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US Presswire photo Jayson Werth's bloop double in the fourth led to the game's only run. |
Hitting highlight: The Nationals scored only one run, so not a lot of options to choose from here. Even that one run came about thanks to back-to-back bloop base hits from Werth and LaRoche in the fourth. Werth's ball just fell in front of a sliding Justin Maxwell in center field, resulting in a hustle double. LaRoche then dropped a single in between three Houston fielders in shallow left field to bring home Werth with the game's lone run.
Pitching highlight: What else can you say about Gonzalez? He's been nothing short of brilliant in the first two starts of his career at Nationals Park. And he's been remarkably consistent. Five days after allowing two hits over seven shutout innings against the Reds, the left-hander allowed two hits over seven shutout innings against the Astros. Most impressive has been Gonzalez's ability to keep the ball in the strike zone (he's only issued two walks over his last 14 innings) and make batters swing and miss at his curveball (15 strikeouts in those 14 innings).
Key stat: After an 0-for-3 performance tonight, struggling outfielder Mark DeRosa is now 2-for-25 this season without an extra-base hit.
Up next: Jordan Zimmermann looks to continue this remarkable run of pitching at 7:05 p.m. tomorrow in Game 3 of this four-game series. Right-hander Lucas Harrell starts for Houston.
37 comments:
WOOO HOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well Pitched game and quick! How awesome is that!
and all in 2:12, the way baseball is supposed to be played. Great fun.
We could use Joe Orsulak
The pitching has been phenomenal. Hope Johnson can find a way to get more offense from his outfield. Hard to fathom, but DeRosa is hitting at the exact same clip after 25 ABs as Matt Stairs did last year. (Stairs: 2-for-25; .085 BA; 2 R; 6 BB; 9K)
Davey keeps call Rodriguez 'Wendy'. Gotta love Davey.
This has been a great streak, enjoying it immensely.
9 & 3 people, 9 & 3!!
I just can't imagine a finer pitching staff although I guess there are a couple of clubs who could argue. When Davey took over last year I was critical of his use of the bullpen but in fairness, he did not put that staff together. I realize this can't continue but how sweet this is!! These wins early count just as much as the ones in Sept.
Having nothing to do with this win, Why would they schedule a Springsteen concert in Sept. when we will have meaningful games left to play? That can't be good for our playing field and I think I remember another stadium having difficulties after a Stones concert a few years ago. Let Bruce play at that monstrosity in Raljon.
Go Nats!!
Wow this pitching staff is nothing less than amazing!
Go 9-3 First Place Nats!
I've already lost count how many games I've said this after:
awesome pitching combined with good enough hitting
Although, for tonight, we'd need to add "just barely" before the good!
But, like others have been saying: wins in April count just as much as wins in Sept.
Finish the sweep of the 'Stros and take the first 2 from the Marlins and...10 games over .500. That's a good cushion to start with.
How's my post count? Yeah, I think I'm okay. Still got a few left in the tank. Okay, here goes nothing...
Yay, Nats win!!
why not 17-3 before we hit the road again, lol
LOL nice post 1a.
is it just me or GG and Wilson Ramos have become best of pals already? or is it just a battery thing (I know Flores started this game)?
Good to see first win in front of GG's name.
Very lucky to win this one in nine innings because LaRoche's hit was an out. Glad to see us secure another series.
We need to hit the fing ball!!!
sjm308, I hear ya Coach about the Bruce concert, LOL
I love the sound of a good bang-zoom!
I am loving this!!!! Don't know if I can take 150 more of these
Naturalist: bang zoom, one of these days Alice one of these days, pow, right in the kisser,lol
DeRosa needs to call his High School coach for help. Eckstein needs a new approach.
It's official: Mutts lose 9-3 to Atlanta. We're up by a gane and a half. Obviously still early in the season but dang does that feel good.
Another fun night at the park. Lidge made it a little too interesting, but then he finished it with emphasis. Shortest home game of the year right?
Hmmm well the Syracuse Chiefs had the reverse happen. Yunesky Maya threw 7.1 innings of shutout ball. And Josh Wilkie lost it to the PawSox 1-0.
Tyler Moore continued his hitting streak ... Bryce Harper got a hit he's raised his average back up to .245 with 5 XBH. Not much else given the score.
Now that's interesting... Maya has started three games and has a 2.60 ERA with an .087 WHIP. Any chance he's finally coming around/ready to pay an ROI? And in a complete turnaround from ST, guess who has the highest batting average on the team?
So we're squeaking by bad teams. We need more offense folks or this honeymoon will be over quickly.
you got a point anon, but the '27 yankees aren't coming into town anytime soon...5 teams make the playoffs..are there 5 good teams in the NL?
OK, 2 Anon postings in this thread--whew, I'm safe.
Had a student, 8th inning--could only glance at Gameday. Clip is on, SINGLE goes across in big letters!! Oh, no!!! Palpitations. In tiny print I read, "previous hitter, bunt single." OK, well, that happens. Then I see two out. Then I see STRIKEOUT. It's over!!!!! I breathe again, finish teaching, get in the car with the radio, Lidge is on, it's NOT over. Yes, it is.
Comments. I could barely hear Davey in his press conference from yesterday, but I noticed long ago that he mumbles, so I'm not sure it's worse.
Yes, we need more offense! Not a single game of the nine wins that could be called a blowout, 4-0 was the greatest margin of victory.
Davey is managing the bullpen and the pitching staff just fine by me, and I was very critical last year when he made several blunders and didn't listen to McCatty. Henry worked two days in a row, you can't bring him in again, Davey had Burnett warming, that's enough backup. Even when Drew comes back you don't want him used as much as he was last season. Lidge is a card-carrying elder in the club of the Kardiac Kids, apparently that's his M.O., give you a heart attack and come through in the end.
Maya had two good games with a bad one in between. Not sure I'm ready to conclude he's golden, but what on earth do we do if he is????
The '27 Yankees aren't coming to town anytime soon, but Morse, Harper, and Moore may be.
I like winning very much. I can see why it is so addicting.As a charter Nats fan, though, I am having a hard time trusting it. I think I am always waiting for the other shoe to drop. We all need to send positive thoughts for Jordan tomorrow night. Lots and lots of run support, please. And they are doing this on a shoestring, without Storen and Morse. GYFNG!!!
Anonymous said...
So we're squeaking by bad teams.
I'm not so sure the Reds are a bad team.
Mick said...
We need to hit the fing ball!!!
I'm guessing they're saying that in the 'Stros dugout, too ;-)
1959 Dodgers didn't have much hitting either, and they made it all the way to the World Series.
Jesus, Zimm'nn, Gio and EJax ...
The modern day version of
Koufax, Drysdale, Craig and Podres.
Post-steroid era baseball is different, and Nats are on the cutting edge with this staff.
Flash - DeRosa is NOT back. Same guy as last year - one year older with less bat speed. Stairs Part Deux. Unless he gets going, it won't be a hard decision who goes when Morse comes back. Nady, Tracy and Bernadina have hardly cemented spots either. Keep developing baby Nats, there is room in the play park for you!
Can this starting staff be this good all year? Wow, this has been two very special weeks.
RE DeRosa -- I know spring training doesn't mean anything, but he was mashing the ball all spring against at least a few guys who had to be trying to get him out. He's only got 2 Ks (against 5 walks) and has a BABIP of .100. Now, he might be done, but that ratio shows that he's still got good strike-zone judgement and can make contact (someone who's getting to enough deep counts to walk 5 times should probably be in a lot of two-strike counts)
Maybe he's just hacking at whatever in a 2-strike count, but you'd still expect to see more Ks when that's the case.
I say have a scout look at him and see if he looks lost; otherwise give him another 30-40 ABs and see what happens.
Haven't seen the stats on DeRosa, but he seems to be swinging over the ball and topping it, weakly, resulting in ground-outs to the infield most times he puts the ball in play. Whatever he is doing, he is doing consistently. He and Rick should be able to figure it out, and make the correction.
The OF has produced exactly 1 HR in 12 games, and that was a wall-scraper, literally, that Nady put into the visitor's bullpen in Nats' Park. Without Mikey Mo, they are a Punch and Judy bunch. And its not as if DeRosa and Nady make up for it with stellar defense.
They are winning, but they will need more offense from their OF than what they have so far produced.
Laddie,
You're exactly right. Before last night, 65% of all balls hit in play were groundballs.
But really, I don't know why anyone was expecting much of anything out of DeRosa. Since he joined the Cardinals in 2009, he's been downright miserable, sporting a slash of:
0.224/.298/.338
It's not that he's past his prime now.... he passed it four years ago! He's been bad since, but has had the ability to use injuries as an excuse, when in fact he's a 37 year old, who was never very good to start (career .271/.341/.414).
The formular will only last for so long. Eventually there will be a crack in the dam. What a gutty performance by Lidge. That guy is tough. Once AGAIN, pitching did it. They are really carrying this team. GO NATIONALS!!
I think the next two series will tell us a lot about this team. But whatever the outcome this team is going places and will do so for a long time. We need to support them and trust Davey who I believe is the best manager in baseball bar none.
Laddie Zimmerman is good for 2--30 HRs and 95-120 RBIs. Werth is 20 last year. Punch and Judy over the long haul, this team is not. The rotation is the real deal as is the bull pen. Morse is a needed component but he did not carry the team on his back last year nor will he this year. By the way, I miss the Desmond haters. Come on out and eat crow.
Sec 204,
I think the point was that the OF is a Punch and Judy affair, unless you're aware of a position change we aren't, Zimm can't be included in the discussion. So far none of the OFs are showing any power. That would be okay if they were hitting for average but other than Werth they're not doing that either. Until Morse returns it is hard to see who is going to provide any pop out of LF. Ankiel will probably provide a bit out of CF and Werth will eventually pop a couple playing RF, but who is that guy in LF? With Brown's ave in a free fall and Harper muddling along at .245 with no HRs and 1 RBI, it's hard to see relief coming from that quarter. If Espy and Zimm heat up it may not be a huge problem, but for the time being it's hard to argue that our OF has any bite to it. It is Punch and Judy. So it's that K Street rotation and the Punch and Judy Show!
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