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Photo by Mark Zuckerman / NATS INSIDER Gio Gonzalez seeks his league-leading 18th win tonight at Nationals Park. |
Last night, that meant a start in left field for Tyler Moore (who proceeded to hit a moonshot into the left-field stands for his eighth homer). Tonight, that means a start in center field for Roger Bernadina, who will also lead off.
Gio Gonzalez, meanwhile, takes the mound in search of his 18th win of the season. He's currently one of four big leaguers sitting on 17, along with R.A. Dickey (who is in line to win this afternoon), Johnny Cueto and David Price.
Updates to come, so please check back...
CHICAGO CUBS 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: Chance of storms, 83 degrees, Wind 7 mph out to RF
NATIONALS (83-52)
CF Roger Bernadina
RF Bryce Harper
3B Ryan Zimmerman
1B Adam LaRoche
LF Michael Morse
SS Ian Desmond
2B Danny Espinosa
C Kurt Suzuki
LHP Gio Gonzalez
CUBS (51-84)
CF Joe Mather
RF Dave Sappelt
1B Anthony Rizzo
LF Alfonso Soriano
SS Starlin Castro
C Welington Castillo
3B Josh Vitters
2B Darwin Barney
RHP Chris Volstad
UMPIRES
HP Larry Vanover
1B Jerry Layne (cc)
2B Bill Miller
3B Mike Estabrook
7:06 p.m. -- And we're underway. It's another muggy night (83 degrees, 72 percent humidity) and it's another small crowd on hand. Maybe even smaller than last night.
7:11 p.m. -- A nice and easy top of the first for Gio Gonzalez, who got a couple of grounders to third and then struck out Anthony Rizzo on a nasty curveball down and away to the left-handed hitter.
7:25 p.m. -- Hey, what do you know? The Nats scored in the bottom of the first. Again. Roger Bernadina started it off with an infield single, then stole second and advanced to third on Ryan Zimmerman's groundball. That set the stage for (who else?) Adam LaRoche to rope a base hit to center, scoring Bernadina. That's LaRoche's 88th RBI of the season, which now ranks sixth in the NL. The Nats lead 1-0 after one.
7:45 p.m. -- Three innings down for Gio Gonzalez, and the only baserunner so far reached on Ian Desmond's throwing error. That's it. He's got three strikeouts, has let only two balls leave the infield and has thrown 24 of 35 pitches for strikes. Good stuff from the lefty so far. Nats still lead 1-0 heading to the bottom of the third.
8:03 p.m. -- Well, you had to see that coming, right? I mean, it had been a few innings since the Nationals last homered. Might as well hit three of them in the bottom of the third. Bernadina got it started with a bomb to center. Harper then drilled the very next pitch into the Cubs bullpen for his 16th homer (tied with Ken Griffey Jr. for the third-most in MLB history by a teenager). After Zimmerman singled (what a bum!), LaRoche did it again, blasting a two-run shot to left for his fifth homer in five days, his 28th of the year and the Nats' third in a span of four batters. It's 5-0 after three, and the Nationals lineup has launched nine home runs over the last 11 innings. Sweet Fancy Moses!
8:10 p.m. -- Gio Gonzalez is slicing and dicing the Cubs lineup so far tonight. Four hitless innings. Just cruising.
8:25 p.m. -- Make it five innings for Gio, zero hits allowed. He was helped in the top of the fifth by plate umpire Larry Vanover, who gave him a fastball well inside to Welington Castillo for his fifth strikeout of the night. But generous strike zone or not, Gio is dealing. Still 5-0 heading to the bottom of the fifth.
8:37 p.m. -- How excited do you think Gio was when the Cubs just intentionally walked Suzuki for the second time tonight, this time bringing up the pitcher with the bases loaded? The crowd certainly was excited, chanting "Let's Go Gio!" throughout the at-bat. He took a healthy cut, too, and roped a line drive up the middle ... only to be robbed by Castro. This place would've exploded if that hit fell in. So it's still 5-0 heading to the sixth as Gio focuses on his pitching again. And by the way, Dale Sveum was given the heave-ho by Larry Vanover to start that inning. Can't blame the Cubs manager. I wouldn't want to have to watch this team, either.
8:41 p.m. -- So much for that. Darwin Barney drills Gonzalez's first pitch of the sixth inning past a diving Zimmerman for the Cubs' first hit of the night.
9:02 p.m. -- And now Bryce Harper stands alone in third place among all teenagers who have ever homered in the big leagues. The kid launched one into the second deck in the bottom of the sixth, his second of the night and 17th of the season. Only Tony Conigliaro (24) and Mel Ott (19) ever hit more in a season before they turned 20. It's 6-0 Nats as we move to the seventh, with Gio Gonzalez sitting on only 69 pitches.
9:16 p.m. -- He gave up a couple of hits in the seventh, but Gio still didn't give up a run. So if you combine this start with his last one, Gonzalez has now tossed 16 consecutive scoreless innings, striking out 17 over that span. Totally dominant. Still 6-0 at the stretch.
9:24 p.m. -- Sweet. Fancy. Moses. Desmond and Espinosa just went back-to-back to open the bottom of the seventh. That's six homers tonight, after they hit six last night. How many teams have ever done that? Well, since 1918, only the 1996 Dodgers, the 2003 Angels and the 2012 Nationals. That's it. Remarkable. It's 8-0.
9:43 p.m. -- And then Luis Valbuena walks Zimmerman with the bases loaded. Then stunningly strikes out both LaRoche and Morse. It's 9-0 through seven, and here's Craig Stammen in for Gio Gonzalez.
9:58 p.m. -- We go to the ninth. Stammen will try to record three outs before giving up nine runs.
10:07 p.m. -- Well, he got three outs while only surrendering one run. That'll suffice. Nats win 9-1. They're 7-1 since their five-game losing streak. They're a season-best 32 games over .500. The Braves also won, 1-0, so the lead remains 7 1/2 games.
169 comments:
We may lose the OBP of Werth in the lead off spot, but Berny has proven that his bat can be just as potent as anyone else in the lineup. Man! What a great feeling knowing that we have bench players that aren't automatic outs like in years past. I freakin' love this team, and this season!
GYFNG!
Regarding the attendance last night -- earlier thread. It's very hard for me to get to a night game during the work week. [I've not been to any.] but I love those weekday getaway games.
I supported giving all of our starters a game off just a couple of posts ago and it was not well received. I will be looking for Ian and Danny to also get a day in the near future as Lombo needs to stay sharp as well. Werth is healthy and can come off the bench in late innings. This is a complete team with decent if not very good depth (how did Moore work out for you guys yesterday??) Flores has benefited from days off, Bryce responded well off the bench and Davey continues to push all the right buttons. Burnett is now resting and expect Storen to get an actual save situation in the future.
Go Nats!! Go Playoffs!! Score First!!
Off to sec 310 tonight!! Love the red carpet rewards even though they will be cut back next year.
I figure my son and I have seen an additional 12 games this season. Tonight is step-daughter time.
Someone noted this a few days ago, but I just checked out Mark's 2012 Media Predictions post from April 5. Pretty darn funny. So much ridicule of Bill Ladson for picking Desi for the All Star game. And the highest beat writer win prediction was Pete Kertzel with 88.
Commenters named jeeves and Ray predicted 91 wins, that's the highest predictions I saw. A guy named Natsochist predicted Harper would come up on May 14 and hit 18 HRs. Jeeves said early May and 18. No one else was that optimistic, except for Dan! who predicted 22. (The highest beat writer prediction was 13.)
If you're still out there, you guys should come take some bows!
http://www.natsinsider.com/2012/04/2012-media-predictions.html
I'd lile to see Lombo get a chance to lead off when JW gets a break
Taking a cue from Mark's previous thread and a revisit to the April 5 article, I will make a prediction that the Nats will win 3 to 7 more games next year (depending on this year's total) than they will this year as Strasburg gets better, Detwiler matures and the rookie parade become sophomores.
Section 222, there were plenty of predictions made before and after that piece was written.
The biggest differences I see is the play of LaRoche, Desmond Werth and Bryce's impact from May to June 15th. It has been those 4 playing well beyond most anyone's conceivable level of play except maybe LaRoche who is trending slightly above career highs.
Read the LaRoche comments on the in-game thread as the 1st game in Chicago unfolded plus the Werth comments and the Desi hate filled comments about his High School coach working with him on hitting.
It just amazes me how much hatred was thrown at these guys.
Doc and Eddie .... thank you!
Thought of an interesting question for post season... did Davey play his bench in post season in 1986 Mets and 1996-97 O's as he does with Nats in regular season? I can not remember in 1986 if he did, however, in 1997, it seemed that he played his bench very little. I could be wrong, does any one remember?
Gonat -- I checked it out, and yeah, some folks were pretty vicious on that windy afternoon in Chicago. Here's one by one Anon that is just funny:
I can't believe Laroche is still here. He is awful. Hes already stranded five men with only one out. I am already boooooooored as hell with this team. going to cut grass.
If he stopped watching the Nats altogether after six innings of the first game, he's missed quite a ride eh?
I may be alone here.... but I think Nats attendance is outstanding. Being 14 of 28 teams and 1.9 million fans attending is a big deal. Monday night, 1st day of school, Michelle speaking all contributed to only 17,000, which is not bad for a Monday night.
I hope Bernadina can make leadoff work. I wish Davey put Harp 1st and Bernie 2nd. Something mental with Bernie in the #1
The odd thing about the ST and early season criticism of Desi was that he had signalled his improvement with his late surge last year. Some simply chose to disregard this, in spite of several posters (including me) pointing it out.
Harsh juddgments on the other three were wrong, but to some extent justified. Werth did have a lousy year in 2011; LaRoche's recovery from his injury was not a sure thing. In fact both of them are on pace to have career years, something no one can be expected to predict, especially those who tie their opinions to statistics from the past. And as for Harper, seriously, who knew?
So let us revel in the achievers and their achievements, forgive those whose glass-half-empty nature caused them to doubt, and move onward and upward toward a glorious finish to this glorious season.
222: Great link. Baseball, with all its stats and our feeble human efforts to impose order on randomness, lends itself to such very specific predictions (e.g., X number of HRs, Y games won, Z strikeouts). But when you read through that thread, you realize how impossible it is to foresee (or even recognize) developments like injuries, hot streaks, getting a new pair of glasses, slumps, putting in some extra work on a particular weakness, rediscovering a particular motion, etc. can be. Which is why, as they say, you play the game.
More generally, here's to Gio Gonzalez and company taking the Cubs seriously, focussing on the game at hand, and putting some real (and continuous) pressure on from the opening pitch. GYFNG!
P.S. - Just received two new Nats hats that I ordered, but -- to be sure -- I wouldn't dream of wearing either just yet (you know what I mean, I'm sure).
You know my theory of beating Cubs score early and they can't over come
Interesting tweet from Amanda that Davey saiid it's "conceivable" that CMW could get a start this month against a mainly RH lineup.
Translation: if we clinch the division, after we clinch the division, and It helps set up the rotation for the playoffs without depriving Lannan of a start, or one of the regular starters from a chance at a round- number win.
Since Davey can't really give starting pitchers a night off, at least not until we've clinched the best record in the NL, I'm hoping he has a quick hook for Gio tonight. Remember he pitched the first complete game of his life this past Friday; Davey should be ready to pounce the moment he thinks Gio's starting to flag.
Eugene in Oregon said...P.S. - Just received two new Nats hats that I ordered, but -- to be sure -- I wouldn't dream of wearing either just yet (you know what I mean, I'm sure).
Cunegonde and I are still waiting on the red jerseys we ordered from China about 10 days ago.
Did Cunegonde order the Zimmerman jersey?
GO GIO!
I don't do predictions, as y'all know, but well said re. those who do, Natsie and Eugene.
And I'm with Another Sam on weekday games. Once in a while I can get to a day game during the week, but the night games are a no-go for the most part.
She originally ordered the Harper jersey, but they were out of stock, so she switched to the Werth.
I ordered the Zimm.
Steady Eddie said...
Translation: if we clinch the division, after we clinch the division, and It helps set up the rotation for the playoffs without depriving Lannan of a start, or one of the regular starters from a chance at a round- number win.
Interesting Eddie.... along that line, does clinch division include clinching best NL record? Meaning, how much of a priority is it to have the best overall record?
Are those the ones with nifty star logo? :-)
On a game note: go, GIO! Go, NATS BATS!!
Cunegonde and I are still waiting on the red jerseys we ordered from China about 10 days ago.
Well said, well said one and all. Gwai Fung!
agreed sofa...
btw... the bigger the headache, the bigger the pill, now how bout that for old funk, lol
2013 schedule has NL East vs AL Central + 4 vs. O's
dj cool as of now AL central is the weakest in MLB
natsfan1a
God love ya!!!!!
Candide, do they have yellow Nats jerseys with Gio's name and number? I want one of those.
Thought you might like that musical link, Mick. :-) Took it down in case it might be considered NSFW.
natsfan1a
not at all, tell you what, George Clinton was and still is the man!!
What's with the artificial hand sitting in the back of Espinosa's locker (when he was being interviewed in the pregame show).
Personally, I think it's funkalicious. :-)
lolololo
Maybe it's for the media - talk to the hand? :-)
What's with the artificial hand sitting in the back of Espinosa's locker (when he was being interviewed in the pregame show).
the bigger the headache, the bigger the pill, now how bout that for old funk
Good night for Clinton quotes, Mick!
@ MicheleS - correction - she originally ordered the Werth, but switched to Strasburg.
@ Section 3 - YELLOW jerseys? I know not what ye speak of. They DO have Gio jerseys in the standard home white, red, and holiday-blue colors, though.
Here's a link: http://jerseys.bz/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=502_573
Note - it's been about ten days and we're still waiting. I'm sure they'll get here eventually, but overnight FedEx or UPS delivery isn't an option from China. They evidently ship via some outfit called EMS, which, near as I can tell, is some Chinese government shipping service. When last seen, our jerseys were in Shanghai on August 26, with status being "despatch from sorting center." Once it leaves China, I suspect EMS has no idea where it is.
If the object was to give Werth a rest, it would have made more sense to wait for the Sunday game w/ the Marlins, which would give him Saturday night, all of Sunday, the travel time and most of Monday off. I hope they adopt the practice of sending the starters of the series openers ahead a day in advance to be optimally rested.
natsfan1a - the red jerseys are the usual red ones with the white curly W.
Thanks, Candide.
Candide, so she likes the Beard... I have the Werth Jersey (got it at Spring Training 2 years ago)..
Theo.. Werth's numbers vs Volstad.. not good.
8 Pitch first inning.
Theo -- I suspect Werth 3 for 33, .081 BA vs Volstad might have something to do with his sitting to nght.
mick -- re whether Davey means "win division" or "best NL record" beats me. My parsing skills for hat only go so far ,-)!
Steady Eddie, there you go!
Bernadina is doing a great job of stealing.
Steady Eddie - 3 for 33 = .090.
Still a good reason to sit.
Manassas @ 5:41
Wise poster...
Good for ALR.. another RBI.
Gotta correct myself - 3 for 33 = .0909 = .091.
Still stinks.
How do you spell RBI? A - L - R !
That's 2 days in a row LaRoche has peppered that 4-6 hole just to the right of 2nd base and beating that shift. Of course his HRs always beat the shift.
OOH.. I like that Shark swimming in a circle starts at home, ends at home.. Good on FP.
Desmond has to hide his mouth while saying something that the ump finds hilarious. Hmmm.
Really want to know what Desi said to Vanover. can someone send Akra over to ask?
Wondered what Desmond told Vanover
djinFl,
Thanks for the tip about the 2013 schedule beginning to leak. I went to a couple of articles, most of which focus on the inter-league aspect (seems it will be roughly the same number of inter-league games as in recent seasons). I was more interested in whether the 15-15 realignment would lead to revisiting the unbalanced own-league schedules. No mention that I could find (in several articles), so apparently not. Too bad, in my opinion.
Gotta love it
Go Nats!
Desi first error in a while. Not sure why he rushed.
Not good. E-6 and immediately Gio is out of his rhythm but luckily gets Barney after going 3-0.
Eugene, here is the article from the LA Times. They have more info.
http://www.latimes.com/sports/baseball/mlb/dodgers/la-sp-0905-dodgers-angels-schedule-20120905,0,2778571.story
>It's also worth noting that the Nats do NOT count as paid attendance Red >Carpet Rewards or other free ticket giveaways. (I've confirmed this with my >Nats rep.)
Section 222 -
Sorry for the late response on this, but I just saw this from earlier in the day. For what it's worth, there was an online discussion with one of the reporters from Baseball Prospectus earlier this year. He said that he had called MLB and and asked them if bonus tickets like Red Carpet Rewards were counted toward paid attendance and he was told they ARE counted.
He said he was told any kind of ticket for which money changed hands, like a two-for-one sale or a bonus program like Red Carpet Rewards, counts toward paid attendance. Purely complimentary tickets that are given away with no charge at all do not count as paid attendance.
Obviously, I don't know whether the Nats rep you talked to or the MLB rep the Baseball Prospectus reporter talked to is right. However, there does appear to be a disagreement on this issue.
And that's pressure.
And that's pressure, squared.
What that a shark sighting? In this humidity?
Davey pushing all the right buttons. Again.
And the Kid follows!
Back to BACK!
Man, we are crushing Cubs' pitching. Bryce hits one for his dad. cool.
Bryce is tied with Ken Griffey JR for 19 year olds with HRs... And Mom and Dad are in town,
Back to Back and then Zimm on with a single. I hope the bats can just pile it on!
Poor Cunegonde is tired, not feeling well, flying to Dallas tomorrow, needs to pack. How is she supposed to leave watching the game with the Nats punishing the ball and Gio throwing a no-no?
ALR.. BOOM!
Pressure cubed, anybody?
Adam looks like he is about to lap Ryan! LOL!
Was that a groan I just heard from north Georgia
Candide.. let Cunegonde know she can SLEEP on the plane!
See why I want a more balanced schedule?
Home Run City!! LaRoche does it again!
On the bright side, the Cubs really get to check out their bullpen callups during this series.
If Desi is obtuse with his swing he will get an acute tear of his oblique.
This series is definely proving your point Eugene.
Revisiting comments from earlier in the season, Mr. Espinosa really is a slacker. The only left-handed batter this inning not to hit a home run. Geez.
Man....why can't I be Stateside now...next week can't come soon enough!
We need more Cubs!
Your right NJ
It just makes you want to poke at somebody.
I like games like this. This explains the Reds record.
Dale Sveum has seen enough. Can't say I blame him. His team is doing a great impression of the 2008 Washington Nationals.
NJ.. they moved over to the Cubs Insider. Easy pickings.
NatsJack, please do not summon them. ;-)
NatsJack@8:31: Oh yes. I've scrolled around over there a bit and some of those comments were eerily familiar.
I'm sure they just copy and paste comments from baseballtrolls.com
Can you imagine what the Red Sox and Yankees sites are like?
I post very hopeful messages on the Philthies' sites. That really burns them.
micheles - I can't afford the fees to post on their sites. (I assume they charge, 'cuz their fans will PAY!)
dang that Carp! Blew the no-no.
Oh well...there goes the no hitter....
Ian Desmond may have breathed a (hidden) sigh relief.
NatsJack...ur right. No need to wear him down.
BAM BAM upper DECK!
Just passed Griffey JR.
Can Mr. and Mrs. Harper come to more games, please?
Wait.. Where is Mama Gonzalez?
Papa Harper must be so proud.
If he continues at this pace, Bryce will have over 60 HR this year.
And by "at this pace" I mean 2 HR per game. It's an election year, so I am conditioned to cherry-picking stats. ;-)
Just saw Loverro tweeted that Bryce will be on ESPN 980 at 1:15 tomorrow..
So I go upstairs to get my wallet just as Harper's stepping up to the plate; need my credit card to complete purchase of ticket for tomorrow's game.
Get back downstairs to see him high-fiving in the dugout.
(...smacks head on keyboard...)
Candide, can you leave again in the bottom of the 7th? I want to see another Dinger.
Sure, MicheleS. Just PayPal me $100 and your wish is my command.
Candide, where is your Natitude? Can't you sacrifice for the team?
Is it just me, or is "Blake Parker" a good name for a superhero's human alter ego?
how bout Gio!!
Thanks Candide!!!!
DESI ba ba loooooo
lol
sofa you mean Peter Parker, lol
Back to Back! Ian and ESPI!!!
Now, Mr. Espinosa, that's the right approach. No more slacker doubles.
OMG this is GREAT!!!!
De nada, MicheleS.
(FWIW, I watched both of them go out.)
Oppo-boppo squared!
If we played in The nl central, we would be beterr then The 1927 yankees
I want what they are eating for breakfast.
Gio 18 wins.... i remember Dick Bosman in 1971 was 16-12 or was it 1970.... oh shut up Mick
Having trouble with MLB.tv. Any more HRs?
Nah mick, just go with the moment and enjoy! Life doesn't give you that many moments like this....
Candide, I think there is someone at your door...
i sense a land shark attack lurking........
thank you eddie..
ehay2k candy gram..... lol
MLB.tv all messed up (at least on my computer), but saw most of Mr. Harper's AB. Loved the fact that he didn't go for a pitch out of the zone just to have a chance at a three HR game. That's almost as impressive as the two HRs he already has.
mick - didn't the land sharks also say he was a Jehova's Witness?
ehay2k olololo
I am on dvr--- just caught up to live. OMG !!!!!!! GYFNG!
The new Cubs pitchers is NOT going to give up another HR.
has any teenagers ever hit 3 home runs in a game?
Faraz - Carp and FP say it's never been done. Al Kaline did it at 20.
what a lousy team! only 1 for 9 with RISP.
thanks Candide. Would be awesome if Harper does it at some point before season ends.
Just shows you how misleading statistics can be. Did you hear about the guy who drowned in a lake with an average depth of six inches?
I have never seen anything like this -- ever. I am stunned. The best team in baseball is actually getting better -- alot better!!!
and to think I used to root for the old Senators -- this is a real kick.
Garcia, our new relief pitcher who got one out last night is absolutely awesome.
Another potentially dominate reliever -- it just keep getting better.
I know I'm late to the party..but I see there's been a a return engagement of the Legion of BOOM!!!
If we played the Cubs 18 times a year the '27 Yankees would be in trouble...
Was working---did I mess anything? That website has pretty good prices for jerseys...
djinFl. said...
I want what they are eating for breakfast.
Lunch
I mean, did I miss anything?
Maybe they took finally took Mark's advice and really did go with "Cortisone Shots All-Around"...
natslady :
nah. same as last nite
Only 9 runs, I'm sure Eugene is looking for more pressure...They better push across #10 soon...
NatsLady said...I mean, did I miss anything?
Nahhh. Nothing to see here. Might as well go to bed.
Did FP just basically tell Carp he doesn't know what he's talking about?
Are the Cubs that bad, or the Nats that good?
Yes x 2
Did FP just basically tell Carp he doesn't know what he's talking about?
finally
Musta been some team meeting Davey held.
Darn Barves
Shark!!!!!!!! Look at that smile!!!!!!!!!!!!!
NatsLady...I'm starting to think the Rizzo/Davey shouting match was an act...The meeting led to a "win one for the old man" players meeting and everything's been great since....
Eagle, I said that at the time. It just seemed staged to me (old actress that I am).
Aw. There goes the shutout...
Yes, I remember it was you who made me think that...
Love it when a plan comes together...
Can u guys explain To me,why stammen in this situation? Why not let him rest, and pitch duke or Garcia?
WOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOO.. What a thrashing! Get the sweep tomorrow.!
84. Wow
Brazil, I think Garcia pitched before he came up and then last night. Probably Davey didn't want him to go three days in a roe.
That makes sense NL, but still Craig has a lot of I this year
ooooops, row. Too many HR's, I'm tired out.
This is what great teams are supposed to do. Play the good teams tough, and beat the crap out of the bad ones.
Brazil: Yes, he does. But I noticed that since we are in the final stages, Davey DOES NOT LIKE TO LOSE GAMES! All that "teaching" has gone by the wayside... He is going for the kill.
Also, his first priority is to keep the regular guys sharp, and that means pitching frequently.
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