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Bullpen can't hold lead, Nats fall 4-2 and lose series
STATS: By Inning | Box | Matchup | Nats Stats | Marlins Stats
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Washington's bullpen wasted a great outing by Odalis Perez. Perez pitched 6 2/3 innings of 2-run, 5-hit ball, but mother nature decided she had seen enough him and stopped play with rain in the seventh.
When the game resumed, an hour and twenty-five minutes later, Charlie Manning came in to get the final out of the inning, but didn't. Manning's 1-1 pitch to light-hitting Alfredo Amezaga, was sent over the wall in left and the Nationals 2-1 lead turned into a 3-2 deficit.
The Marlins added an insurance run in the eighth to defeat the Nationals 4-2 and win the series two game to three.
Paul Lo Duca's 2-run single, in the second, gave Washington a lead that would hold up until the seventh. The Nationals offense managed only three hits off Ricky Nolasco in seven innings and none off two Marlin releivers.
Nolasco retired 12 straight and only gave up one hit after Lo Duca's run scoing single. Two Florida releivers faced only six batters in their two innings of work.
With the loss, Washington falls to 2-10 vs. Florida this season and 2-4 at Dolphin Stadium.
The Nationals head to Cincinnati to begin a 4-game weekend series with the Reds.
Charlie Manning entered the game after the rain let up, and was handed a 2-1 lead. He promptly served up a 2-run homer to Alfredo Amezaga, and the Nats took the loss. After the game, Manning talked about what went wrong.
Postgame Notes
Final Linescore
Nationals 2-3-0
Marlins 4-9-1
WP-Molasco (9-4)
LP-Manning (0-2)
SV-Gregg (15)
HR-Amezaga (2)
Pete McElroy's Live Gameblog
Marlins scoring, 7th inning
After a 1:25 rain delay, Charlie Manning replaced Odalis Perez, gave up a 2-run home run and the Natiionals, who led 2-1 before the rain, now trail 3-2 in the 8th.
Perez gave up a 1-out single and retired Matt Treanor before the rain halted play. When the game resumed, Manning was on the hill and three pitches later, the Nationals lead was gone. Amezaga hit a 1-1 pitch deep to left for his second homer of the season.
Perez's final line
It's a shame the rain came and stopped play for nearly two hours. We'll never know if he would've gotten out of the 7th. He was cruising thru the first five innings before giving up a run in the fifth. In the sixth, Perez gave up a 1-out single and got the second out on a ground ball before mother nature decided to play a game of her own.
6 2/3 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 3 K, WP. 77 pitches, 53 strikes.
Perez thru 6 innings
Florida put together back-to-back hits and scored a run off Perez in the sixth. Perez pitch count is low and if he continues to be efficient, he can go seven or eight innings. Only six of the 18 outs are from fly balls.
6 IP, 4 H, ER, 0 BB, 3 K. 68 pitches, 49 strikes.
Marlins scoring, 6th inning
Player of the Month of June, Hanley Ramirez, hit a 1-out double, advanced to third on a wild pitch, by Odalis Perez, and scored on a single by Robert Andino to make it a 2-1 game.
Perez had given up two hits prior to the sixth, but stranded both runners.
The Nationals haven't had a hit off Ricky Nolasco since Paul Lo Duca's 2-run single in the second. Nolasco has retired 11 straight entering the seventh.
Nolasco thru 6 innings
As good as Odalis Perez has been, Ricky Nolasco has been just as steady. Except for the 2-run single by Paul Lo Duca, Nolasco has been stellar. Since that hit, he's retired 11 straight and 14 of 15. The only runner to reach base was on a fielding error by shortstop Hanley Ramirez.
6 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 8 K.
Good call, bad call?
Willie Harris hit a slow roller in front of the dish. He was busting it up the line as Marlins catcher Matt Treanor picked up the ball and threw to first. The ball hit Harris and he was ruled out for running inside the base line. From the replays I saw, it didn't look like Harris was that far inside fair terratory. It's the home plate umpires call and I believe he got it wrong. In case you're wondering, it goes down as a 2-3 put out in the books.
Perez thru 3 innings
Odalis Perez looks outstanding the first time thru the Marlins line-up. He has retired all nine and only one ball was hit hard. Willie Harris made a nice diving grab, on a sinking liner, off the bat of Cody Ross to end the second. Perez has only thrown 23 pitches, 21 for strikes. That's what I call efficiency.
Nationals scoring, 2nd inning
Paul Lo Duca delivered a 2-run single, in the second, to give the Nationals the early lead.
Aaron Boone was hit by a pitch to lead-off the inning and Ronnie Belliard followed with a double. 1-out later, Lo Duca singled up the middle to drive in both runners.
Starting Line-Ups
Nationals:
CF Roger Bernadina
LF Willie Harris
RF Elijah Dukes
3B Aaron Boone
2B Ronnie Belliard
C Jesus Flores
1B Paul Lo Duca
SS Felipe Lopez
P Odalis Perez
Marlins:
SS Hanley Ramirez
2B Robert Andino
3B Jorge Cantu
LF Josh Willingham
1B Wes Helms
RF Cody Ross
C Matt Treanor
CF Alfredo Amezaga
P Ricky Nolasco
Game Preview
Nationals (34-51) at Florida (43-40)
Last night, rookie RHP Collin Balester earned his first Major League win in the Nationals 9-6 victory. The 22-year-old gave up one hit and one run in five innings in his big league debut.
Backed by Ronnie Belliard's grand slam and Elijah Dukes' second home run in as many games, the Nationals pounded out 15 hits and scored the most runs in a game since they put up a 10-spot on St.Louis back on June 5th.
This afternoon, Washington looks to win the series and begin their 7-game road trip with a 2-1 record.
Odalis Perez is making his second start since coming off the disabled list on June 26th. The Marlins send Ricky Nolasco to the mound.
Pitching Match-Up
LHP Odalis Perez (2-5, 3.87) pitched four shutout innings of three-hit ball against the Orioles last Friday night. He was limited to 80 pitches, he threw 75, because he just came of the disabled list. Perez didn't factor in the decision in the Nationals 4-2 win. Perez said he felt no pain and had good command of all his pitches.
In his last four starts, Perez has been solid. He hasn't given up more than three earned runs in any of them, but he's just 1-1.
He's making his 15th start and eighth on the road. Perez is 2-3 with a 5.25 ERA outside of DC with opponents batting .327 off him. Seven of the 11 home runs he's surrendered have come away from Nationals Park.
Perez has faced the Marlins twice this season, he's 0-1. Back on April 20th, at Dolphin Stadium, he gave up one unearned run on five hits in six innings in Florida's 6-1 win. He got a no-decision. The other game, in DC, Perez suffered the 4-3 loss. He was touched for two runs, on six hits in 5 2/3 innings. He didn't walk a batter and struck out six. In the two games, he's walked three and struck out 13.
In his career against Florida, 11 games, eight starts, Perez is 2-2 with a 3.35 ERA.
RHP Ricky Nolasco (8-4, 4.05) is 3-0 in his last four stars and is 7-1 in his last 10. In that time, he's lowered his ERA from 5.25 to its current 4.05.
His last outing, June27th vs. Arizona, he gave one run on six hits in eight strong innings. The Marlins beat the Diamondbacks 3-1. Since his last loss on June 5th, Nolasco has been a stud in his four starts. He's only given up seven runs, six earned, in 29 2/3 innings, a 1.82 ERA.
Nolasco is making his second start against the Nationals this season. He beat Washington 7-3 at Nationals Park on May 9th. He gave up one run on four hits in six innings and got out of a 2-out, bases loaded jam in the fourth, by getting Wil Nieves to ground out to end the inning.
In his career vs. the Nationals, seven games, five starts, Nolasco is 4-1 with a 3.77 ERA.
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