Nats fall 4-3 in series opener with Rockies; losing streak now at eight
Another night, another loss; Washington's 4-3 defeat is their eighth straight loss and fourth in a row at Nationals Park. Tim Redding is charged with the loss evening his record at 8-8. It's the first time since he was 1-1 that his record is not above .500.
Redding threw two pitches he wishes he could have back and maybe the outcome would've been different. Both pitches left the yard and forced him to stay in an inning longer than he wanted.
Leading 1-0 in the third, Redding had Troy Tulowitzki in the hole 0-2 as he tried to sneak a fastball by him. Tulowitzki wasn't fooled and sent the pitch into the red seats in center-field, tying the game 1-1. After the Nationals took the lead in the bottom of the inning, Colorado got to Redding in the fifth.
Matt Holliday's drive to deep center went just over the glove of Lastings Milledge, all the way to the wall for a double. Seth Smith, who singled, came all the way around to score and tie the game 2-2.
Brad Hawpe came up next, and like Tulowitzki, Redding tried to get a fastball by him and like Tulowitzki, Hawpe drove it out of the ballpark for a home run. The only difference was this was a 2-run shot. Colorado built a 4-2 lead and Redding was finished an inning later.
After the game, Redding was asked if Milledge should have made the catch "I'm not commenting. Next question. I made my point. We should have won the game."
Milledge took full responsibility for the play "I should have made the play," he said. "I didn't make it."
Redding went on to say "Any time you give up runs with two outs it's frustrating." "Any time you give up runs, period, it's frustrating. But the most frustrating is when you know the inning should have been over and you give up runs to guys that shouldn't have been at the plate."
Washington got on the board in the first, when Emilio Bonifacio doubled and scored on Ronnie Belliard's single. Both hits were off the first two pitches thrown by Jorge De La Rosa. Belliard started at shortstop in place of Cristian Guzman, who is nursing his injured left thumb.
The Nationals regained the lead in the third on Ryan Zimmerman's RBI single. Belliard led-off with a walk and after a wild pitch, scored on Zimmerman's opposite field knock.
Aaron Boone cut the Rockies 4-2 lead by one with an RBI groundout in the sixth, but the Nationals couldn't get the equalizer. Brian Fuentes struck out the side in the ninth to earn his 23rd save.
Postgame Notes
Cristian Guzman, who was a late scratch in Thursday night's game, and didn't play tonight, will sit out the next few games to rest his left thumb. Guzman has been bothered by the thumb for a few weeks now. He said it hurts to hold the bat, but doesn't bother him in the field. Ronnie Belliard and Pete Orr will play shortstop in his place.
Trade talks between the Dodgers and Nationals have quieted down since Guzman is banged up and Alberto Gonzalez was placed on the 15-day DL. Without Belliard, the Nationals would be extremely thin in the infield.
There is no movement on the signing of first-round draft pick Aaron Crow. The two sides are still very far apart. The Nationals have until midnight Friday to sign Crow or they lose the right to the right-handed starter.
Emilio Bonifacio is really struggling. He has only three hits in his last 33 at bats with 15 strikeouts. In his last four games, Bonifacio is 3-15 with 11 K's, including four Friday night.
Ronnie Belliard went 2-3 tonight with a walk. In August, he's batting .359 with two doubles, HR, four RBI and two SB. In his career when he starts at shortstop, Belliard has a .407 average with a homer and five RBI.
The Nationals' eight game losing streak is one shy of their season high. They have dropped nine consecutive one-run games and fall to 6-18 against the NL West this season.
Final Linescore
Rockies 4-10-0
Nationals 3-7-0
WP-De La Rosa (6-6)
LP-Redding (8-8)
SV Fuentes (
HR-Tulowitzki (4), Hawpe (20)
Pete McElroy's Live Gameblog
Nationals scoring, 6th inning
Aaron Boone grounded out to score Austin Kearns, as the Nationals cut the Rockies lead to 4-3 after six innings.
Kearns walked and moved to second on a wild pitch from Jorge De La Rosa. Jesus Flores deep fly out to center allowed Kearns to move to third. Boone hit a ball deep in the hole at short. Troy Tulowitzki picked it up, planted, jumped and got Boone by a few strides.
Redding's average night
Tim Redding was ok tonight. He basically made two mistakes and it may have cost him a chance at a win. Troy Tulowitzki's solo homer, the first hit he allowed, in the third, tied the game at 1-1. In the fifth, Matt Holliday's RBI double, over the out-stretched glove of Lastings Milledge, tied the game at 2-2. Brad Hawpe followed with a 2-run homer and Redding left trailing 4-3.
6 IP, 7 H, 4 R, BB, 5 K, 2 HR, WP. 107 pitches, 70 strikes.
Rockies scoring, 5ht inning
With a steady rain falling at Nationals Park, the Rockies used three consecutive hits to take a 4-2 lead in the fifth.
With two outs, Seth Smith singled and scored on Matt Holliday's double to deep center. Lastings Milledge looked to freeze on the liner as it went over his head, just out of his reach. Brad Hawpe followed with a 2-run shot, his 20th of the season, and the Rockies have a 4-2 lead.
Bonifacio's struggles
Emilio Bonifacio is the second baseman of the future for the Nationals, but right now he is having a tough time at the plate. Coming into tonight, he was mired in a 2-28 slump and his average dropped to .229. Tonight Bonifacio is 1-3 with two strike outs and he's left five men on base in the first four innings. During this current homestand, three-plus games, Bonifacio is 3-14 with nine K's. We all need to know that he is a work in progress and, in time, he'll be fine.
Nationals scoring, 3rd inning
As fast as the Rockies tied the game at 1-1, the Nationals jumped back in front.
Ryan Zimmerman singled home Ronnie Belliard, who walked and advanced to second on a wild pitch, to put the Nationals back on top 2-1. Zimmerman did an great job waiting on a curveball and going to right-field with it.
Redding thru 3 innings
Redding retired the first eight Rockies before giving up a solo shot to Troy Tulowitzki. Clint Barmes hit a 2-out single and Seth Smith walked, but Matt Holliday flew out to center to end the inning . He has four K's and one walk.
3 IP, 2 H, R, BB, 4 K, HR.
Rockies scoring, 3rd inning
It only took the Nationals two pitches to take a 1-0 lead. The Rockies needed one.
Tim Redding was cruising along until Troy Tulowitzki stepped to the plate. Down 0-2 in the count, Redding grooved a fastball and Tulowitzki blasted the offering into the seats in center.
Redding at the dish
Tim Redding had an excellent at bat in the second inning. With runners on second and third and 2-out, Redding drew a walk, on a 3-2 pitch, to load the bases. Most pitchers would've folded like a tent, but Redding hung in there and made Jorge De La Rosa throw five extra pitches. Emilio Bonifacio struck out to end the inning, but Redding did his job and made the Rockie hurler work a little more than he wanted to.
Nationals scoring, 1st inning
The Nationals saw two pitches from Jorge De La Rosa and ended up scoring a run.
Emilio Bonifacio led-off with a double on the first pitch in the home half of the first. Ronnie Belliard followed with a single, scoring Bonifacio. Belliard tried to stretch the base hit into a double, but was thrown out by Brad Hawpe.
Starting Line-Ups
Rockies:
2B Clint Barmes
CF Seth Smith
LF Matt Holliday
RF Brad Hawpe
1B Garrett Atkins
3B Ian Stewart
C Chris Iannetta
SS Troy Tulowitzki
P Jorge De La Rosa
Nationals:
2B Emilio Bonifacio
SS Ronnie Belliard
3B Ryan Zimmerman
CF Lastings Milledge
RF Austin Kearns
C Jesus Flores
1B Aaron Boone
LF Willie Harris
P Tim Redding
Game Preview
Colorado (54-69) at Nationals (44-78)
The Nationals hope to regain the form that saw them take three of four from the Rockies in Colorado last week.
Washington outscored Colorado 23-18, including sweeping a doubleheader on August 7th, by matching 6-3 scores. Nationals' starters picked up the win in all three victories.
Having lost nine straight from July 22-July 31, the Nationals looked to be turning the corner, winning four straight and six of seven, culminating with the series win over Colorado.
After the series sweep at the bats of the Mets, Washington has lost seven straight; this is the third time this season they've had such a streak. The Nationals have been outscored 48-11 during the skid and shutout three times.
Tim Redding faces Jorge De La Rosa in the series opener tonight.
Pitching Match-Up
RHP Tim Redding (8-7, 4.61) suffered the loss last Saturday, in Milwaukee, giving up five runs on seven hits and four walks in just five innings in the Brewers 6-0 shutout win.
Redding gave up two runs in the third on an RBI single by Gabe Kapler and a sac fly from Corey Hart. In the fourth, Ray Durham and J.J. Hardy hit back-to-back, 2-out, homers off the veteran righty. Hart's solo homer in the fifth was the final nail in his coffin. He needed 105 pitches to get thru five frames.
On August 4th, Redding picked up the win vs. Colorado. It started off rough, but he battled his way thru five innings and retired the final nine Rockies. Redding gave up four runs on six hits and three walks in the Nationals' 9-4 victory.
Colorado jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first. Matt Holliday hit an RBI double and Brad Hawpe's 2-run single forced Redding to throw 31 pitches in the inning. The first four Rockies reached base and it looked like it was going to be a short night, but he settled down and earned the win, his first in four starts.
Redding is making his 14th start at Nationals Park and looks to go over the .500 mark for the second time this year.
LHP Jorge De La Rosa (5-6, 6.28) hasn't started since his outstanding outing against the Nationals on August 5th. He settled for a no-decision in the Rockies 8-2 win. De La Rosa gave up two runs in seven solid innings. Washington's bullpen fell apart and gave up six runs in the eighth.
The Nationals, who managed six hits, all singles, off De La Rosa, scored in the second on Jesus Flores' sac fly and in the fifth, when he uncorked a wild pitch, allowing Ryan Langerhans to score from third.
De La Rosa's last two appearances, August 9th and 12th, respectively, came out of the bullpen. He was moved to the pen after the Rockies acquired Livan Hernandez last week. However, De La Rosa was re-inserted into the rotation when Aaron Cook was taken out for rest.
This is the third career start against the Nationals for the 27 year-old lefty. He's 0-1 with a 4.26 ERA. On the road, De La Rosa is 1-5 with a 7.83 ERA in nine games, seven starts.
Leave a comment