ricksnats - 49
7 hscer - 43
8 jeff550 - 39
9 mstomper - 28
10 Brotato - 26

 

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

Nationals now 66-76.