Nats snap skid, beat Reds 5-2, new additions play key roles
The Nationals' 9-game losing streak is in the history books and they can thank their veteran starting pitcher and four youngsters who provided all the offense to beat the Reds 5-2.
Washington scored two in the first, the second time in as many nights they scored in the first inning, and added three more in the second, to take the first game of the weekend series vs. visiting Cincinnati.
Senior Vice President and General Manager Jim Bowden looks like a genius, at least for one night, because of the play of two players recently signed by the Nationals.
The two players Washington received in recent trades, Emilio Bonifacio for Jon Rauch on July 22nd and Alberto Gonzalez for a Minor League pitcher, are already paying dividends.
Bonifacio had an RBI single, stolen base and a run scored. Gonzalez doubled, walked twice, scored a run and was robbed of a hit on a nice diving play by right fielder Jay Bruce. Gonzalez also played flawless defense at shortstop. Recently activated Elijah Dukes went 2-3 with a 2-run double and scored a run.
The Nationals got two runs off Homer Bailey in the first and never looked back. With 1-out, Willie Harris and Elijah Dukes singled. After Homer Bailey's wild pitch advanced both runners, Jesus Flores singled both home to take the early lead. It was Flores' 46 and 47th RBI.
Gonzalez got a second-inning rally started by doubling to lead-off the inning. After Odalis Perez sacrificed him to third, Bonifacio singled him home for his first RBI as a National.
Harris followed with a walk and both came around to score on Dukes' 2-run double to make it a 5-0 lead. Bailey never came out to pitch the third, giving up all five runs on seven hits. It was his fifth loss of the season.
Perez didn't allow a hit until Jeff Keppinger led-off the fourth with a double. Two groundouts later, Keppinger scored the Reds first run.
Perez had arguably his best outing of the season, going 7 1/3 innings and giving up a run on three hits and three walks. He struck out five while throwing 102 pitches, 63 for strikes and picking up his second win in his last three starts. It was the longest outing since he went eight innings against the Phillies in August of 2005.
Joel Hanrahan came in to pitch the ninth and gave up a lead-off homer on an 0-2 pitch to Jay Bruce. After a 1-out walk, Hanrahan settled down and got the final two outs.
Final Linescore
Reds 2-4-0
Nationals 5-9-0
WP-Perez (4-8)
LP-Bailey (0-5)
Postgame Notes
Elijah Dukes, who was recalled and reinstated from the disabled list last night, went 2-4 with a double and 2 RBI. In his last 31 games, he's hiting .320 with seven doubloes, two triples, six homers and 20 RBI. After the big win, he knew he wouldn't miss a beat and return to form.
This was the first win for Perez at Nationals Park. He was winless in his previous nine outings, despite a 2.26 ERA.
The Dynamic Duo of Emilio Bonifacio and Alberto Gonzalez went a combined 2-6 with a double, RBI, stolen base, two walks and two runs.
During the game, the Nationals announced that right-handed pitcher Ryan Wagner was reinstated from the 60-day DL and optioned to Triple-A Columbus. Wagner had surgery on June 5, 2007 to repair a SLAP tear in his right shoulder.
With today's roster move, the Nationals now have the youngest 25-man roster in the Majors at an average age of 27 years, 197 days.
Pete McElroy's Live Gameblog
Perez's solid outing
Odalis Perez tossed 7 1/3 innings of three-hit ball and gave up one run. He left after pinch-hitter Jolbert Cabrera tripled with 1-out in the eighth. Saul Rivera relieved Perez and left Cabrera on third. It was probably his best outing of the season.
7 1/3 IP, 3 H, R, 3 BB, 5 K. 102 pitches, 63 strikes.
Perez thru 6 innings
Odalis Perez gave up a run in the fourth and got out of a 1-out, first and second jam by stranding both runners. He retired the side in oder in the sixth on seven pitches. The Reds have only two hits so far.
6 IP, 2 H, R, 2 BB, 4 K. 82 pitches, 52 strikes.
Reds scoring, 4th inning
Jeff Keppinger doubled to the gap in left-center, the first hit surrendered by Odalis Perez, and scored on Brandon Phillips' broken-bat groundout, making it a 5-1 game.
Perez thru 3 innings
Odalis Perez is tossing a no-hitter thru three innings and has only allowed one base runner on a walk in the third. Seven of the nine outs are groundball outs and he's only thrown 36 pitches. Perez is in total control to this point.
3 IP, 0 H, BB, 3 K.
Bailey's creamed
Homer Bailey was looking for his first win of the season, but he'll have to wait another day. Bailey lasted just two innings, giving up five runs on seven hits, a walk and a wild pitch before being pulled. No word on if he's injured, but he didn't look comfortable at all.
2 IP, 7 H, 5 R, BB, 3 K, WP. 49 pitches, 32 strikes.
Nationals scoring, 2nd inning
The new arrivals and the guy with all-world potential helped the Nationals take a 5-0 lead after two innings.
Alberto Gonzalez doubled and scored on Emilio Bonifacio's single. Bonifacio stole second and scored, along with Willie Harris on Elijah Dukes' 2-run double.
Gonzalez & Bonifacio's debut
Not a bad way to start your career for the Nationals. The first two balls hit to shortstop Alberto Gonzalez were fielded cleanly and he threw perfect strikes to Kory Casto at first. In Gonzalez's first at bat, he calmly doubled to right and ended up scoring on Emilio Bonifacio's single. Bonifacio quickly stole second and scored on Elijah Dukes' double. If this is what the future holds for the Nationals, the future looks bright.
Nationals scoring, 1st inning
Jesus Flores hit a 2-out single, to drive home two runs, giving the Nationals the early 2-0 lead.
After Emilio Bonifacio struck out, Willie Harris and Elijah Dukes singled. Homer Bailey's wild pitch put them on second and third. Flores singled to left to plate both runners and put the Nats in front. Lasting Milledge followed with a single of his own, but Kory Casto struck out to end the inning.
Starting Line-Ups
Reds:
CF Jerry Hairston
SS Jeff Keppinger
RF Jay Bruce
2B Brandon Phillips
LF Adam Dunn
3B Edwin Encarnacion
1B Andy Phillips
C David Ross
P Homer Bailey
Nationals:
2B Emilio Bonifacio
3B Willie Harris
LF Elijah Dukes
RF Austin Kearns
C Jesus Flores
CF Lastings Milledge
1B Kory Casto
SS Alberto Gonzalez
P Odalis Perez
Game Preview
Cincinnati (51-58) at Nationals (38-70)
The Nationals send Odalis Perez to the hill hoping to avoid losing their 10th straight game, as they host the Cincinnati Reds for a 3-game weekend series.
Last night, Washington lost 8-4 to the Phillies and dropped their third consecutive series. John Lannan suffered the loss, giving up eight runs, six earned, in 5 2/3 innings.
After the game, the Nationals released infielder Felipe Lopez and catchers Paul Lo Duca and Johnny Estrada.
Outfielder Elijah Dukes is reinstated from the 15-day DL and infielder Alberto Gonzalez, who was acquired from the Yankees before the trade deadline, will be in uniform. Infielder Emilio Bonifacio is expected to be recalled from Triple-A Columbus.
Pitching Match-Up
LHP Odalis Perez (3-8, 4.38) is coming off two starts where he wasn't sharp, giving up 11 runs in nine innings, but where he managed to go 1-1. In his last outing on July 26th at Los Angeles Perez was rocked for six runs on eight hits in just four innings in the Dodgers 6-0 win.
Perez gave up a 2-run homer to Matt Kemp and an RBI sac fly to Nomar Garciaparra in the first. Garciaparra hit a solo shot of him in the Dodgers 3-run fourth. Five of the eight hits were for extra bases.
In his previous start, Perez gave up five runs in five innings, but the Nationals backed him with 14 runs while he was in the game and he picked up the win, snapping his five-game winless streak.
Perez, who is 3-1 with a 2.11 ERA in his six career starts vs. Cincinnati, last faced the Reds while pitching for the Dodgers in 2005. He earned the win by giving up three runs, two earned, in seven innings in the 7-4 victory.
Perez is still searching for his first win at Nationals Park. He's 0-4 with a 2.44 ERA in nine starts.
RHP Homer Bailey (0-4, 6.52) is making his seventh start of the season and third on the road. The Reds have lost every game he's started and haven't given him much run support, scoring just nine runs in six games.
In his last start on July 26th against Colorado, Bailey gave up five runs, four earned on a career-high 15 hits in just 4 2/3 innings in the Rockies 5-1 win. The 15 hits surrendered were the most given up by a Reds pitcher since Jimmy Anderson allowed 15 hits on June 26, 2003 at St. Louis and the most a right-hander has allowed since Mario Soto gave up 15 against the Dodgers on Sept. 6, 1982.
Bailey, the seventh overall pick by the Reds in the 2004 First-Year Player Draft, is 0-1 with a 3.00 ERA in two road starts this season, while holding opponents to a .200 average. Bailey is looking to get closer to the .500 mark for his career. He is 4-6 in 15 starts.
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