Washington Nationals take Game 1 of today’s doubleheader, 3-2 over the Colorado Rockies

Gerardo Parra took a bases loaded walk in the fourth, and Adam Eaton (in the fifth) and Anthony Rendon (in the seventh) hit solo home runs in what ended up a 3-2 win for the Washington Nationals in the first of two today with the Colorado Rockies.

Fedde vs the Rockies: Erick Fedde returned to the big league rotation last week with a solid outing against a bad team, holding the Baltimore Orioles to a run on five hits in six innings.

Fedde induced nine ground balls outs, which accounted for 11 of the 18 outs he recorded, a sign, he said, that his sinker was working well against the O’s.

“Sinker was great today,” he said. “I mean, that’s just when I’m on I think that’s my best pitch usually, and today it was good, and yeah, the ground balls prove it.”

Fedde was generating ground balls again early in this afternoon’s matchup with the visiting Rockies, with five total from the first 15 batters he faced over three scoreless, but the fifth ground ball out moved Yonder Alonso from second to third after the first baseman doubled to start the fourth, and a sac fly brought in Colorado’s first run, 1-0.

Fedde’s spot came up with the bases loaded and two out in the bottom of the fourth, so Nationals’ skipper Davey Martinez decided to hit for his starter, who was up to 79 pitches overall at that point...

Erick Fedde’s Line: 4.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 Ks, 79 P, 47 S, 5/1 GO/FO.

Gray vs Washington: Jon Gray put together a solid five-outing, (four start), unbeaten streak in June in which he was (4-0) in his starts (with one relief appearance), with a 2.52 ERA, nine walks, 28 Ks, and a .260/.321/.380 line against in 25 IP, but heading into today’s matchup in the nation’s capital, the 27-year-old right-hander was winless in his previous three outings, with a 5.71 ERA, five walks, 13 Ks, and a .329/.373/.614 line against in 17 ¹⁄₃ IP in that stretch.

Gray tossed three scoreless to start today, but the Nationals loaded the bases with one out in the fourth, with Matt Adams walking, Kurt Suzuki singling, and Brian Dozier taking a free pass. Victor Robles stepped in next and popped out to the infield, but pinch hitter Gerardo Parra got up 3-1 and walked on a pitch way inside and tied it up at 1-1. Trea Turner lined out to right for the final out of the inning on Gray’s 24th pitch of the frame and 76th overall...

Jon Gray’s Line: 4.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 5 BB, 4 Ks, 76 P, 43 S, 3/1 GO/FO.

Did you know?: Did you know that Anthony Rendon walked more than he K’d in college? It’s true. But did you know that on this date, July 24th, in 2006, Major League Baseball and the Nationals, “... announced the official transfer of ownership from MLB to an ownership group headed by Theodore N. Lerner and his son Mark D. Lerner, sons-in-law Edward L. Cohen and Robert K. Tanenbaum and their families.” Now if only they hadn’t made that TV rights deal to get the Nationals into D.C. in the first place. Dang O’s. This is the end of your history lesson, and also, that thing about knowing history so you don’t repeat it? Everyone repeats it all the time, but no one really seems to learn.

BULLPEN ACTION: Matt Grace came on for the Nationals in the top of the fifth and retired the Rockies in order in a 10-pitch frame.

Adam Eaton greeted Rockies’ right-hander Chad Bettis with a solo home run on a first-pitch curve up in the zone that went out to right-center and over the out-of-town scoreboard for home run No. 7 of 2019 by Eaton and a 2-1 Nationals’ lead.

Grace returned to the mound with a lead and retired two batters before giving up a double to right-center by Yonder Alonso, who took third on a grounder up the middle off of Raimel Tapia’s bat that hit off of the second base bag and got away from Trea Turner, and scored on an RBI single to left by Ryan McMahon, 2-2.

Bettis came back out and worked around a two-out walk and single for a scoreless bottom of the sixth, still 2-2.

Wander Suero gave up a one-out single by Charlie Blackmon in the top of the seventh and then balked the runner over to second on a pick attempt, but struck Trevor Story out on a high 0-2 cutter, and got a groundout from David Dahl to end an 11-pitch inning. Still 2-2.

Carlos Estéves came on for the Rockies in the bottom of the seventh and gave up a homer to left-center on a first-pitch, 97 MPH fastball to Anthony Rendon. No. 21 for No. 6, and 3-2 Nationals.

Fernando Rodney gave up a one-out walk to Yonder Alonso in the top of the eighth, and a single to left by Raimel Tapia. Ryan McMahon stepped in with two on and two out and hit one to Juan Soto in left for out No. 2, before catcher Tony Wolters popped out to end the threat, still 3-2 Nationals.

Estéves kept it close with a scoreless bottom of the eighth.

Sean Doolittle got the ball in the ninth with a one-run lead and gave up a one-out single by Charlie Blackmon, but stranded the only runner to reach base at first. Ballgame. 3-2 final.

Nationals now 54-46