Dukes leaves with knee injury, Nats fall to Reds, 3-2, on Phillips' walk-off RBI single
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The injury bug that seems to be hovering around the entire Nationals team bit again tonight. And from there, things didn't get any better.
After Elijah Dukes had to leave the game in the 7th inning with what is being called a strained knee, Brandon Phillips delivered a ninth inning single off of Luis Ayala, scoring Jery Hariston Jr. and giving the Reds a 3-2 walkoff win.
With the potential go-ahead run in scoring position in the seventh, Dukes ran back on a Jay Bruce fly ball and made a tough catch. He tried to turn to brace himself for the wall and twisted his right knee awkwardly. He immediately collapsed to the ground in pain and was carted off the field.
The injury was initially reported as a twisted patella in his knee, but the diagnosis was later changed to a knee strain. Dukes is scheduled for an MRI.
With the game tied 1-1 in the eighth, Joel Hanrahan gave up a run on a Paul Bako RBI single, and that looked like it would put the cap on a tough night for Washington. Admirably, however, the Nats dug in and tied it up in the ninth.
Cincinnati closer Francisco Cordero came on to try and pick up the save, but couldn't get the job done. Dimitri Young led off the inning with a walk, and three batters later, a Jesus Flores sac fly tied the game.
Hanrahan came back out for the bottom of the ninth, and didn't fare much better in his second inning on the mound. He gave up a leadoff single to Hairston Jr. who then stole second.
After a strikeout and an intentional walk, Ayala replaced Hanrahan, and Phillips promptly singled to left. Willie Harris' throw to the plate looked on line, but took a bad hop, and Hairston Jr. slid in with the winning run.
The Nats have now lost four in a row and look to avoid getting swept by Cincinnati tomorrow afternoon, when they face the Reds in the series finale at 1:00 p.m.
Cin 3-13-1
Was 2-7-0
Postgame Notes
Dukes goes down
With Elijah Dukes leaving the game tonight with a knee strain, the number of injuries to key players on this team has reached a staggering number: If Dukes goes on the disabled list, it will mark the 19th time a Nationals player has been placed on the DL, with 14 different players making up that total.
Dukes' injury comes at a horrible time for him, as he was just starting to play up to the ability that had scouts raving about him from the time he was drafted six years ago.
In his last 30 games, the red-hot Dukes put up the following stats:
.314 BA, 6 HR, 6 2B, 2 3B, 18 RBI, 7 SB
In a lineup that struggles to put up runs, the Nats will sorely miss Dukes' bat if he is out for a significant amount of time.
Redding stays consistent
Lost in all the late inning fireworks was the impressive start turned in by Tim Redding.
Redding, who is now without a decision in his last nine starts, went six innings, and allowed just one run, striking out four. He also provided some pop with the bat as well, driving in the Nats' first run with an RBI single in the second inning.
Redding has now given up four runs or fewer in his last five starts and gone at least five innings for the 17th straight start.
Dan Kolko's Live GameBlog
Nats tie it up in the 9th
The Nats battled back from a ninth inning defecit to tie the game. A Jesus Flores sacrifice fly in the top of the ninth scored Felipe Lopez and knotted the game at 2.
With Francisco Cordero on for the save, Dimitri Young led off the inning with a walk, and Lopez was sent out to pinch run for Young.
Austin Kearns followed with a single to center and Aaron Boone bunted both runners over. Flores sent a deep fly ball to right, which Ken Griffey Jr. brought in, and Lopez scored easliy.
Reds take late lead
Walks will kill you--The cliche is as old and played-out as any in baseball, but it never ceases to hold true. Joel Hanrahan can attest to that, as he walked Joey Votto with two outs in the eighth, and after two consecutive singles, a 1-1 tie had become a 2-1 Reds lead.
Hanrahan got Brandon Phillips and Adam Dunn on groundouts to start the inning, then issued the free pass to Votto.
After the walk, Edwin Encarnacion singled to center, moving Votto to third, and Paul Bako brought in the go-ahead run with a single of his own.
Dukes leaves with leg injury
Elijah Dukes left the game in the bottom of the seventh as his right leg landed awkwardly on the warning track. Dukes made a catch on a Jay Bruce fly ball and seemed to injure his right knee. He collapsed to the ground in pain and was carted off the field.
The injury is being called a twisted patella in Dukes' right knee.
Charlie Manning got the Nats out of trouble immediately after Dukes left the game, getting Ken Griffey Jr. to strike out with a runner on third, ending the inning.
Both starters done for the night
Close the books on both Tim Redding and Josh Fogg.
The lines for the starters look remarkably similar:
Redding: 6 IP, 1 ER, 8 H, 1 BB, 4 K, 108 pitches
Fogg- 6 IP, 1 ER, 6 H, 1 BB, 1 K, 102 pitches
Fogg at his best
Josh Fogg is probably done for the night after pitching his best game of the year. He went six innings, giving up just one run on six hits, walking one and striking out one. He threw 102 pitches.
This outing drops Fogg's ERA almost a run and a half, from 9.85 to 8.39.
Jr.'s playing major roles
Jerry Hairston Jr. and Ken Griffey Jr. are both 2-for-3 on the evening, and they combined to help provide the Reds' only run.
Hairston Jr. got the leadoff single and hustled to third on Griffey's long single to right, setting up the sac fly by Brandon Phillips.
Reds tie it up
The Reds finally got on the board in the bottom of the fifth when Brandon Phillips' sacrifice fly to deep right scored Jerry Hairston Jr. and knotted the game at 1.
Hairston Jr. led off with a single and moved to third on Ken Griffey Jr.'s long single off the wall in right. Tim Redding was unable to work out of the jam, as Phillips immediately followed with the sac fly, and we have a tie ballgame.
Boone swinging a hot stick in Cincy
Aaron Boone is 2-for-2 tonight, and both singles have been solid line drives.
Boone is accustomed to hitting in Cincinnati, as he was drafted by the Reds in 1994 and played parts of seven seasons for the Reds.
Arguably his best season in the Queen City came in 2002, when he hit 26 home runs and drove in 87 runs.
Bruce on the loose
The Nationals lead the Reds 1-0 thanks to Tim Redding's RBI single in the second, but it could have been worse for Cincinnati if not for a fantastic defensive play by rookie CF Jay Bruce.
Austin Kearns led off the top of the 4th with a rocket to deep center. Bruce ran back on the ball, jumped, and made a great catch, robbing Kearns of extra bases while crashing into the fence.
Aaron Boone followed with a single, which likely would have scored Kearns had Bruce not made his stellar play.
Tim Redding has now scattered five hits through four innings, and both pitchers have done a good job of working out of trouble early on.
Fogg still hittable
Josh Fogg had given up a whopping 39 hits in 29.1 innings before going on the disabled list on June 1, and apparently not much has changed in his first appearance since his return.
Fogg has allowed four hits and a walk through two innings. His longest stint this season was five innings, and if the Nats keep this up, he won't be topping that today.
Nats on the board in the 2nd
With no one else in the Nationals lineup able to come through with runners in scoring position the first time through the order, Tim Redding decided to take care of things himself.
With two outs and runners on first and second, Redding reached out and flicked a Josh Fogg breaking ball into left-center field, scoring Austin Kearns and giving the Nats the lead.
Both teams threaten in 1st
The Nationals and Reds head to the second inning with zeros still on the board, but not for a lack of opportunities.
The Nats got a lead-off infield single from Roger Bernadina, but he was thrown out trying to steal second on a bang-bang play. With two outs, Elijah Dukes doubled, but he was left stranded as Dimitri Young grounded out to end the inning.
The Reds loaded the bases with two outs on a bloop by Ken Griffey Jr., a single by Brandon Phillips and a swinging bunt by big man Adam Dunn, but Tim Redding got Joey Votto to fly out to left to end the threat.
Redding had to labor to get through the first, throwing 32 pitches.
Starting Lineups
Nationals
CF Roger Bernadina
SS Cristian Guzman
LF Elijah Dukes
1B Dimitri Young
RF Austin Kearns
3B Aaron Boone
C Jesus Flores
2B Willie Harris
P Tim Redding
Reds
SS Jerry Hairston Jr.
CF Jay Bruce
RF Ken Griffey Jr.
2B Brandon Phillips
LF Adam Dunn
1B Joey Votto
3B Edwin Encarnacion
C Paul Bako
P Josh Fogg
Bernadina is Back
Roger Bernadina is back in the starting lineup after getting a day off yesterday. Bernadina was called up from Double-A Harrisburg after Lastings Milledge was put on the DL with a strained groin.
The rookie has struggled in his first week in the Majors, going just 2-23 (.086), but Manny Acta plans on keeping Bernadina as the starting centerfielder until Milledge returns.
Injury Updates
Ryan Zimmerman, out since May 26 with a shoulder injury, was examined by Cincinnati orthopedist Tim Kremcheck on Thursday, and was cleared to advance his rehabilitaion process.
The Nationals' third baseman will begin hitting soft toss today, and barring a setback, could be taking full batting practice in the next week. If all goes well, Zimmerman could be sent on a rehab assignment around the the All-Star break and potentially return to the big leagues by the end of the month.
Looming in the background, however, is the option of Zimmerman having season-ending surgery to ensure that he is full strength for the beginning of the 2009 season.
RHP Ryan Wagner, who had surgery last June to repair a torn labrum, will begin a rehab assignment with Class A Potomac today.
Wagner will likely stay in the Minors rehabbing for the full 30 days that is allotted, but the reliever could be back in the Majors for the final two months of the season.
Game Preview
Washington (34-54) at Cincinnati (41-47)
In the midst of a three game losing streak, the Nats send Tim Redding to the hill to try and turn things around in Cincy.
After taking the first two games in the set at the Great American Ball Park, the Reds can secure a series win with a victory today or tomorrow.
Independence Day failed to provide the positive result it should have for the team from our nation's capital yesterday, as the Nats fell to the Reds 3-0.
After waiting out a 1-hour, 47-minute rain delay, Jason Bergmann served up a 2-run home run to Ken Griffey Jr. in the first inning, Junior's 604th long ball of his career. The Nats were unable to battle back from the early deficit, as they could muster little against Reds starter Bronson Arroyo, who scattered five hits in his six innings.
Washington got the potential tying run to the plate in the ninth, but Willie Harris and Cristian Guzman could not convert, and Francisco Cordero put the cap on the Cincinnati victory.
The Nats stranded 11 runners on the day and were shut out for the 10th time this season.
Elijah Dukes picked up a single in yesterday's game, giving him 6 hits in his last 16 at-bats (.375 BA), including 2 HR and 3 RBI in that 4 game span.
With yesterday's win, the Reds have now notched victories in five of their last seven games.
Pitching Match-Up
RHP Tim Redding (6-3, 4.21) might only have six wins to his name this season, but more importantly, the Nationals are 14-4 in games when Redding takes the mound.
He has not taken a decision since he picked up a win over the Phillies about a month and a half ago on May 19.
In his start on Monday, Redding went five innings against the Marlins, allowing four runs on eight hits. He struck out six and walked two, throwing 111 pitches.
Redding has been remarkably consistent with the length of his outings this season, not going fewer than five innings or more than six and a third in any of his last 16 games.
In his starts away from Nationals Park this season, Redding is 3-0, 3.70.
RHP Josh Fogg (1-2, 9.85) was just activated from the disabled list prior to today's game. He had been on the DL since June 1 because of back problems.
Fogg began the season in Cincinnati's starting rotation, but was moved to the bullpen after giving up 16 earned runs over his first 11 innings. He then shifted back to a starting role on May 31, but went just 3.1 innings that night, and allowed six runs against the Braves. After that game, he complained of back pains, and went on the DL.
Fogg pitched significantly better out of the bullpen, giving up nine earned runs in 14 innings out of the pen compared to his 22 earned runs allowed in 14.1 innings as a starter.
Overall, Fogg has appeared in 11 games this season. His numbers don't look particularly impressive regardless of where he pitches, but he especially struggles at home, posting an ERA of 11.12 at the Great American Ball Park.
Nats Hitters this series against Cincinnati
W. Harris: 3-9
Guzman: 3-9, 2B, R
Dukes: 3-7, HR, 2B, 2 RBI
Young: 3-5, 2 2B, 3 BB
Kearns: 1-8, RBI
Belliard: 1-8
Lo Duca: 1-3, BB
Lopez: 0-5
Boone: 0-1
Flores: 1-5
Bernadina: 0-4
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