Kearns delivers RBI single in 8th, Nats win 3-2
Austin Kearns' single to right, with 2-on and 2-out in the 8th inning, scored Cristian Guzman to break the 2-2 tie.
Guzman singled to lead-off the inning and moved to second when Nick Johnson walked. After Lastings Milledge struckout, Kearns hit a sharp single to right and Guzman just beat the throw by Xavier Nady.
Jon Rauch retired the side in the 9th for his 6th save. The Nationals have now won 4 in a row, their longest of the season.
Post Game
Where there's a Wil, there's a way
Wil Nieves went 1-1, 2 RBI, BB tonight. He is now batting .400, has a 7-game hitting streak and has reached base in 9 of 10. During the streak, Nieves is batting .556 with a HR and 6 RBI. He started the season 0-7.
Let's go streaking
With the win, the Nationals have now won 4-straight games. Their longest such streak since September 23-26 last year. The Nats are now 8-7 at home and 6-2 on the current homestand.
Big Jon Stud
Jon Rauch saved his 6th game of the season in 8 chances. He only had 6 saves in his career coming into this season. In his last 5 appearances (4 2/3 IP), Rauch hasn't given up a run and has only given up 1 run in his last 10 outings.
In-game update's
To Er(ror) is Human
Felipe Lopez's error in the 8th inning was the first for the Nationals since April 24, Shawn Hill was charged with an error on a pick-off attempt. It was the first by a position player since April 23.
Odalis Perez & Zach Duke
Odalis Perez has made two mistakes tonight and the Pirates made him pay for it. Freddy Sanchez and Ryan Doumit hit pitches left out over the plate for solo home runs.
Perez has only given up 3 hits on the night and once again he hasn't gotten much run support. Perez pitched good enough to win the game, but he'll settle for a team victory.
Through 7 innings
Odalis Perez and Zach Duke are battling each other almost pitch for pitch. Perez has given up 3 hits, two were solo home runs by Freddy Sanchez and Ryan Doumit. Perez is done for the night. He was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the 7th. Here is his line.
Perez: 7 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 4 K. 89 pitches, 61 strikes.
Duke has given up 5 hits, only one since the 2nd inning. He was pinch-hit for in the 8th.
Duke: 7 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, K. 85 pitches, 51 strikes
Through 5 innings
Perez is crusing through the first 5 innings. He's given up two hits, the HR to sanchez and a bloop single to Jose Bautista. He thrown 61 pitches, 43 for strikes. Perez hasn't walked a batter. His command looks the best it has in any start this year.
Duke has settled down since the 2nd inning when he gave up 3 hits and 2 runs. He's retired 10 of 12 and the two batters he didn't retire, reached base on walks. Duke retired the side in order in the 5th on 7 pitches. He's thrown 68 pitches, 42 for strikes.
Through 3 innings
Perez has retired all 9 Pirates he has faced. He's struckout 3 and thrown only 38 pitches, 26 for strikes. Perez's change-up has the Pirate hitters off ballance. He looks very sharp early in this game.
Wil the Thrill
The Nationals jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the 2nd inning on a 2-RBI single by Wil Nieves.
Lastings Milledge and Austin Kearns hit back-to-back singles to lead-off the inning and Wily Mo Pena dribbled one up the line at third to advance the runners. With the Pirate infield in, Nieves brought them both home on a single up the middle.
Injury update
Paul LoDuca went 0-4, 2 K in his rehab assignment Thursday night for the Potomac Nationals. Potomac beat the Frederick Keys 2-1 in 10 innings.
In his rehab assignment, Elijah Dukes went 0-3 in the game. Dukes will play for Triple-A Columbus on Saturday, to face stiffer competition. There is no time table for his return to the Nationals.
Paul LoDuca, on the DL since April 14 with a bruised right hand, will make another rehab start tonight for the Potomac Nationals as the DH. He will likely be activated for Friday's game against the Pirates. To make room for LoDuca, the Nationals will place Chad Cordero on the DL. Cordero will miss 4-6 weeks with a tear in his right shoulder adductor muscle. He will not need surgery.
Dmitri Young, on the DL since April 10 with a sprained lower back, will head to Viera Florida on Sunday to begin an extended spring training rehab assignment. Young was scheduled to visit the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, but team massuese Tiana Tchamouroff releived Young of his problems by working on the hip flexor. After Wednesday night's game, he hit from both sides of the plate, in the batting cages, and was pain free. There is no timetable for his return to the Nationals.
Inside the Numbers
Who has my back?
Here are some interesting stats as the Nationals face the Pirates for a 4-game series.
The Nats probable starters for the first three games of the series are Perez, Matt Chico and John Lannan. The three combined are 2-10, but it's not just due to pitching. Look at the lack of run support.
Lannan 1.76 R/GM
Perez 2.20 R/GM
Chico 2.51 R/GM
Lannan is getting the fewest support in the NL and Perez and Chico rank 3rd & 4th.
Open for business
Tonight marks the 8th time this decade the Pirates have played in a newly opened ballpark. Their record is 3-4, but it's usually a blowout one way or the other.
2000 SF 10-2 loss
2000 Hou 16-2 loss
2001 Mil 3-0 win
2003 Cin 10-1 win
2004 Phi 6-1 win
2004 SD 13-1 loss
2006 StL 7-2 loss
Elite Company
Ryan Zimmerman notched his 400th career hit earlier this week against the Braves. He heads a list of young stars who have yet to turn 25. These players have the most career hits before their 25th birthday.
Ryan Zimmerman 400
Prince Fielder 359
Melky Cabrera 308
BJ Upton 255
Delmon Young 253
Top of the order to ya
Felipe Lopez and Cristian Guzman have provided some needed punch at the top of the Nationals line-up. Here are the most hits from the lead-off spot and the rank in MLB.
1) LA Dodgers 41
2) Nationals 39
3) Texas 38
4) St.Louis 37
5) Pittsburgh 36
It begins with the starters
The Nationals starting pitching has greatly improved their last 8 games. Have a look at these numbers.
through 4/21 since
Team record 5-15 6-2
ERA 5.28 2.81
Opp BA .288 .225
HR allowed 16 1
Down right offensive
The Pirates outfielders have been tearing up opponents pitching this season. They are at or near the top in the following categories in MLB
BA .305 2nd
HR 17 1st
RBI 61 1st
OBP .391 2nd
SLG .535 1st
Game Preview
Pirates (11-16) vs. Nationals (11-17)
Riding a 3-game win streak, the Nationals host the Pirates for a 4-game series beginning tonight at Nationals Park. The Nats have won 5 of 6 and 6 of their last 8.
The Pirates, 4-6 in their last 10 games, are last in the Central division and sit 6-games behind first place Chicago. Last year, Pittsburgh was 4-2 vs. the Nats.
Odalis Perez faces Zach Duke and both pitchers are looking for their first win of the season.
Starting Line-Up's
Pirates:
CF Nate McLouth
2B Freddy Sanchez
LF Jason Bay
C Ryan Doumit
RF Xavier Nady
1B Adam LaRoche
3B Jose Bautista
SS Chris Gomez
P Zach Duke
Nationals:
2B Felipe Lopez
SS Cristian Guzman
3B Ryan Zimmerman
1B Nick Johnson
CF Lastings Milledge
RF Austin Kearns
LF Wliy Mo Pena
C Wil Nieves
P Odalis Perez
Pitching Match-Up
LHP Odalis Perez (0-3, 3.31) has had two straight solid outings, but nothing to show for them. In his last game, vs. Chicago, he pitched 6 solid innings, but the bullpen couldn't hold a 3-2 lead and he ended up with his third no-decision of the season.
In his last two starts, he's given up 3 runs, 2 earned, in 12 innings, but hasn't factored in either decision. Perez has given up 2 earned runs or fewer in 5 of 6 starts this season.
The Nationals are 2-4 in his 6 starts, but have only scored 16 runs. That's just 2.67 runs per game. Not many pitchers are going to get a win with that lack of run support.
In his career vs. Pittsburgh, Perez is 2-4, 3.94
LHP Zach Duke (0-2, 5.34) is making his 6th start of the season and the Pirates hope he pitches better than his last two outings. In those games, Duke has given up 11 earned runs on 17 hits in 10 innings. Opponents are hitting .344 off Duke and he's not the type of pitcher who is going to strikeout a lot of batters, only 9 in 28 1/3 innings this season.
In his career, 3 starts, vs. Washington, Duke is 1-1, 6.11 ERA and the Nationals are hitting .329 off the lefty. Duke faced the Nats one time last season and gave up 5 runs, 4 earned in 6 innings. Washington won the game on a 9th inning wild pitch.
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