Monday, October 1, 2012

Game 160: Phillies at Nats

Photo by Mark Zuckerman / NATS INSIDER
Nationals Park hosts the potential NL East clincher tonight.
If they had their druthers, the Nationals would have popped the champagne corks over the weekend in St. Louis. That, obviously, didn't happen but it does present a nice opportunity to clinch the NL East title at home in front of their own fans.

Officially, the Nationals have four shots to win one home game: three against the Phillies, then (in a worst-case scenario) a tiebreaker game Thursday against the Braves. Needless to say, they would really prefer to finish this thing tonight and not subject themselves to anymore torture.

John Lannan is on the mound, hoping to duplicate his solid start in Philadelphia last week. He'llLannan be up against a Phillies lineup without Ryan Howard or Jimmy Rollins. And his teammates will go up against Kyle Kendrick (who they knocked out in the third inning last week at Citizens Bank Park).

If you've got tickets to the game, hope you enjoy the experience. If you're watching at home, be sure to check back here for updates and analysis throughout...

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 7:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: WJFK (106.7 FM), WFED (1500 AM), XM 183
Weather: Cloudy, 64 degrees, Wind 6 mph out to LF
NATIONALS (96-63)
RF Jayson Werth
CF Bryce Harper
3B Ryan Zimmerman
1B Adam LaRoche
LF Michael Morse
SS Ian Desmond
2B Danny Espinosa
C Kurt Suzuki
LHP John Lannan

PHILLIES (80-79)
3B Kevin Frandsen
CF John Mayberry
2B Chase Utley
C Carlos Ruiz
1B Ty Wigginton
RF Domonic Brown
LF Darin Ruf
SS Michael Martinez
RHP Kyle Kendrick

UMPIRES
HP Gerry Davis (cc)
1B Manny Gonzalez
2B Greg Gibson
3B Phil Cuzzi

7:05 p.m. -- Meaningful October baseball in Washington is underway. John Lannan, who got the biggest ovation of anyone in pregame intros, fires a strike to Kevin Frandsen to get this one started. Fans still streaming into the park. It won't be a sellout, but it's going to be a good-sized crowd.

7:11 p.m. -- A solid first inning for Lannan. He gave up a leadoff single to Frandsen but immediately erased him with a 1-6-3 double play. Chase Utley then flew out to left to end a 12-pitch inning and bring the Nats to the plate.

7:20 p.m. -- A 1-2-3 inning for Kyle Kendrick, who got Jayson Werth to ground out, Bryce Harper to pop out and Ryan Zimmerman to ground out.

7:29 p.m. -- Uh-oh, that didn't look good. Darin Ruf's two-run triple into the deepest corner of left-center was bad enough, but potentially worse was Harper slamming into the fence trying to make the catch. He hunched over for a few moments and looked shaken up, but he remained in the game. Lannan, meanwhile, managed to strand Ruf at third with one out, but the Nats now trail 2-0 as we move to the bottom of the second.

7:44 p.m. -- The Nats gave themselves a chance in the bottom of the second, putting runners on second and third with two outs. But they were victimized by their spot in the lineup. With Kurt Suzuki at the plate, Carlos Ruiz held up four fingers and intentionally walked his counterpart to load the bases for Lannan, who grounded into a fielder's choice on the first pitch. So it's still 2-0 as we go to the third.

7:59 p.m. -- Another double-play grounder induced by Lannan off Mayberry's bat in the top of the third, but his teammates haven't been able to do anything yet against Kendrick, who retired the side in the bottom of the inning. Meanwhile, the Braves just took a 1-0 lead on the Pirates in the top of the third.

8:11 p.m. -- Well, the Phillies have had Lannan on the ropes tonight and had him close to a knockout punch in the top of the fourth when they loaded the bases with one out. But then the lefty got Michael Martinez to rap a sharp grounder to first, and LaRoche took care of everything else. He stepped on the bag, then fired home to complete a sweet 3-2 double play and keep this a 2-0 game in the middle of the fourth. Even better news: The Pirates have tied it up at PNC Park. Now 1-1 in the fourth.

8:19 p.m. -- No, Lannan hasn't been sharp so far. But it wouldn't matter if he was perfect, because the Nats' lineup has done nothing against Kendrick. Only two of the 15 batters they've sent to the plate have gotten the ball out of the infield. He's retired the last seven batters, all on groundballs. Still 2-0 after four.

8:29 p.m. -- Nice job by Lannan in the top of the fifth. He struck out Utley to end the frame and keep this a 2-0 game. At 80 pitches and due up third in the bottom of the inning, that might be it for him. Craig Stammen continues to warm in the pen.

8:40 p.m. -- This ballpark desperately wants a reason to explode, but the Nats just aren't giving them the opportunity. The place really perked up in the bottom of the fifth, first when the scoreboard showed the Pirates taking a 2-1 lead on the Braves on Starling Marte's homer, then even more when Kurt Suzuki went first to third (?!) on an errant pickoff throw. But with Suzuki on third and two out, Werth took a 2-2 slider on the insider corner to kill the rally. Onto the sixth...

8:47 p.m. -- A dominant top of the sixth from Stammen, who struck out the side. Impressive stuff. Figure he's back out for the seventh. Now, if the Nats could plate a run or two against Kendrick...

8:59 p.m. -- Another great chance for the Nats in the bottom of the sixth, with Harper doubling and then taking a big risk to tag up and advance to third on Zimmerman's popup to second base/shallow right field. But LaRoche popped up on the first pitch he saw and Morse (after getting a gift on a check swing that should've been strike three) struck out looking at a 3-2 pitch. Pretty much everyone but Harper is playing nervous, trying to do too much right now. Still 2-0 after six.

9:06 p.m. -- Make it six batters faced, six batters struck out by Stammen. What a performance in a huge spot. Still 2-0 at the seventh-inning stretch.

9:15 p.m. -- And still nothing for the Nats lineup against Kendrick, who retired the side in the bottom of the seventh and got Suzuki on a check-swing to end the inning. Still 2-0 as we go the eighth. The Pirates, meanwhile, still lead the Braves 2-1 after seven, with Jeff Locke and Jeff Karstens holding Atlanta to two hits so far.

9:40 p.m. -- Another opportunity squandered in the bottom of the eighth, with Zimmerman and LaRoche failing to drive in the tying or go-ahead run. But the Braves are now down to their last three outs, so the Nats are on the verge of backdooring their way to the division title.

9:46 p.m. -- It's over in Pittsburgh. The Braves lose 2-1. The Nats are NL East champs!

9:53 p.m. -- It's over here, too. The Nats lose 2-0. But nobody cares.

246 comments:

«Oldest   ‹Older   201 – 246 of 246   Newer›   Newest»
«Oldest ‹Older 201 – 246 of 246 Newer› Newest»
Secret wasian man said...

Here we go in western PA. Ex nat coming in.

Ghost Of Steve M. said...

DeFratus first 3 pitches to Zim were all out of the zone.

Jane Elizabeth said...

That '71 series that I have gotten mostly by osmosis and MLB highlight re-plays was pretty killer. Frank Robinson about killed himself at home to win game six.

Ghost Of Steve M. said...

Not Hanrahan. Jared Hughes.

Section 222 said...

Gascanrahan not pitching for the Pirates. 1 on, 1 out.

Manassas Nats' Fan said...

Hanrahan 1 out then E6 on easy play

Gonat said...

3rd baseman with a throwing error in Pittsburgh.

Secret wasian man said...

Gutless. Gotta swing.

Jane Elizabeth said...

Maybe we want a Braves comeback so as not to back in...?

ehay2k said...

Strikeout pitch to ALR did not look close.

SCNatsFan said...

And it doesn't look like LaRoche will get to 100 but man has he had opportunity after opportunity the last couple of weeks and not come thru

Jane Elizabeth said...

No, I think it is that guy from Subway pitching for the Pirates. Subway should hire the Phils' first baseman for a new ad campaign....

Manassas Nats' Fan said...

What the hell. Is it against rules to swing with 2 outs 2 strikes on balls in the strike zone with runners in scoring position.

This is getting really poor

Ghost Of Steve M. said...

One more out needed in Pittsburgh

Secret wasian man said...

No braves comeback. If the Nats don't back in I don't think they will get in. NL east that is

Jane Elizabeth said...

George Costanza on first for Braves--will it soon be Festivus for the Braves?

Jane Elizabeth said...

This is the best game the Nats have played since last week. I am pretty happy with the pitching after this weekend.

Jane Elizabeth said...

Will the O's finish with a positive run differential? I still can't take them seriously. They remind me of the 2005 Nats in the first half....

Section 222 said...

Ladies and Gents, your 2012 NL East Champions, the Washington Nationals!!

Secret wasian man said...

ALRs at bat was a microcosm of what the nats have been doing for the last two weeks. And that's waiting for something to happen instead of going after it

Sunshine_Bobby_Carpenter_Is_Too_Pessimistic_For_Me said...

It's over in Pittsburgh! Your 2012 National League East Champion WASHINGTON FREAKING NATIONALS!!!!

GYFNG!!!

Congratulations to all the Nats, Mark, Mrs. Z, Baby Z and all the Nats Insiders. Cheers.

Barkeep, a Perrier all around for my friends!

Ghost Of Steve M. said...

Brian McCann up and its game over. Nats are Division Champs. Thank you Pirates.

Anonymous said...

We're in! Pirates win! Braves lose! Division champs!

Faraz Shaikh said...

Congrats to Nats players, coached, and fellow fans!!! Great.

Let's walk-off now against Phillies tonight.

Jane Elizabeth said...

Okay, here is some proof: The Braves just tweeted that the lost ensures a home game on Thursday.

Secret wasian man said...

Legion of doom says. Congratulations. Pittsburgh pirates NL east champs. Sorry everyone. The nats do deserve the crown but WOW they are not playing well of late. Lets get some rest.

Manassas Nats' Fan said...

Now takecare of this game. Reds losing

Jimmy said...

Division Champs!!!!!

Gonat said...

All this in front of the Philthies! Swwweeeet. This place is going nuts!

Jane Elizabeth said...

And actually, if I understand correctly, the Braves are guaranteed 3 home games now, while otherwise, they would only be guaranteed one. Crummy system and crummy way to clinch.

Section 222 said...

Carp -- "At a moment like this, you think of the '33 Senators."

Not really, but hey, think of whatever you like. This is awesome!!

Jane Elizabeth said...

But at least we clinched against the Phillies, right?

ehay2k said...

Congrats fellow NI'ers and long suffering Nats fans!

Jane Elizabeth said...

Walter Johnson High School in Monty Co--this is for you!

SCNatsFan said...

I guess in the end doesn't matter how we got here, we got here. Right the ship for the next leg. We've all waited a long time for this.

And, as a aside, the marketing department should learn to wait until we win the division to actually start selling shirts...

Ghost Of Steve M. said...

This is sweet. As I said 8 days ago, Braves would be 8-2 or 7-3. Right now 6-2 with 2 to go.

Section 222 said...

Time to switch over to watching Reds vs. Cards. Cards up 3-1 in the 6th.

Jane Elizabeth said...

Walter Johnson, now that guy was a good baseball announcer. I love his radio work. He and Dizzy Dean were something on the radio.

Jane Elizabeth said...

O's still trying.

Section 222 said...

As I said in mid-Sept., we got this folks!! Now to stay at least tied with the Reds for home field advantage.

Jane Elizabeth said...

I think you can drive yourself crazy about whether you would rather face St. Louis, or San Fran or Atlanta. It doesn't matter in a five game series.

DaveB said...

WODL ... The Braves are definitely NOT "guaranteed 3 home games". They lose the first one and they are done! We, however, ARE guaranteed at least 3 postseason games. Lookin at the bright side :-)

Secret wasian man said...

Glad to see the guys having fun. They deserve it. Lets get some rest and get cranked up for the playoffs

Secret wasian man said...

Ok I think the nats have gotten over the loss. Hahahaha.

Section 222 said...

Everyone complaining about the playoff format should relax. It's a one year only problem. Starting next year, the top two seeds will play the first two NLDS games at home in a 2-2-1 format. There won't be any question that you'll want to be the top seed and play the WC winner.

I still want the No. 1 seed this time even if the opponent is the Braves. Less travel, and having home field advantage in the NLCS is worth it.

natsfan1a said...

lol, sorry I missed that one. I need to work on my timing and eye. :-)

ehay2k said...

natsfan1a - I (jokingly) implied that Mark Z. knew you didn't have a fancy wireless typewriter so his note to "...enjoy the experience." was aimed at you.

sigh, another weak attempt at humor requires an explanation longer than the joke itelf. :-(

Has the game started yet? cuz I am going nuts until is does!
October 01, 2012 4:41 PM
Scooter said...

ehay2k said...
sigh, another weak attempt at humor requires an explanation longer than the joke itelf. :-(

Welcome to my world.

Here I am, stuck in the middle with you.
October 01, 2012 4:45 PM

«Oldest ‹Older 201 – 246 of 246 Newer› Newest» «Oldest ‹Older   201 – 246 of 246   Newer› Newest»

Post a Comment