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US Presswire file photo The Nats try to win three in a row at Coors Field this afternoon. |
Adam LaRoche is back after taking a day off, but red-hot Tyler Moore remains in the Nationals' lineup, shifting back to left field. Jesus Flores is back behind the plate after getting last night off.
Edwin Jackson takes the mound, looking to keep his ERA under 3.00 and to give himself a winning record for the season and for his career (he's 64-64 at the moment).
As has been the case the last three days, I'll chime in with some thoughts along the way. And since it's a day game, I'll post some instant analysis as soon as it ends as well. Enjoy the matinee...
WASHINGTON NATIONALS at COLORADO ROCKIES
Where: Coors Field
Gametime: 3:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: WJFK (106.7 FM), WFED (1500 AM), XM 188
Weather: Partly cloudy, 92 degrees, Wind 7 mph out to LF
NATIONALS (43-30)
2B Danny Espinosa
CF Bryce Harper
3B Ryan Zimmerman
RF Michael Morse
1B Adam LaRoche
SS Ian Desmond
LF Tyler Moore
C Jesus Flores
RHP Edwin Jackson
ROCKIES (28-46)
CF Dexter Fowler
2B Marco Scutaro
LF Carlos Gonzalez
1B Todd Helton
3B Chris Nelson
RF Tyler Colvin
C Wil Nieves
SS Jonathan Herrera
LHP Josh Outman
UMPIRES
HP Mark Carlson, 1B Angel Hernandez (cc), 2B Chris Conroy, 3B Ed Hickox
3:45 p.m. -- Well, this one isn't exactly off to a rousing start. Edwin Jackson was battered around for five runs in the bottom of the first, capped by Tyler Colvin's three-run homer. The first eight Rockies all reached safely, with Jackson's only out to that point recorded by Ryan Zimmerman on something of a hidden-ball trick play -- he faked a throw to first and got Carlos Gonzalez to stray off third base for a split-second. Perhaps most disturbing about the inning was Jackson's velocity. This is a guy whose fastball has averaged 94 mph all season. Well, in that first inning it was clocked between 89-92 mph. That's after his velocity was down a bit during his last start in Baltimore. Could there be something physically wrong with Jackson?
4:03 p.m. -- Yeah, so that sub-3.00 ERA for Jackson? Not gonna be the case by the end of the day. He gave up two more runs on three more hits (and committed another error on a pickoff attempt, his third such error this season) in the bottom of the second. It's 7-0 Rockies, and it's looking like this is going to be a looong afternoon at Coors Field.
4:25 p.m. -- When I said it's going to be a looong afternoon, I meant because the Nats were going to rally back to make a game of this and turn this into a slugfest. (That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.) Holy cow, they just scored five runs in the top of the third, all of them driven in by Ryan Zimmerman (two-run single) and Michael Morse (three-run homer). How important have Zim and Morse been to this sudden offensive resurgence? Well, in 24 games from May 26-June 23, those two guys combined for 14 RBI. Over the last four-plus games, they've combined for 13 RBI. It's 7-5, with a LOT of baseball left to be played in this one.
5:04 p.m. -- Just when it looked like Edwin Jackson was getting things back on track, he got a quick hook from Davey Johnson one batter into the bottom of the fourth. Jackson clearly wasn't happy to hand over the ball to his manager, and you can only imagine what he was thinking as he watched from the dugout as Tom Gorzelanny entered and immediately gave up two runs. It's now 9-5 Rockies, and they've managed to complete four innings in two hours.
5:20 p.m. -- Sweet Fancy Moses, this game is now tied in the fifth! Bryce Harper drives in a run with an RBI single, then scores on an Adam LaRoche sac fly. And Ian Desmond then drills a two-run homer to make it 9-9. Unbelievable. Desmond now has 13 homers, 41 RBI and 36 extra-base hits. I'll tell you what, folks: This guys just might be named an All-Star on Sunday.
6:07 p.m. -- Hey, when did a pitcher's duel break out? It's the top of the eighth now and the Rockies have held a 10-9 lead since the fifth. All of a sudden, the Nats are down to their final six outs and still need another run to tie this game.
6:33 p.m. -- Bryce Harper to the rescue! Solo homer to deep right-center to lead off the ninth, and this game is tied 10-10.
7:01 p.m. -- Well, after nearly four hours and 20 combined runs, why not keep this one going? Onto the 11th inning!
7:27 p.m. -- Well, that was an unfortunate way for this to end. Marco Scutaro delivers a two-out, RBI single to right on a 3-2 fastball from Craig Stammen in the bottom of the 11th. Nats lose, 11-10.
500 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 401 – 500 of 500 Newer› Newest»MicheleS, Kardiac Kids time. Time for TyMo to be a hero again!!!!
Just saw highlight of Harper's HR. He crushed that one.
DESI!!! JaneB.. Desi cookies for the Doggie!!!
SOMEBODY wasn't wearing their napkin!! That missed by six inches.
how was that a strike? that looked like a foot outside on gameday.
One foot away....
Well.... Maybe 6 inches, but 6 inches and a foot are almost the same....
Did I mention I love free baseball?
Napkins, people, napkins....
Flores needs to come through. He is so due to be the hero to get Desi in!!!!
"Well.... Maybe 6 inches, but 6 inches and a foot are almost the same."
That's what she said. But she was just being polite.
This Wil Nieves guy is a jerk. I am glad we don't sign guys like him....
Pitching coach is going to tell him all about Ankiel.
Dude, I am not touching that one, lol.
Come on Rick....
Happy Thoughts.. Come on ANK!! Come on.. Happy Thoughts!!!
Rick Ankiel will never learn. He just can't help himself.
I knew that would happen.. But MORE FREE BASEBALL!
Say good bye Rick...your days are numbered buddy!!!
You have to be impressed with Ankiel. He might just get one at bat but he continues to make an impression.
Loeffler, no. I was toeing the line. That's way over.
I am guessing that everyone saw that coming? A mile away? Farther than that?
If the Rockies had any pitching at all....
Are goaties still in fashion?
This site is well on its way to being a lot of fun....
All right people time to rally the troops! WE WILL WIN THIS GAME!
YES, let's finish this in the top.
Swami, I liked the Ankiel signing at the time, but I have to admit I have lost my faith in his pitch selection. Yes, from several thousand miles away, I knew he was getting a fastball up out of the strike zone, and he'd K on it.
NAPKINS, Michele, napkins.
And "swing at strikes."
@ William O. Douglas Loeffler
No,No,No
For the kids that did not what that was, it took them seconds to find out
Remember kids read here
Not to mention, jdinFl., that plenty of folks don't have to look that up.
Espinosa back to swinging -long- for the fences when a single will do just fine here.
This is what we keep talking about with the plan. Get on base. Stop swinging for downtown Denver.
Wang is coming in.
WHAT.. CMW.. OH GOD.. I am going to barf
Henry is still on the DL.
We're going to Atlanta, and Davey is going to burn the C bullpen, if he has to.
Aaaaaah........ That might be it.
The O's won a game this year where they had a position player pitching. Do we having any position players who can pitch? Ankiel?
Ottavino with 5 K's facing 6 batters. Oh my....
La Roche can pitch
Ankiel would be interesting as the pitcher.
Since the pitcher's spot didn't come up, Stammen can still pitch. Third inning, though? One of the things I hate about this game is that tomorrow night the team will be spent and flat-footed in Atlanta, where it's supposed to be 105 and their pitchers don't stink or stay in for only 75 pitches. Oh, and routine ground balls don't sail out of the park. This is not the ideal way to go into an important series. Does it look like Detweiler flew in ahead of the team? Does anyone see him?
Stammen waved off Flores to throw that pitch to Herrera.
Det left earlier today, so he is there.
One lousy foot on Desmond's drive and we would be watching the after the game show....
People named Giambi are scary.
Swami, yeah, but. You would have preferred they lost in 9? Davey is saving the A pen. That's about all he can do.
You mean Clip - isn't he the only one left?
No swami.. CMW is left too...
WODL, yeah. Game of inches.
Looked like a Strikeout on that 2-2 pitch to Giambi. For some reason, no pitch track.
CMW doesn't count.
come on that was a strikeout.
Man. Down to the wire....
Rick Ankiel with a really nice play.
That always fools me when they talk into their gloves....
He did have to go a long way for that. Wind really kicking up.
Stammen really taking one for the team tonight. Long, stressful outing. He has to be gassed.
Sometimes I wonder if they are talking about me when they do that....
Is it Strasburg's day to throw a bullpen? Just askin.
Jordan needs to pinch hit in the top of the 12th
Walter Johnson, former Nat, used to pitch up to four days in a row.... What an arm he must have had....
Sometimes I wonder if they are talking about me when they [talk into their gloves].
OK, now I'm a little creeped out.
Now I'm bummed out.
Stammen has had a bad week....
Well that was a pooper way to end and it sucks that we lost, but it was fun and we came back from 7-0
oh man
And just like that. Game over.
When we had Desi lead off with the double we needed someone to just do that. Bat on ball.
Oh well, lets see how Davey gets them ready for the big weekend.
Oh well, and you know what this means?
Zero.
162 games. The Phillies won 102 games last year and we swept them the last week.
Close games are like coin flips. It is all in Moneyball.
I am only looking at gameday but it seems like this guy's strikezone was kinda weird.
anyways, tough loss. Onto Atlanta.
I guess it's time for everybody to post the "we are still in first" comments. Use them up now guys...won't be able to say that much longer. Good teams find a way to win that game. Nats are a long way away.
If Desmond's hit goes six inches higher, we are gloating. Denver is just a bizarre place. Curve balls don't work there.
Stammen really did a great job - got within one pitch and the offense didn't produce a run after Bryce tied it up. Alternate Universe - the Nats score 10 runs and lose -- Alternate Universe - the Nats pitching staff gives up 11 --huh? Doesn't seem possible, does it?
F&I, "we" are still watching a team that is, in fact, still in first. Reality wins. Fantasy, good or bad, is just some hotel's opinion.
Good times lose one run games all the time. The Nats won like 15 one run gams out of 16 in the first half in 2005 and then lost like 13 in a row. Close games in baseball are very close to random. No one knows where those bloop hits are going. That is why they play 162 games.
I predict it's an instant analysis.
I'm not sure we've ever gone over 5oo posts. I think we did once.
I don't remember. I remember a 400+ post game but not 500.
Reality wins.
That's worth remembering, actually.
Reality wins, opinions swim. Can we have a macro?
I will get this over 500, though, just cuz.
you can't possibly do it by yourself.
Oh well...on to ATL. They gave it their best shot.
GYFNG!!!
Go Diamondbacks!! Beat them baarves!!
tough loss.
you can't possibly do it by yourself.
Well, FS, you forget I have no shame, but I'm glad to know I won't have to. THanks!
and this special request goes out to the kook-ade crowd, from The Chazz
Could you believe?
At this typing, the Barves are tied, 2-2, in AZ, after 7.
They go 3.5 back if they lose, which means we leave the a-t-l in first place no matter what if they lose. Last I looked, there was no place above that.
So, were there questions we meant to answer, but didn't?
in fairness, they owed Jax an off-the-hook night. He may have deserved this one, but there have been others he deserved better treatment, so there's that.
Oh, and among several small personal wins today, I got the Shaw Tavern to switch the soccer game over to the Nats. So there's that. fwiw.
Livo in for the Braves...this could get interesting.
Kimbrel hacks up a hairball to Chris Young! 3-2, Snakes. The Barvs announcers felt Young was a little too impressed with his own prowess, on that one. We'll see.
FWIW, the Barves announcers don't think much of the strike zone tonight. Sore losers? Maybe. The Nats go up 3.5 as they go into the weekend series. Not bad for a bunch of hopeless bums who can't possibly sustain anything, just cuz.
Keep them napkins, folks, you're gonna want 'em handy.
And no, I don't think we've had 500 before.
Yay, us.
Confidence creates its own reality. We'll be tired, but I think we take the series in Atlanta. The bats have awoke. 500. Say good night Gracie...
Congratulations you won, Sofa.
Thenkyou. Thenkyouverrymuch.
sec3 wins the interwebz.
Nice work, Sec3. Picking up the record, Pete Rose style.
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