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US Presswire photo Stephen Strasburg struck out 13 batters over six dominant innings. |
Hitting highlight: Stymied all night by Kevin Correia and seemingly pressing to try to make something happen and snap out of their offensive funk, the Nationals finally broke through in the top of the sixth, thanks to a pair of titanic blasts. Bernadina started things off by crushing a pitch into the back bullpen in deep left-center, perhaps a 440-foot, opposite-field homer. After Ryan Zimmerman walked, LaRoche nearly duplicated Bernadina's feat, crushing a ball just shy of the same spot. With those two blasts, the Nationals took the lead and for the first time in days were able to breathe a little easier.
Pitching highlight: Uh, was there really any question about this one? In his most-dominant performance since the last time he faced the Pirates, Strasburg dazzled with nearly every pitch. He wasn't perfect, particularly during a two-run fourth inning that featured three hits and during a tense sixth inning that featured three straight walks. But when he needed to come up big, he did in a big way, striking out Pittsburgh batter after Pittsburgh batter. No pitch was more important than his 103rd and final one of the night: a 96 mph fastball to Garrett Jones with the bases loaded, preserving a one-run lead.
Key stat: Combining the latter portion of his major-league debut and the first portion of this game, Strasburg at one point had struck out 14 of 16 Pirates batters.
Up next: The Nationals head down the Ohio River a few hundred miles for the start of a weekend series in Cincinnati. Gio Gonzalez faces Mike Leake at 7:10 p.m. Friday at Great American Ball Park.
46 comments:
Yippee!
I must confess -- and it doesn't make me proud -- that I'm feeling a bit more charitable toward Ramos after watching Flores drop and almost-drop a bunch of pitches tonight. For what that's worth.
But mostly, Yippee!
May 10: Still in soul possession, first place, NL East.
"WOOO-HOOO!!"
(Copyright, MicheleS, 2011).
Good game. Strauburg is on point as usual. He basically gave up 1 run. I had a feeling Hrod would come through. See, he's not a "mental defective". We have to stick with him till Storen comes back. And if I said it once, I'll say it again: as long as we don't lose 4 or more in a row, we will be fine. GYFNG!
Reposting (cause you can't say it enough)
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
We are still in FIRST PLACE!!!!
Agreed Terpman, H-Rod needs support and encouragement instead of the lynching he receives from some. Heck he's 7 for 9 in save opportunities people.
Strasburg was outstanding!
When pitching in the clutch, he's proven many times over that he is as good as any pitcher in baseball.
We really need to appreciate the fact that the Nats have one of the best pitchers in all of baseball, no doubt :-)
Go Nats!
They pulled through in a "must win" type of game.
Where are all the naysayers now?? Espi gets a hit. HRod doesn't have a meltdown and not 'mental defective'. 1st place 30 days.
"WOOO-HOOO!!"
(Copyright, MicheleS, 2011)
Interesting (after I could start breathing again) to see HRod have n in-between night that was enough, barely. Which reinforces my view that it would be good for HRod as well as the team for him to share closer duties with Burnett. Hardly a low to his ego when he started th season expecting to share with Lidge, Whatis Davy's thing against Burnett -- 10 games, 10 Ks, 7.2 IP, no ER?
Nats win! Atta way, Henry! Just saw the top of the first and the last three, but got to see the bulk of the Nats offense, evidently. Will watch what I missed on the DVR tomorrow. (Pirates fans must hate Adam LaRoche.)
Does that runner even reach if Flores doesn't slip while making the throw? Not sure that he would have.
(In the 9th, that would be.)
Nice win! Very happy for Ankiel, Bernie, and Henry. Flores really called a great game, and was also great with MPHrod, helping to settle him down.
I have never been down on LaRoche for last year, but I assumed his "usual slow start." I am so happy that a good guy like that is carrying the load.
Harper shows he is still young with the ill-advised throw home, but also showed right away he knew he had misplayed that. I love watching that kid grow.
And that Strasburg kid has a right future, just sayin'.....
First place! WOOO HOOO (Copyright MicheleS, 2011-2012)
No Natsfan1a, he does not make it. He only made it because the bad hop made the ball hit LaRoche's glove in the palm and bounce out.
Woo Hoo - a nice win with some OFFENSE -- 4 runs feels like ten. By the way , Mark -- I LOVE the instant analysis this year.
Anyone read Amanda Comak's piece? DeRosa may have re-injured himself high-fiving Harper. Funny and sad at once. Kind of like our hitting. :-)
NatsNut, that's okay. Strasburg probably told Gio about it. "Oh, really? He said that? Interesting..."
NatsNut, thanks for the reminder. Didn't Leake say Strasburg "cried a lot"?
I suppose we could go "old school" on him.
Henry makes me so nervous. The good news is, we have to be winning for him to make me nervous. And more often or not, we are still winning when he leaves the mound.
Go Nats!
Would that old school be Hamels-style or Harper-style? I vote for door number two. :-)
Pretty much every closer we've had has made me nervous at one time or another.
JaneB, Henry is now something like 7 out of 9 in save opportunities.
"More often than not" idps not fair to him. To our strikeout ratio, perhaps, but not to MpHrod's save percentage.
CWJ: ONE of the best pitchers in baseball? I'm going with at least two and maybe more.
1a: if you think they hate LaRoche, how do you think they feel about Stras???
MicheleS and all: WOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOO!!!!!
Oh natsfan1a, you complete me. "Harper style" is exactly what I meant.
You had me at "old school." :-)
Mere boos are not enough to convey how they feel about Stras. The futility of their bats must speak for them.
1a: if you think they hate LaRoche, how do you think they feel about Stras???
OK, natsfan1a, that was damn funny!
Glad you enjoyed it. ;-)
77% in save opportunities is not considered great, but is better than a lot of teams.
Flores almost caused me to have a heart attack. As Johnny Bench told Bob Costis once, if it is close enough for them to swing it is close enough for me to stop, He said no pitch should ever be called a wild pitch when it is swung on and missed, the catcher must do his job.
As for the hitting a couple good poles, Espi gets another hit, still below the Mendoza line, so I won't rejoice but will give him a night off from complaining though did still look pathetic on4 different swings.
HRod hit the plate better though he loves the breaking ball more than I do. Should have pitched that well tuesday.
My biggest complaint tonight is batting Harper in front of Espinosa. I am starting to think I like him at leadoff.
I hope things are starting to settle in with the line up. I know J-dub will be missed on the field, in the dugout and in the clubhouse. Time for them to move on without him and adjust. Games in the SmallPark coming up!
While HRod is 7-for-9 in save opportunities, he's also had four other appearances in the 9th (or 10th) inning where he threw a no-hit inning and for whatever reason, didn't get a save (3 of those times he entered when it was tied, and left when it was tied; the fourth time, he was protecting a 4-0 lead)
(and don't look know, but Espi has a two-game hitting streak ;-)
Off-topic Alumni News: Jason Marquis lasted only four innings in Minny's 6-2 loss to Toronto. Marquis allowed seven hits and six runs — five earned — while walking three and striking out two.
I agree with Manassas. Let Harper leadoff and bat Desmond second.
For all the crap Bernadina takes, he got the Nats on the board tonight with a big blast and that got things started. Maybe with some regular playing time he will keep getting some big hits.
I have always like Bernadina and thought if he got solid time he would be OK (though maybe not great).
Let's hope Epinosa can extend it to a 3 game hitting streak tomorrow.
"They try to hit the ball too hard," the manager said. "They try to make up for the lack of power we have in the lineup. And I don't want that. We're not that kind of ballclub. Everybody's different. But all of the guys have the capability to be a good hitter."
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This is a good quote. Like last night with bases loaded, Espi just needed to get it out to the outfield and Ankiel just needed a hit. Both tried to hit it 500 feet and both struck out.
Bourjos back on the trade radar:
http://mlbbuzz.yardbarker.com/blog/mlbbuzz/sources_nationals_angels_have_talked_about_bourjos/10766882
1a's point is spot on: if you thought Rodriguez was melting down or middling tonight, you weren't watching. Recorded 4 outs with relative ease, but had to redo on one when Flores straight dropped it.
Catcher is my favorite positiob on the field, and I love our two guys, but there has not been very good defenaive play by either of them this year. I wonder what's up with them.
(that said, 20 wins! Who's up for 70 more?! GYFNG
NatinBeantown
Gonat said, "Bourjos back on the trade radar."
Would Gorzelanny and Flores get it done?
John said...
Gonat said, "Bourjos back on the trade radar."
Would Gorzelanny and Flores get it done?
May 10, 2012 11:58 PM
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I bet they want Stammen or Clippard.
ABC: Anybody But Clippard.
Mattheus. That's as high as I would go. They wouldn't take Gorzy, too expensive unless they can use him as a starter.
Well, I just checked Bourjos's numbers for this year. The good news is, it looks like he'd fit right into our current approach. Heck, Johnson could bat him sixth!
Bourjos slash is worse than Bernadina .192 .259 .288 .547
We could get Gardner for clippard from earlier reports.
I agree with NL or Gorz and Gonzalez
Remind me again why Clip isn't the closer right now? HRod is awesome when he's on but you never know when he's gonna Nuke LaLoosh it. For the extra 1 or 2 mph, hardly seems worth it.
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