Redding earns 5th win, Nats drop Mets 5-3
Tim Redding was solid Wednesday night and picked up his 5th win of the season. He held the Mets to one run on two hits in 6 innings of work. The run came via a solo home run off the bat of former teammate Brian Schnieder. Redding started the game by retiring the first 9 Met batters.
The offense snapped a 1-1 tie with 4 runs in the 7th to break the game open. All 4 runs came with 2-outs.
The bullpen gave up 2 runs on 4 hits and a walk in 3 innings of work, but Jon Rauch got a 4-out save. His 8th of the year.
With a win tomorrow afternoon in the series finale, the Nationals will take 3 of 4 from the Mets. Jason Bergmann, just recalled from Triple-A Columbus, will face Mike Pelfrey.
Breaking News
Nick Johnson is not in tonight's starting line-up due to a right wrist injury he sustained in his final at-bat on Tuesday night. Johnson, who left Shea Stadium around 5pm, is on his way back to DC to have an MRI on the wrist. He is listed as day-to-day.
Post Game
Final line score
Nationals 5-6-0
Mets 3-5-0
WP-Redding (5-3)
LP-Vargas (0-1)
Sv-Rauch (8)
Offensive Stars
Lopez: 2-2, 2 BB, RBI, R
Zimmerman: 1-4, HR (7)
Guzman: 1-4, 2 RBI
Flores: 1-3, BB, RBI, R
In game updates
Bullish
The Mets started to chip away at the Nationals 5-1 lead after Tim Redding left the game. Saul Rivera gave up single runs in the 7th and 8th innings, but Luis Ayala and Jon Rauch bailed him out with the meat of the order coming up.
Ayala came in the 8th with runners on first and second and 1-out. He got David Wright to fly out to shallow center for the second out. Manny Acta replaced him with Rauch and he gave up a single to Carlos Beltran that scored pinch-hitter Marlon Anderson to make it 5-3. Rauch then got Endy Chavez to pop out to shallow center for the final out and minimize the damage.
Nationals lead 5-3 in the 9th
Mets scoring, 7th inning
Saul Rivera replaced Tim Redding and his glove got him in a bit of trouble. After a 1-out infield single to Endy Chavez, Carlos Delgado hit what looked to be a routine ground ball double play. With the infield shift on, Guzman playing to the first base side of second base and Zimmerman playing behind the pitcher, Delgado hit a ball that was headed for Guzman, but Rivera deflected it into right field and the Mets had runners on the corners. Rivera got Brian Schneider to ground out to first, allowing a run to score and another to end the inning. The Mets cut into the Nationals lead, 5-2.
Nationals scoring, 7th inning
Jesus Flores was down 0-2 to reliever Aaron Heilman with Elijah Dukes on second and 2-outs in the 7th. He worked the count full and with Dukes running on the 3-2 pitch, Flores singled to left to give the Nationals a 2-1 lead. The run was charged to Mets starter Claudio Vargas.
Pinch-hitter Willie Harris, who replaced Tim Redding, drew a walk. Felipe Lopez followed with a single to right and Flores, with a head first slide, just beat the throw by Ryan Church. Nationals led 3-1. Both runners advanced on the throw and Cristian Guzman singled up the middle to score both Harris and Lopez and the Nationals lead 5-1
Pitcher's final line
Tim Redding was solid. He was only in real danger once and a great double play by Ryan Zimmerman bailed him out. With 2-on and 1-out in the 4th, Carlos Beltran hit a bullet that looked like it would go into the left field corner for extra bases, but Zimmerman snared it and caught the runner off second for the double play. Redding is in line for the win. Here is his line.
6 IP, 2 H, ER, 2 BB, 4 K. 88 pitches, 53 for strikes.
Claudio Vargas was equally as good in his 2008 debut, but a walk came back to haunt him and reliever Aaron Heilman failed him. Vargas stands to get the loss. Here is his line.
6 1/3 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 6 K. 97 pitches, 56 strikes.
Nationals scoring, 6th inning
Just when it looked like the Nationals were going to go quietly in the 6th, Ryan Zimmerman announced his presence with authority. After Cristian Guzman grounded into a double play, Zimmerman hit a missle off the facing of the third deck in left field for his 7th home run of the season and tied the game 1-1.
Pitchers thru 6 innings
Claudio Vargas has been helped by the Nationals in two areas. First, the Nationals haven't been able to get a hit with runners in scoring position and second, they have hit into two double plays. Vargas made one mistake and Ryan Zimmerman made him pay for it, by homering in the 6th. Here is his line
6 IP, 3 H, ER, 3 BB, 5 K. He's thrown 89 pitches, 53 for strikes.
Tim Redding has matched Vargas nearly pitch for pitch. The one mistake Redding has made was a fastball to Brian Schneider and he hit it out of the park for his 2nd homer of the season. Here is his line.
6 IP, 2 H, ER, 2 BB, 4 K. Redding has thrown 88 pitches, 53 for strikes.
Mets scoring, 5th inning
Brian Schneider hit a solo home run to right field in the 5th to give the Mets a 1-0 lead. Tim Redding fell behind the former National catcher 2-0 and threw a fastball right down broadway and Schneider didn't miss it. It was his second homer of the season.
You're outta here
Time for another Dana DeMuth appearance. It seems mets hitters are to pleased with the man calling balls and strikes. With Moises Alou batting, Redding threw a breaking ball that looked like it caught a piece of the plate and Alou was called out on strikes. He didn't like the call, slammed his bat on home plate and said something that didn't please DeMuth and he was tossed from the game. DeMuth has had a rather strange strike zone tonight. Pitches that looked like strikes were called balls and vice versa.
You're my boy blue
As much as I'd like to be quoting "Old School", I'm referring to home plate umpire Dana DeMuth. With Carlos Beltran batting in the 4th and runners on first and second, he tried to call time after Tim Redding had set and was about to deliver a pitch. DeMuth didn't bite, Beltran dropped his hands and Redding threw a called strike. Beltran didn't like the fact he wasn't given time and had a few choice words for the man in blue (actually black). DeMuth did the right thing and allowed the pitch to count. More umpires should be doing this because it can hurt a pitchers arm if he's in his delivery motion and has to stop. Kudos to DeMuth.
Pitchers thru 3 innings
Claudio Vargas has pitched himself out of two jams in the first three innings. He left a runner stranded at 2nd with no outs in the first and left runners on 1st & 2nd with 1-out in the 3rd. He's given up 1 hit and 2 walks and thrown 45 pitches.
Tim Redding has retired all 9 Mets in order. None of the balls have been hit hard and he has good command early on in the game. He's thrown 36 pitches, 23 for strikes.
Stranded
Felipe Lopez, who is now 5-9 (.555) off Claudio Vargas, doubled to lead-off the game. With the heart of the order coming up, you would think they'd get an early run on the Mets starter. No such luck. Cristian Guzman flew out to short left, Ryan Zimmerman chased a ball out of the strike zone and struckout and Aaron Boone got jamed and popped out to Carlos Delgado in foul terratory. Once again, the Nationals fail to capitalize with a runner in scoring position.
Starting Line-Up's
Nationals
2B Felipe Lopez*
SS Cristian Guzman
3B Ryan Zimmerman
1B Aaron Boone
RF Austin Kearns
CF Elijah Dukes
LF Wily Mo Pena
C Jesus Flores
P Tim Redding
*Lopez is 4-8 (.500), 3 HR, 4 RBI career vs. Vargas
Mets
SS Jose Reyes
RF Ryan Church
3B David Wright
CF Carlos Beltran*
LF Moises Alou
1B Carlos Delgado
C Brian Schneider
2B Damion Easley
P Claudio Vargas
*Beltran is 4-6 (.667) 2B, HR, 3 RBI career vs. Redding
Game Preview
Nationals (16-24) at New York (20-17)
If the Nationals want to win this 4-game set against the Mets, or even a series split, the offense will have to have a night like game 1, where they scored 10 runs. Last night they were held to 2-runs on two hits by starter John Maine in 6 innings and just two more hits by the bullpen.
Tonight, they face Claudio Vargas, who is making his 2008 debut. Tim Redding goes for his 5th win of the season.
Manny Acta announced after Tuesday's night's loss that Jason Bergmann will start on Thursday in the series finale.
Pitching Match-Up
RHP Tim Redding (4-3, 3.83 makes his 9th start of the season and 3rd on the road. He is 2-0, 2.77 ERA, 4 runs in 13 innings, and holding opponents to a .095 BAA outside of DC.
This is his second start against the Mets this season. In the first game, April 23, Redding gave up 3 runs on 4 hits and 3 walks in 5 innings and took the loss in the 7-2 Mets win. In his career vs. the Mets, Redding is 1-1, 4.22 ERA in 7 games, 6 starts.
Redding's last outing was a 7-3 setback against the Marlins on May 9. He gave up 5 runs, 4 earned, on 4 hits and 4 walks in 5 1/3 innings. Of the 4 men he walked, 3 scored. Redding admitted after the loss, that he wasn't pounding the strike zone and took blame for the loss. Let's see if Redding challenges hitters tonight.
RHP Claudio Vargas (NR) got called up from Triple-A New Orleans on Tuesday and will make his first start of the season for the Mets. Vargas has played in parts of 5 seasons in the majors with the Expos, Nationals, D-Backs and Brewers and compiled a 43-38 record.
Vargas, who started the season in Single-A, was promoted to Triple-A on May 3 and started two games, going 1-1 with a 4.91 ERA. He struckout 11 in 11 innings.
Last season with the Brewers, Vargas appeared in 29 games and started 23. He went 11-6 with one save and a 5.09 ERA. He struckout 107 in 134 1/3 innings.
2nd Chances
Jason Bergmann, who was sent to Triple-A Columbus on April 12th, will start on Thursday against the Mets. Bergmann, who made two starts and a relief appearance before being sent down to work on his mechanics, went 0-1, 11.68 ERA. In the two starts, Bergmann gave up 12 runs in 10 1/3 innings. He wasn't any better coming out of the bullpen, surrendering 4 runs in 2 innings. He was prone to giving up the long ball as well, serving up 5 bombs in 12 1/3 combined innings. Bergmann seems to have turned things around in Columbus, going 2-2, 3.72. The Nationals will make a roster move after tonight's game to make room for Bergmann.
Down on the Farm
Cory VanAllen is a combined 5-0 with a 0.68 ERA (3 ER/ 40.0 IP) in 7 games (6 starts) with Double-A Harrisburg and Single-A Potomac...among starters, the 23-year-old leads minor league baseball in ERA and ranks 2nd with a .137 (16-for-117) batting average against...VanAllen was selected as both the Bank of America Eastern League Pitcher of the Week and the MILB.com Pitcher of the Week for the week of May 5-11 after going 2-0 with a 0.71 ERA (1 ER/12.2 IP) and 11 strikeouts in his first 2 career starts at the Double-A level...before his May 3 promotion to Harrisburg, he went 3-0 with a 0.66 ERA (2 ER/27.1 IP) in 5 games (4 starts) with the P-Nats...VanAllen, who was selected in the 5th round of the 2006 First-Year-Player Draft, is scheduled to make his next start Friday vs. Altoona (Pirates).
Triple-A Columbus Clippers
International League West Division 22-19, 3rd Place, 4.5 Games Back
Jason Bergmann has allowed 3 earned runs in 21.0 innings (1.28 ERA) over his last 3 starts Bergmann, who began the season as a member of Washington's starting rotation, is 2-2 with a 3.72 ERA in 5 starts with the Clippers He went 0-1 with an 11.68 ERA in 3 appearances (2 starts) at the big league level before being optioned to Columbus on April 12.
Bobby Brownlie has tossed 8.1 scoreless innings in 3 games (one start) since joining the Clippers May 3. He struck out 7 in 5.2 shutout innings to earn the win in his first start on Sunday at Lehigh Valley (Phillies). Brownlie owns a combined 5-0 record with a 2.28 ERA in 9 games (7 starts) with Columbus and Harrisburg. Brownlie was selected by Chicago (NL) in the first round (21st overall) of the 2002 First-Year Player Draft.
Yurendell de Caster is 16-for-46 (.347) with 12 runs scored, 3 homers, 9 RBI and 2 steals in 14 May contests. De Caster is hitting .326 with 3 home runs and 17 RBI in 25 games since being promoted from Harrisburg April 19. De Caster, who signed as a minor league free agent in the off-season, is batting a combined .319 with 7 home runs and 33 RBI in 40 games with Columbus and Harrisburg.
Tyler Clippard is 2-1 with a 2.49 ERA (6 ER/21.2 IP) in his last 4 starting assignments, lowering his ERA from 7.32 to 4.79. Clippard was acquired in the off-season from the Yankees in exchange for RHP Jonathan Albaladejo. Overall, he is 2-3 with 41 strikeouts and 17 walks in 7 starts.
Double-A Harrisburg Senators
Eastern League Southern Division 23-14, First Place, 2.5 Games Ahead
Dmitri Young went 1-for-2 with 2 walks in his first rehab game last night vs. Reading (Phillies). He was placed on the 15-Day DL (lower back sprain) on April 8, retroactive to April 3. Young has appeared in 2 games with the Nationals this season, both appearances coming as a pinch hitter.
Zech Zinicola had tossed 17.1 consecutive scoreless innings before giving up an earned run in a loss last night vs. Reading. He is a perfect 6-for-6 in save opportunities, and is limiting opposing batters to a .153 (9-for-59) BAA in 13 combined appearances with Harrisburg and Potomac. Zinicola has a win and 3 saves in 5 appearances with the Senators since his promotion from Single-A Potomac. The 23-year-old was Washington's 2006 Minor League Pitcher of the Year.
Mike Daniel ranks among the Eastern League leaders in batting (4th, .326) and hits (t-8th, 42). Daniel, a 2-time Minor League All-Star, is 15-for-39 (.385) with 2 homers and 7 RBI in 15 games in May. He is hitting .402 (33-for-82) against right-handers, but just .191 (9-for-47) against lefties. Daniel was selected in the 7th round of the 2005 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of North Carolina.
Single-A Potomac Nationals
Carolina League Northern Division 22-15, First Place, 2.0 Games Ahead
Adrian Alaniz is 4-0 with a 0.93 ERA (3 ER/29.0 IP) in his last 5 starts. He ranks among the Carolina League leaders in wins (t-3rd, 4), ERA (5th, 2.19) and strikeouts (7th, 35). Alaniz was a 2007 NY-Penn League mid-season All-Star.
Rosss Detwiler, Washington's top pick (6th overall) in the 2007 draft, is scheduled to start tonight vs. Myrtle Beach (Braves). In his most recent start, Detwiler allowed one run and struck out 6 in 6.0 innings to earn his first win since April 6. Detwiler, who became the first player from the 2007 First-Year Player Draft to reach the big leagues, is 2-2 with a 4.45 ERA in 7 starts this season.
Craig Stammen is 0-1 with a save and a 1.67 ERA in 8 games (2 starts). Stammen, selected in the 12th round of the 2005 First-Year Player Draft, allowed 4 earned runs in 16.0 innings (2.25 ERA) in 6 relief appearances. Since joining the P-Nats starting rotation, he is 0-1 with a 0.81 ERA (1 ER/11.0 IP).
Single-A Hagerstown Suns
South Atlantic League Northern Division 17-20, 5th Place, 6.5 Games Back
Entering today's action, INF Bill Rhinehart leads the South Atlantic League and is tied for 3rd in minor league baseball with 39 RBI. He leads Washington farmhands in batting (.336), hits (46) and RBI. Rhinehart has hit safely in 10 of his last 11 games, going 16-for-42 (.380) with 10 extra-base hits (6 doubles and 4 home runs) and 20 RBI. He has recorded at least one RBI in 9 of those 11 games. Rhinehart was a 2007 New York-Penn League mid-season All Star.
Boomer Whiting is hitting .357 with 9 runs scored, a home run, 7 RBI and 3 steals in his first 7 games after beginning the season at extended spring training in Viera, FL. Whiting, who led the New York-Penn League with 37 stolen bases last season, was selected in the 28th round of the 2007 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Louisville.
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