Nats fall to Cubs 9-2; Perez tagged with 10th loss
The Nationals' two game winning streak is over thanks to Cubs starter Ryan Dempster and clean-up hitter Aramis Ramirez.
Dempster gave up one run in 7 1/3 innings of work to pick up his 15th win of the year and Ramirez drove in six of the Cubs' nine runs with two 3-run homers
Odalis Perez lasted just 4 1/3 innings, giving up five runs, four earned, on 10 hits and four walks. The loss was Perez's 10th of the season.
Chicago was all over Perez in the three innings, but was unable to score on the veteran lefty. Perez gave up five hits and walked three, one intentionally, but stranded all eight runners.
It all changed in the fourth for Perez and the Cubs. Alfonso Soriano drew a lead-off walk and scored on Derrek Lee's single for the 1-0 lead. Ramirez came up and hit a 1-2 fastball just over the netting in left-center for the 3-run homer. It was Ramirez's 21st dinger of the season.
Chicago scored an unearned run in the fifth to take a 5-0 lead. Anderson Hernandez's throwing error got the inning started. After a sac bunt, Soriano doubled home Kosuke Fukudome and Perez was sent to an early shower.
In the sixth, Mark DeRosa took Garrett Mock deep to put the nationals in a 6-0 hole. Mock got the first two outs before DeRosa jumped on the 93mph offering and hit out of the park.
Washington got a run back in the seventh on a two-out double from Austin Kearns and an RBI single from Hernandez.
Yesterday, the Nationals came back from a 4-0 deficit after five innings to win 13-5, but Ramirez put the game out of reach in the eighth with his second three-run homer. Marco Estrada put the first two runners on base before Ramirez hit an opposite field blast, making it a 9-1 game.
Aaron Boone's pinch-hit RBI double in the ninth scored Hernandez, but Sean Marshall got the final two outs to end the game.
Postgame Notes
Anderson Hernandez collected two more hits. He's batting .538 for the Nationals.
Ryan Zimmerman went 3-4 to raise his average to .271
Aaron Boone has his second pinch-hit double in this series. He's 6-25 as a pinch-hitter this season.
Final Linescore
Nationals 2-10-1
Cubs 9-13-2
WP-Dempster (15-5)
LP-Perez (5-10)
HR-Ramirez 2 (22), DeRosa (17)
Pete McElroy's Live Gameblog
Cubs scoring, 8th inning
Aramis Ramirez hit his second 3-run homer of the game to give Chicago a 9-1 lead in the eighth inning.
Ramirez's opposite field blast came off reliever Marco Estrada. It was the first home run allowed by Estrada in his career.
Ryan Dempster
Dempster was outstanding this afternoon, giving up a run on eight hits in 7 1/3 innings. He walked one and struck out four while throwing 111 pitches. In his two games against the Nationals this year, Dempster has given up four runs, three earned, in 14 1/3 innings.
Nationals scoring, 7th inning
Anderson Hernadez finally got Washingon on the board. With two outs, Austin Kearns doubled and scored on Hernandez's single to center field. Pinch-hitter Ryan Langerhans hit an infield single to put runners on first and second, but Ryan Dempster struck out Emilio Bonifacio to end the inning.
Cubs scoring, 6th inning
Garrett Mock gave up a solo home run to Mark DeRosa and the Cubs now have a 6-0 lead entering the seventh.
Willie Harris
Willie shows us what's right with baseball. He hustles all the time and plays the game the right way. If the Nationals had 25 Willie Harris', they would be a much more competitive team. Harris proved this in the sixth, by running hard on a single. When right fielder Kosuke Fukudome bobbled it, Harris never stopped running and went to second. The ball got by Mark DeRosa and Harris ended up on third. Mr. Hustle, Pete Rose would be proud.
Cubs scoring, 5th inning
Odalis Perez was pulled with one out in the fifth and the Cubs leading 5-0. Perez gave up four runs in the fourth and an RBI double, to former National Alfonso Soriano, in the fifth.
Never able to settle in, Perez gave up 10 hits and walked four in his shortest outing since July 26th at Los Angeles, when he gave up six runs in four innings of work.
Cubs scoring, 4th inning
It was just a matter of time before the Cubs socred a run on Odalis Perez. Perez allowed five hits and three walks in the first three innings, but stranded all eight runners. That changed in the fourh.
Perez walked Alfonso Soriano with one out. Ryan Theriot singled to put runners on the corners. Derrek Lee singled home Soriano for the 1-0 lead. Aramis Ramirez followed with a 3-run homer, to left, and the Cubs have a 4-0 lead.
Perez thru 3 innings
Odalis is not making thirs easy on himself, but he's battling and not giving in. The Cubs have had at least two runners on in each of the first three innings and left the bases loaded twice.
3 IP, 5 H, 3 BB, 2 K. 54 pitches, 30 strikes.
Cubs missed opportunity
Chicago has left five men on base in the first two innings. They had the bases loaded in the second, but couldn't get a timely hit. Manny Acta elected to walk Alfonso Soriano to load the bags, but Ryan Theriot lined out to end the inning.
Starting Line-Ups
Nationals
2B Emilio Bonifacio
LF Willie Harris
3B Ryan Zimmerman
CF Lastings Milledge
1B Ronnie Belliard
C Jesus Flores
RF Austin Kearns
SS Anderson Hernandez
P Odalis Perez
Cubs
LF Alfonso Soriano
SS Ryan Theriot
1B Derrek Lee
3B Aramis Ramirez
CF Reed Johnson
2B Mark DeRosa
C Geovany Soto
RF Kosuke Fukudome
P Ryan Dempster
Game Preview
Nationals (46-83) at Chicago (78-50)
Yesterday afternoon the Nationals offense scored 13 runs on 13 hits and six walks in their 13-5 drubbing of Chicago. Willie Harris hit two home runs and drove in six and Ronnie Belliard went 4-5 with a homer and two RBI.
After dropping 12 straight, Washington has won two straight overall and two in a row against the Cubs. John Lannan picked up his first win since beating the Braves on July 19th in Atlanta.
With a win this afternoon, the Nationals can take the season series from the Cubs, something they haven't done since taking four of six in 2006.
Odalis Perez aims for his sixth win of the season, while Chicago sends Ryan Dempster to the hill, who looks to go to 10 games over .500.
Pitching Match-Up
LHP Odalis Perez (5-9, 4.06) had another quality start in his last outing, but took the loss in the Rockies 7-2 win at Nationals Park on August 17th. Perez gave up three runs, two earned, on four hits and four walks in six innings.
Perez stranded five base runners in the first three innings, but Colorado got to him in the fourth. An error and a walk put runners on first and second before Ian Stewart hit a 3-run homer to put the Rockies up 3-1.
This marks the second start against the Cubs this season for the veteran lefty. He got a no-decision on April 25th in the Nationals 5-3 win. Perez gave up two runs on five hits and four walks in six solid innings.
In his last four games, all quality starts, Perez is 2-1 with a 2.84 ERA. In his career vs. the Cubs, Perez is 3-1 with a 3.44 ERA in five outings. On the road this season, Perez is 4-4 with a 5.67 ERA in 12 starts. In day games, he's 2-2 with a 3.53 ERA in six contests.
RHP Ryan Dempster (14-5, 2.92) is one win shy of matching his career high, which he set in 2001 with the Marlins.
Dempster has won two straight starts and he's 5-2 with a 2.31 ERA in nine games since July 2nd. Seven of the nine outings are quality starts and he's only given up more than three runs once.
Dempster battled Odalis Perez back on April 25th and like Perez, settled for a no-decision. He gave up three runs, two earned, on four hits and three walks in seven innings. Nick Johnson hit a 2-run homer off him in the first and Johnson's error in the sixth led to an unearned run.
In 19 appearances, 11 starts, Dempster has never lost to the Nationals. He's 6-0 with a 3.33 ERA and has two saves. Dempster has been nearly unbeatable at Wrigley Field this season. He's 11-2 with a 2.76 ERA in 15 starts. In day games, Dempster has been equally as good, going 7-2 with a 3.39 ERA.
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