Walks and passed ball in 8th drop Nats 5-4
Manny Acta will look at the bottom of the 8th and wonder how it happened. Jesus Colome, in his second inning of relief for starter Matt Chico, got two quick outs and then everything fell apart.
Colome issued back-to-back walks to Adam Kennedy and pinch-hitter Chris Duncan. Ray King replaced Colome and walked Cesar Izturis to load the bases. With defensive replacement Skip Schumaker at the plate, King threw wide of Jesus Flores, ruled a passed ball, and Kennedy scored the eventual winnning run. The Nationals have now lost three straight after beginning the season 3-0. Tomorrow they look to salage a win before returning to Nationals Park for a 6-game homestand beginnning Monday against Florida.
The passed ball really hurt because Flores' 2-run homer, off Anthony Reyes, in the top of the 9th would have tied the game and possibly sent the Nats to extra innings. We'll never know, but it would've been nice to find out. Randy Flores replaced Reyes and got Christian Guzman to fly out to center to end the game and snap his 5-game hitting streak. Flores got the save by throwing one pitch.
Matt Chico got into trouble in the second, after retiring the side in order in the first. The Cardinals scored two runs on four hits to take the early 2-0 lead. Singles, sandwiched around and out, by Troy Glaus and Yadier Molina, put runners on first and second. After a liner to left, by Adam Kennedy, that Felipe Lopez short hopped and threw to third to get Glaus, Chico gave up an RBI single to Cards pitcher Adam Wainwright. Izturis followed with an RBI single of his own and the Cards never trailed in the game.
St.Louis built on the lead in the third. A lead-off double by Rick Ankiel, a walk to Albert Pujols and a sac fly by Glaus put runners on second and third with one out. After Chico struckout Ryan Ludwick, Molina singled to score both runners. 4-0 Redbirds.
The Nationals got one back in the 4th. Ryan Zimmerman led-off with a double, his first of two in the game, Nick Johnson's RBI single made it 4-1. That's all Wainwright would surrender in the inning. Johnson, in the 8th, would hit his first home run of the season and first since 2006 to cut the lead to 4-2.
It was the bottom of the 8th will leave Acta frustrated and ask, what could've been?
News & Notes
Zimmerman went 2-4 to raise his avg to .259
Johnson was 3-4. He's now batting .368.
Belliard had 2 hits.
Nats pitchers issued 6 walks. They have now walked 24 in 6 games.
Wainwright's line: 8 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, BB, 4 K
Keep reading for inning-by-inning updates and pitching match-ups.
9th inning...
Anthony Reyes on to close out the game gave up a lead-off double to Ronnie Belliard to right. 1-out later, Jesus Flores hit a 2-run homer to left to cut the lead to 5-4. Pinch-hitter Aaron Boone flew out to right for the second out. manager Tony LaRussa is making a pitching change.
8th inning...
Jesus Colome got two quick outs to begin the inning, but walked Adam Kennedy and pinch-hitter Chris Duncan. Ray King replaced Colome and walked Cesar Izturis to load the bases. A passed ball by Jesus Flores allowed Kennedy to score. 5-2.
Adam Wainwright, lifted for pinch-hitter Duncan, is finished for the afternoon. He scattered 8 hits in 8 innings, giving up 2 earned runs, walked one and struckout 4.
8th inning...
With two outs, Nick Johnson hit a solo home run, his first of the season and first since 2006, to cut the Cardinals lead in half. 4-2.
7th inning...
Jesus Colome on in relief, walks Skip Schumaker, who came in the game in the top of the inning as a defensive substitution in left field, to lead-off the inning. Colome then got Rick Ankiel swinging, Albert Pujols to ground out, 5-3 and Troy Glaus to fly out to right.
6th inning...
Matt Chico retired the side in order and his last eight, but his day is finished. Rob Mackowiak pinch-hit for Chico in the 7th and struckout. Matt's line for the day: 6 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 5 K. 108 pitches, 66 for strikes.
Nick Johnson led-off with a single to center, his second of the day. Austin Kearns popped out to catcher Yadier Molina. Ronnie Belliard grounded into the 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.
5th inning...
Matt Chico walked Cesar Izturis to start the frame, but he picked him off for the first out. Good timing because Brian Barton followed with a triple to right center. No damage as Chico struckout Ankiel and got Pujols to fly our to right.
4th inning....
Ryan Zimmerman hit a 1-out double to left, his second of the game. Nick Johnson's single to center scored Zimm. 4-1 Cards. Belliard followed with a single of his own. A great defensive play by second baseman Adam Kennedy prevented a run on a Lopez grounder up the middle. Kennedy smothered the ball and forced Johnson out at second for the out. Jesus Flores grounded out to third to end the threat.
Chico, who looked sharp in the first, striking out the first two Cardinal hitters and getting Pujols to fly out to right, was tagged for two runs in the second.
Third baseman Glaus singled to lead-off the inning. One out later, catcher Yadier Molina singled. Kind of a strange scoring play happened next. Second baseman Adam Kennedy hit a sharp liner to left that Felipe Lopez picked on the short hop. Glaus had to wait to see if Lopez would catch it and was forced out at third. 7-5 if you're scoring at home.
Pitcher Adam Wainwright, batting in the eight spot, singled to left center to score Molina. 1-0 Cards. Izturis followed with a single to plate Kennedy. St.Louis leads 2-0 after 2 1/2.
Bottom 3.... Ankiel doubled to right on a 3-2 pitch. Pujols followed with a 4 pitch walk. Glaus flew out to right to advance the runners and Chico struckout Ryan Ludwick. With two outs and left handed-hitting Adam Kennedy on deck, Chico grooved one to Molina and made him pay by singling to right to drive in two. 4-0 Redbirds.
Here are today's starting line-ups:
Nationals
SS Cristian Guzman
CF Lastings Milledge
3B Ryan Zimmerman
1B Nick Johnson
RF Austin Kearns
2B Ronnie Belliard
LF Felipe Lopez
C Jesus Flores
P Matt Chico
Cardinals
LF Brian Barton
CF Rick Ankiel
1B Albert Pujols
3B Troy Glaus
RF Ryan Ludwick
C Yadier Molina
2B Adam Kennedy
P Adam Wainwright
SS Cesar Izturis
Stop the Bleeding
Matt Chico looks to end the Nats 2-game skid when he takes the mound vs. Adam Wainwright and the Cardinals at 1:10p today.
Chico, who gave up 3 earned runs in 5 1/3 innings in Monday's 11-6 win in Philadelphia, needs to get off to a better start than Odalis Perez did last night.
In two career starts against St.Louis, Chico has two no decisions, giving up 9 hits and 3 earned runs in 9 innings pitched.
Nats vs. Wainwright
Ronnie Belliard: 3-7(.429), HR, 2 RBI
Felipe Lopez: 3-7(.429)
Ryan Zimmerman: 3-8(.375)
Cardinals vs. Chico
Ryan Ludwick: 1-2(.500), HR, RBI
Albert Pujols: 3-5(.600)
High 5
Here are the Nationals team stats through 5 games.
AVG. .249 (46-185)
RISP. .288 (15-52)
SLG. .384
OBP .314
ERA 4.06 (20 ER/44.1 IP)
Starters ERA 4.73 (14 ER/26.2 IP)
Bullpen ERA 3.06 (6 ER/17.2 IP)
Upcoming Pitching Probables
Sunday @ St.Louis: 2:15p (MASN 2)
LHP John Lannan (NR) vs. RHP Kyle Lohse (NR).
Monday vs. Florida: (7:10p MASN HD)
RHP Tim Redding (1-0, 0.00) vs. LHP Andrew Miller (0-1, 10.38)
Wednesday vs. Florida: (7:10p MASN HD)
RHP Jason Bergmann (0-0, 8.44) vs. Scott Olsen (0-0, 6.00)
Thursday vs. Florida: (7:10p MASN HD)
LHP Odalis Perez (0-1, 6.00) vs. LHP Mark Hendrickson (0-1, 10.80)
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