Lannan tosses gem, Nats win 2-1, avoid sweep
John Lannan picked up his 4th win of the year and Jon Rauch earned his 10th save.
The Nationals avoid a series sweep by the Orioles and finish the 7-game road trip 4-3.
Ryan Zimmerman had the game winning hit, an RBI double in the 8th.
The Nationals improve to 16-0 when leading after 8 innings and 9-6 in series finale's.
The loss snaps the O's 4-game win streak
Post Game
Final Line Score
Nationals 2-7-0
Orioles 1-5-0
WP-Lannan (4-4)
LP-Guthrie (2-4)
Sv-Rauch (10)
HR-Guzman (4)
Just win baby
John Lannan improved to 4-4 with the win. In his 4 wins, he has given up just 2 earned runs in 27 1/3 innings. Thats a 0.66 ERA. He said every time he pitches, he goes for a complete game. Today, he was close, but not just close enough.
Z-Man
Ryan Zimmerman, who had the game winning RBI, talked about how he is getting close to where he wants to be at the plate and how big Lannan was today.
Tip Top Shape
Felipe Lopez and Cristian Guzman each had two hits and both scored a run.
Wil the Thrill
With 2 more hits, Wil Nieves raised his average to .326. he was solid behind the plate as well. There were three times Orioles batters swung at a third strike where Nieves had to fire to first to ensure the out. Each time he was right on the money.
Mack Daddy
When Rob Mackowiak is in the starting line-up, the Nationals are now 7-1. Mackowiak went 0-2 with a walk, but more importantly, the Nationals won.
In Game Updates
Orioles scoring, 8th inning
The game resumed at 6:04 after a 27 minute rain delay.
The Orioles had runners on second and third with 1-out. Brain Roberts hit a sac fly to cut the Nationals lead to 2-1, but Luis Ayala got Melvin Mora to line out to right to end the inning.
John Lannan pitched a 4-hit, 1-run gem today. He stands to get the win if Jon Rauch can close the door in the 9th.
Rain Drops
Play was halted at 5:37pm after the skies opened up for the second time today.
Crew chief Tim McClelland ordered the players off the field and the tarp brought out in the bottom of the 8th with runners on second and third.
Ryan Zimmerman gave the Nationals a 2-run cushion with an RBI double in the top of the inning.
John Lannan was being replaced by Luis Ayala when the game was stopped. Lannan gave up 4 hits in 7 1/3. He is responsible for both Oriole base runners.
Dear John
John Lannan was replaced by Luis Ayala with runners on second and third and 1-out in the 8th. He is responsible for both Orioles. He gave up 4 hits, a walk and struck out 5 while throwning 105 pitches. He can't lose the game, but can get a no decision. Here is his final line.
7 1/3 IP, 4 H, ER, BB, 5 K. He threw 105 pitches, 71 for strikes.
Nationals scoring, 8th inning
Ryan Zimmerman's RBI double in the 8th gave the Nationals a little breathing room.
Felipe Lopez got things going with a lead-off double and was sacrificed to third by Cristian Guzman. Zimmerman followed with a double just inside the bag at first for the 2-0 lead.
Jeremy's Spoken
Jeremy Guthrie let his pitching do the talking. He pitched 7 solid innings, giving up 1 run on 5 hits and 3 walks. He did not strike out a batter. The lone run came on Cristian Guzman's solo HR in the 3rd. Here is his line for the day.
7 IP, 5 H, ER, 3 BB. He threw 99 pitches, 57 for strikes.
Perfect Throw
It took a perfect throw and that's what Nick Markakis delivered. With 2-on and 2-out in the 7th, Wil Nieves hit a bloop single over second baseman Brian Roberts head. Markakis was charging hard as Elijah Dukes was trying to score from second. Catcher Guillermmo Quiroz deeked Dukes and didn't give away the fact that the ball was coming. Markakis threw a perfect 1-hop bullett to the plate and Quiroz tagged Dukes for the 3rd out of the inning.
Pitchers thru 6 innings
Lannan gave up a 1-out single in the 3rd, a 2-out walk in the 4th and a 2-out double in the 6th, but stranded all three runners. His pitch count is good, 83, 56 of which are strikes.
Guthrie battled through trouble in the first and didn't surrender a run. He did give up a solo shot in the 3rd, but since then has retired 9 of 10. He's thrown 82 pitches to this point.
Pitchers thru 3 innings
John Lannan gave up a 1-out single in the 3rd, his first base runner allowed, but got two quick outs to get out of the inning. He has two strike outs, both times he caught Orioles hitters looking. Lannan has thrown 40 pitches, 29 for strikes.
Jeremy Guthrie struggled in the first, but didn't allow a run. He gave up two singles and a walk, but was aided by a 5-4-3 double play. Cristian Guzman's solo HR in the 3rd, his 2nd hit in as many at-bats, is the difference so far.
Underway
After a 2 hour 1 minute rain delay, the Nationals and Orioles series finale is underway at 3:36pm.
Felipe Lopez and Cristian Guzman hit back-to-back singles off Jeremy Guthrie to begin the game, but couldn't get a run. Ryan Zimmerman hit into a 5-4-3 double play. Dmitri Young, after a 12-pitch at-bat, walked, but Aaron Boone swung at the first pitch and popped out to end the threat.
John Lannan retired the side in order in the bottom of the 1st.
Starting Line-Ups
Nationals
2B Felipe Lopez
SS Cristian Guzman
3B Ryan Zimmerman
DH Dmitri Young
1B Aaron Boone
CF Lastings Milledge
RF Elijah Dukes
LF Rob Mackowiak
C Wil Nieves
Austin Kearns was in the starting line-up around 10:15a this morning, but was scratched around 11a. No word as to why he was a late scratch. Elijah Dukes will start in right field.
Orioles
2B Brian Roberts
3B Melvin Mora
RF Nick Markakis
1B Kevin Millar
DH Aubrey Huff
LF Jay Payton
CF Adam Jones
C Guillermo Quiroz
SS Alex Cintron
Game Preview
Nationals (18-26) at Baltimore (23-19)
The Nationals came to Baltimore taking 3 of 4 from the Mets in New York. Now they are in danger of getting swept by the Orioles and having a losing record on this 7-game road trip.
Timely hitting, which has been a problem all season, bit the Nationals again last night. Trailing 6-5 in the 8th, with 2-out and the bases loaded, Austin Kearns had a chance to be the hero, but he struck out and his season long slump continues.
The final game of the series is today at 1:30p at Camden Yards. John Lannan takes on Jeremy Guthrie.
Pitching Match-Up
LHP John Lannan (3-4, 3.74) is coming off a 6-3 loss to the Mets. He gave up 4-runs on a season-high 12 hits in 6 innings. That was the only game the Nationals lost to the Mets in their 4-game series. With the score tied 2-2 and 2-outs in the 6th, Austin Kearns misjudged a fly ball by Ryan Church, allowing 2-runs to score, handing Lannan the loss.
When Lannan is good, he's real good. In 4 starts, 3 wins and a no-decision, Lannan has given up 2 earned run in 26 innings. That's a paper thin 0.69 ERA. When he's off, it's not pretty. In his 4 losses, he's given up 18 runs, 17 earned in 19 2/3 innings, a 7.78 ERA.
This is Lannan's 9th start and 6th on the road. He's been pretty good when he's not pitching at Nationals Park, compiling a 2-2 record with a 2.27 ERA away from home. It will be interesting to see if he's true to form, since he slept in his own bed last night and not a hotel room.
Lannan has never faced the Orioles in his career.
RHP Jeremy Guthrie (2-3, 4.18) has won 2 of his last 3 starts, giving up 4 earned in 13 innings. His last outing, a 5-4 win over Boston on May 13, Guthrie spotted the Red Sox three runs in the 1st before shutting them down the rest of the way. He gave up 3 runs, 2 earned on 8 hits in 6 innings.
Guthrie has been a work horse when it comes to pitches. He has thrown 930 pitches in 56 innings over 9 starts. That's an average of 103 per outing.
In his career vs. Washington, Guthrie is 0-0, 1.29 ERA in 2 starts. Both starts vs. the Nationals were last season and he gave up just 2 earned runs on 8 hits in 14 innings. He struck out 15 and walked 2, while holding the Nationals to a .160 BAA.
Kearns' Struggles Continue
In the 8th inning last night, Austin Kearns had a chance to tie the game or break it open, but he didn't do either. Kearns struckout on a 3-2 pitch, leaving the bases loaded, and the O's hung on for a 6-5 win. Kearns talked after the game about his continued struggles.
Listen to Austin Kearns' postgame interview
Leave a comment