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Nationals drop Game 2, 6-5; Perez falls to to 1-4
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Odalis Perez put the Nationals in a hole they couldn't dig out of and the Nationals fall to the Orioles 6-5.
Perez gave up 6 runs on 10 hits in 5 innings. He gave up two 2-run home runs and his record falls to 1-4.
Ryan Zimmerman hit his 8th homer of the season and Aaron Boone hit a 2-run single.
Austin Kearns had a chance to tie the game in the 8th, but struck out, on a 3-2 pitch, with the bases loaded.
Post Game
Final Line Score
Nationals 5-7-1
Orioles 6-13-0
WP-Burres (4-4)
LP-Perez (1-4)
Sv-Sherrill (17)
HR- Zimmerman (8), Markakis (8), Payton (4)
Offensive Stars
Nationals
Boone: 2-3, 2 RBI, BB
Zimmerman: 1-4, HR, 2 R
Young: 1-3, 2 R, BB
Pena: 2-4
Orioles
Roberts: 2-4, R
Mora: 2-4, RBI 2 R
Markakis: 2-4, HR, 3 RBI
Payton: 1-4, HR, 2 RBI
Cintron: 4-4
Close Call
With the 6-5 loss, the Nationals fall to 7-10 in 1-run games. The Orioles improve to 11-5. The Nationals fall to 1-6 on Saturday's and are now 3-3 on the current 7-game road trip.
O no you didn't
Aaron Boone went 2-3 tonight with 2 RBI and raised his average to .405 (17-42) when he starts for the Nationals. This marked the 11th time he was in the starting line-up, but the team falls to 6-5.
Joel & Saul
Joel Hanrahan and Saul Rivera pitched a combined 3 innings and didn't allow a run. Here are their numbers for the night.
3 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, K.
Tossed
When Jesus Flores was ejected from tonight's game, it was the first time in his baseball career he had ever been tossed from a game. This includes his career in the minors.
After the game, Flores said he isn't sure why he got ejected.
Listen to Jesus Flores' postgame interview
In Game Updates
Nationals scoring, 8th inning
The Orioles, seemingly in control of the game, made it very interesting in the 8th.
Aaron Boone showed why the Nationals picked up the 35-year old veteran. His 2-run single with 2-outs in the 8th cut the Orioles lead to 6-4. Wil Nieves, who replaced ejected Jesus Flores, walked to load the bases. Lastings Milledge was hit-by-a-pitch on an 0-2 count to make it 6-5.
Austin Kearns had a chance to tie the game or break it open, he didn't do either. He struckout on a 3-2 pitch and the O's cling to a 6-5 lead.
You're outta Here
With Joel Hanrahan pitching in the 6th and Nick Markakis batting, Jesus Flores must have said something to home plate umpire Tim McClelland on a 3-0 pitch. McClelland called ball four and Flores was ejected. Not sure what exactly was said, but obviously McClelland didn't like it.
Burr(es), that's cold
Brian Burres has been in control pretty much all night. The only inning he was in any real danger was the 2nd and he got out of it by surrendering only 1 run. The Nationals had second and third with no outs and could manage a single run. Burres was just lifted in the 7th after getting two outs and walking a batter. His line for the night.
6 2/3 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, HR. He threw 87 pitches, 52 for strikes.
Oh-dalis
Odalis Perez didn't have his best outing. Things started out rough and got worse. He only had one inning where he faced the minimum, the 2nd. Odalis Perez gave up a 2-run home run to Jay Payton and the Orioles extend their lead to 6-2.
Kevin Millar singled to lead-off the inning. Perez got two fly ball outs before Payton hit his 4th homer of the year into the seats in left. Perez gave up 6 runs on 10 hits.
Perez lasted just 5 innings and threw 96 pitches. Here is his final line.
5 IP, 10 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 2 HR.
Strange Play
There was a strange ruling in the bottom of the 5th that has the press box questioning eachother. Adam Jones hit a slow roller towards first. Odalis Perez fielded the ball and tossed to Aaron Boone, who dropped the ball for an error. As Jones was returning to the bag, he was tagged out by Boone for the final out of the inning. It was ruled that Jones turned towards second base, therefore he is officially making an effort to take the base. Jones was tagged by Boone and called out.
Nationals scoring, 4th inning
Ryan Zimmerman hit his 8th home run of the season, cutting the Orioles lead to 4-2.
Zimmerman hit a 1-0 change-up into the seats in left to lead-off the 4th. He has now hit safely in 10 of the last 11 road games and it's his 5th home run during that span.
Out of Position?
The Nationals outfielders look to be playing out of position. I know they are set that way by the coaches, but it appears that their scouting isn't right. The two doubles the Orioles hit to left, Mora in the first and Roberts in the third, fell in because Wily Mo Pena was shaded way over towards center field.
Pena had a long run to get to Mora's hit and he just didn't get there in time to make the catch. Roberts hit was pretty much the same except Pena looked to take a strange angle towards the ball. Mora and Roberts are both batting right-handed and I'm guessing the Nationals don't feel they can pull the ball on Perez. Well they are proving the Nationals wrong. Hopefully they make adjustments while Perez is in the game.
Pitcher's thru 3 innings
Brian Burres retired the side in order in the 1st & 3rd innings. He got into a bbit of a jam in the 2nd , but gave up only 1 run. He gave up back-to-back hits to start the inning, but got Flores to ground out weakly to second and Milledge to hit a come-backer. Austin Kearns struck out looking to end the inning. Burress has 37 pitches.
Odalis Perez was getting roughed up from the start. He gave up a 1-out double and and RBI single in the first and threw 27 pitches. In the third, it got worse. A lead-off double, RBI single,2-Run HR and a single before recording an out. O's led 4-1. Perez has surrendered 4 runs on 7 hits and h pitch count is up to 63 pitches.
Man on Fire
Aaron Boone is making the most of his opportunity. In 10 starts this season, including his first at-bat tonight, he is batting .400 (16-40). He extended his hitting streak to 6-games with a second inning double.
Nationals scoring, 2nd inning
It was the veterans who got things going and a youngster who'll get the credit.
Dmitri Young led-off the inning with a single. Aaron Boone hit a double to put runners on second and third with no outs. Jesus Flores hit a slow roller to second for the out, but Young scored to tie the game 1-1. Boone moved to third on the play.
Lastings Milledge and Austin Kearns couldn't bring Boone home and the game remains tied.
Orioles scoring, 1st inning
The Orioles jumped on starter Odalis Perez in the first inning.
Melvin Mora hit a 1-out double to left, that was just out of the reach of Wily Mo Pena. Nick Markakis followed with a single to center, scoring Mora and giving the O's the 1-0 lead.
Perez needed 27 pitches to get out of the inning. Orioles starter Brian Burres retired the side in just 8.
On a beautiful 79 degree night in Baltimore, the Nationals and Orioles are underway with Game 2 of their 3-game series.
A nice crowd is filling up Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
Brian Burres retired the Nationals in order in the top of the first. The O's are just about to bat.
I had a chance to talk to Elijah Dukes about his health and the slow start his is off to.
Starting Line-Up's
Nationals
2B Felipe Lopez
SS Cristian Guzman
3B Ryan Zimmerman
DH Dmitri Young
1B Aaron Boone
C Jesus Flores
CF Lastings Milledge
RF Austin Kearns
LF Wily Mo Pena
Orioles
2B Brian Roberts
3B Melvin Mora
RF Nick Markakis
1B Kevin Millar
DH Aubrey Huff
C Ramon Hernandez
LF Jay Payton
CF Adam Jones
SS Alex Cintron
Listen to Manny Acta's pregame press conference
Game Preview:
Nationals (18-25) at Baltimore (22-19)
The Nationals lost Game 1, 5-3 and it wasn't for a lack of hitting. It was a lack of timely hitting.
With the bases loaded and no outs in the 4th of a 2-2 game, the Nationals could only manage a RBI sac fly from Elijah Dukes. They stranded 9 runners and went 1-5 with runners in scoring position.
The loss dropped the Nationals to 3-2 on thier current 7-game road trip.
Tonight Odalis Perez goes for his second straight win. The Orioles counter with Brian Burres.
Pitching Match-Up
LHP Odalis Perez (1-3, 3.71) won his first game in a Nationals uniform Monday, beating the Mets 10-4. Perez gave up 4 runs on 11 hits in 6 1/3 innings. He struck out 5 and walked 2 while throwing 101 pitches. Two of the hits were home runs, both solo shots. The 11 hits allowed were a season high.
Perez is making his 10th start and 6th on the road. His road ERA is nearly two full runs higher, 4.61, than at home, 2.66.
This will be Perez's 4th career start vs. Baltimore. He is 2-0, 2.70 against the Orioles and has a 5-1 strikeout to walk ratio, 20 K vs. 4 BB. Last year, with Kansas City, Perez faced the O's once, earning a no-decision in the Orioles 6-4 win at Camden Yards. He gave up 4 runs on 9 hits in 5 innings.
Perez has been much tougher against left-handed hitters than righties this season, .175 to .305.
LHP Brian Burres (3-4, 3.59) is winless in the month of May, 0-3. In those 3 losses, Burres has given up 12 runs, 10 earned, on 23 hits in 17 1/3 innings.
His last win was on April 26, where he tossed 8 scoreless innings of 3-hit ball in the Orioles 5-1 win against the White Sox.
This is the first career start for Burres against the Nationals. Last season, he appeared in one game against Washington and pitched 1 1/3 innings of hitless, scoreless ball. He struck out two and walked two.
Designated Hitter?
Since baseball returned to DC in 2005, the Nationals designated hitters haven't been too productive. They are batting .241 (27-112) with 7 2B, HR and 10 RBI. Last night Dmitri Young went 1-4 as the DH. Speaking of Young, Dmitri has the only HR by a National DH. That came against Toronto on June 16 last year.
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