Posts Tagged ‘Nationals Park’
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Away GamesJune 25th, 2008
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Apparently, if you translate it into English, Joaquin Benoit means “You can turn the TV off now, we’re losing this one. Read a book.” (I highly recommend Tim Kurkjian’s “Is This A Great Game, or What?”) In the continuance of a theme, Benoit came into Tuesday night’s game vs. Houston, closed his eyes, and started chunking the ball toward what he believed to be homeplate. In 4 1/2 June innings, he’s allowed 8 walks and 3 HRs. Those my friends, are “Now pitching, Ken Jones” kind of numbers. Read more
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Nats fall to Brewers in Extras on Memorial DayMay 30th, 2008
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The Memorial Day masses exited Nationals Park while listening to a Jamaican Rastafarian crooning about how ‘every little thing gonna’ be all right’ after the Nationals blew a lead in the top of the seventh inning, closed a deficit in the bottom of the 8th, then gave up the winning run in the top of the 11th.
Starting pitcher Jason Bergmann departed after throwing 5.2 innings of shutout, four-hit ball, enough to make him eligible for the win when leaving the mound with the Nats leading 2-0 overe the Milwaukee Brewers. The next three relievers proceeded to give up a run apiece before first baseman Dmitri Young smacked a deep drive to centerfield in the bottom of the 8th, pulling into third with what initially was a stand-up triple.
The umpires then convened, discussed whether Young’s shot had cleared the fence, decided that it had, and the 298 pounder casually strolled home with his first homer of the season as the Nats pulled even.
Closer Jon Rauch, the Nats’ fifth pitcher of the afternoon, pitched a 1-2-3 9th. Saul Rivera came on in the 10th, struck out the first batter, gave up a single to the next hitter, and induced the next two batters to fly and line out, respectively. Read more
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Message for the Nats’ Three Young BirdsMay 22nd, 2008
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Singin’ don’t worry
‘bout a thing
‘cause every little thing
gonna’ be all right …
- Three Little Birds by Bob Marley
As more than 28,000 hardball enthusiasts filed out of Nationals Park on Tuesday night, the late Jamaican Rastafarian’s catchy tune permeated the ears of witnesses to the Philadelphia Phillies’ 1-0 victory, a grinder of a game that went scoreless for eight full innings before the Phils broke the seal in the top of the ninth then blunted a threat in the inning’s bottom.
But the question that begs an answer: Should the implicit message of that uplifting song be taken seriously?
One: The Nats lost.
Two: They were shutout.
Three: They stranded a man on second with one out then third with two outs in the fourth inning. They stranded a man on second with two outs in the seventh inning. And, with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, the potential tying run walked, then stole second, then stole third before being stranded on a game-ending groundout.
Four: Their outfielders went 1-10 Tuesday night with a seventh inning double being this notable trio’s sole hit.
Five: Their make-shift closer, equipped with six saves under his belt, pitched the whole ninth inning and gave up one run to get the loss Tuesday night.
Six: They occupy the NL East cellar, looking immediately up at the New York Mets. In other words, while the Mets have sunk and the Atlanta Braves have scaled, the Nats have occupied the bottom for no one other than themselves.
Seven: Only three NL teams have a lower winning percentage than the Nats, all coming out of the NL West (Colorado Rockies, San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres).
Eight: Two AL teams have a lower winning percentage than the Nats, the Detroit Tigers and the Seattle Mariners.
Wednesday night marks the Nats’ 16th–straight game in 16 straight days, their second-longest consecutive streak of this season. They head into the series finale against the Phillies at 6-9. Four of those nine losses were one-run games, for two of the nine they were shutout. In late July through mid-August, the Nats have 20-straight games scheduled, representing their longest streak this season.
Jon Rauch, who was converted from set-up man to closer when Chad Cordero went down with a tear in his muscle earlier this season, started the ninth by giving up a double to third baseman Pedro Feliz, who was sacrificed to third then scored on pinch hitter Greg Dobbs’ single. Rauch, who gave up three hits and the decisive run, was tagged with the loss and falls to 2-1 on the season,
Wily Mo Peña doubled to left in the seventh, going 1-4 on the night. The leftfielder is yet to homer this season, one of the primary reasons the Nats brought him in when the Boston Red Sox released him last season. He was not improving while platooning in the Fenway outfield and was supposed to benefit from daily action and at-bats so that he would surmount his strike-out proclivity. One of those four at-bats was a swinging strike-out, which came in the ninth inning. He lunged and missed at first pitches in at least three of his at-bats, perhaps a sign of anxiousness. His batting average presently is .216.
Lastings Milledge went 0-4 with one strike out. The centerfielder’s positive contribution at the plate was a no-out sacrifice fly to right field, which moved Ryan Zimmerman to third. Milledge, who helped gun down what would have been a second Phils run in the ninth, left four on base and presently is hitting .235.
Elijah Dukes went 0-2 with two walks and two strikeouts. One of those walks came in the bottom of the ninth, when he was 90 feet from tying the game after stealing second and third bases. He presently is hitting .038 in 11 games thus far this season.
This trio that patrols the Nats outfield is expected to grow into those positions and sustain them for the Nats for years to come. Peña is 26, Milledge is 23 and Dukes turns 24 late next month, and all have plenty of room to improve their game.
‘Three little birds
Pitch by my doorstep
Singin sweet songs
Of melodies pure and true,
Sayin this is my message to you.’
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Keys to the Nats’ RisingMay 5th, 2008
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Will this team break out? We know they can and it just might be on the brink of doing so.
In less than two weeks, the Washington Nationals have climbed out of MLB’s basement by playing .727 ball. Their record through Saturday afternoon has them looking down on five teams and tied with a sixth. They are only five games below .500.
The Nats are 8-3 in their past 11 games, during which they captured series against three solid teams, and they’ll try to clinch another series Sunday afternoon.
Through Saturday afternoon, they have won two of three against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Right handed pitcher Tim Redding leads the charge Sunday in game four at Nationals Park against Ian Snell, also a righthander. Should the Nats lose, they’ll at least emerge with a series tie.
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Nats fall to Mets, SantanaApril 24th, 2008
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Just when the Washington Nationals showed a glimmer of straightening out …
One day after beating the Atlanta Braves and legendary pitcher John Smoltz in Atlanta on the historic night he recorded his 3000th strikeout, the Nats fell to another formidable pitcher at Nationals Park.
Johan Santana threw seven innings, gave up two earned runs and hit two doubles, helping the New York Mets defeat the Nats 7-2 on Wednesday night. His record improves to 3-2.
Nats pitcher Tim Redding threw five innings and was pulled in the top of the sixth for Ray King after giving up a single to centerfielder Carlos Beltran. Rightfielder Ryan Church reached safely on an infield hit to third, where he ultimately ended up after Nats third baseman Ryan Zimmerman’s errant throw also allowed Beltran to score what proved to be the deciding run. Redding falls to 3-2 on the season. Read more
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Nats occupy MLB’s cellarApril 22nd, 2008
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Nationals Park seems like nostalgic Americana from yesteryear, blossoming by the Tidal Basin, glittering alongside the rushing Rivers Potomac and Anacostia, glistening near the Reflecting Pool, and shimmering by the Capital’s assortment of white monuments, memorials, pillars, columns and marble fountains.
And then we have the Washington Nationals.
The owners of the worst record in Major League Baseball through Tuesday morning have lost 15 of their last 17 games, weighing in at a .250 winning percentage and a 5-15 record. The Nats dwell in last place of the NL East, immediately looking up at the Philadelphia Phillies whose even record gives them five less losses and five more wins.
The Nats are baseball’s only team with a winning percentage lower than .300 as two AL teams, the Texas Rangers in the AL West and the Detroit Tigers in the Central, hold records of 7-13, which converts to a .350 winning percentage. In the NL Central, the Pittsburgh Pirates hold a 7-12 record, translating as a .368 winning percentage.
The other divisions’ last-place teams are in the high .300s or low .400s.
Is this any way to inaugurate a new home?
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Nats snap 9-game losing streakApril 13th, 2008
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The Washington Nationals used the final game of their first extended homestand at their new field to snap an ugly nine-game losing streak, defeating the Atlanta Braves 5-4.
Nats starter Tim Redding picked up his second win of the season after giving up six hits and three runs in five innings. Jon Rauch notched his second save of the season by throwing one pitch that induced Braves catcher Brain McCann to fly out to right. Rauch relieved Chad Cordero, who began the ninth by quickly retiring two Braves hitters before loading the bases.
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Help Needed from the Nats’ 10th ManApril 7th, 2008
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The Nationals early this week begin this season’s first extended home-stand at their new ballpark, perfectly timed for the losers of four straight games.
They’ll welcome two fellow NL East rivals for three-game sets at home where, thus far, the only game was Opening Night, when the Nats’ took a dramatic, nationally televised walk-off win.
Now sitting on a 3-4 record, the next six games at Nationals Park represent an opportunity to resume settling into the home field.
Another helpful incentive that might begin emerging in this home-stand (especially when considering thus far the Nats have lost three of five games by one run), is the significant advantage that propels late-inning heroics: The 10th Man, more commonly known as the fans.
RFK Stadium, the Nats’ home for their first three seasons in DC, was notorious for its unused, vacant seats during games. In fact, even when the Nats went on a mid-season tear during the 2005 inaugural season, the team had the highest percentage of purchased tickets that went unused.
Thus far, only one game has been played at Nationals Park, which did sell out with the pomp and circumstance of Opening Night at the new stadium. Following this week’s six additional home games, the sample size probably will not be enough to answer how strong the Nats’ 10th Man will be, yet it will serve as an indication. It also serves as the perfect occasion to begin building home-field advantage.
Following last Sunday’s Home Opener versus the Atlanta Braves and two road series (Philadelphia Phillies and St. Louis Cardinals), the Nats have shown themselves to be a team fully capable of coming alive and generating runs when trailing in the late innings.
The Nats’ first loss not decided by one run was to the Cardinals, who completed the sweep by winning 3-0 on Sunday. That followed losses on Friday and Saturday, both final scores being 5-4. On Saturday, the Nats scored one run in the top of the eighth then two runs in the top of the ninth, but lost. On Friday night, the Cards were winning 5-1 when the Nats rallied for three seventh-inning runs and fell short.
And they lost Thursday in Philadelphia in the bottom of the 10th when the Phillies prevailed 8-7.
Similarly, two of their three wins have been decided by one run. Third baseman Ryan Zimmerman homered Wednesday in Philadelphia, propelling the Nats to a 1-0 victory and a 3-0 record. Three nights earlier, Zimmerman also homered at Nationals Park in the bottom of the 10th inning, breaking a 2-2 tie in a dramatic finish seemingly straight from a storybook and perfect for MLB and National’s Park Opening Night.
A good-sized, vibrant fan base at these games (or any, for that matter) might prove to be the Nats’ 10th Man, exactly what the team needs to help stimulate late-inning bursts that turn into rallies and runs, giving the home team the decisive nudge it needs.
Both the Braves and the Marlins hold even 3-3 records, barely ahead of the Nats.
The Marlins games are first with games Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. The Nats then welcome back the Braves for a weekend series.