Nats fall 6-2 to Padres, drop 5th straight
Washington's offense didn't have an answer for Padres starter Cha Seung Baek and they wind up on the losing end of a 6-2 decision. The loss, their fifth in a row, gives San Diego the series sweep and a 5-1 record against the Nationals' this season.
Baek, who gave up one run on five hits in seven innings and improved to 6-10, out-pitched Odalis Perez. Perez matched a career-high with 11 strike outs, but he allowed three runs on five hits. The loss drops Perez to 7-11 on the season.
The Padres jumped on Perez in the first and never looked back. With one out, Edgar Gonzalez singled and his brother Adrian doubled him to third. Kevin Kouzmanoff followed with a two-run double for the 2-0 lead.
The Nationals' had a chance to get on the board in the second when Lastings Milledge singled, moved to second on a ground out and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Kory Casto lined out to the pitcher and Alberto Gonzalez struck out, stranding Milledge.
Perez settled down after a two-out walk put runners on first and second in the second. He got a fly out and retired the next nine Padres before giving up a lead-off home run to Adrian Gonzalez in the sixth, giving San Diego the 3-0 lead. It was Gonzalez's 35th of the season.
Willie Harris led-off the fourth with a single and stole second, but that's as far as he would get. Ryan Zimmerman, Milledge and Elijah Dukes couldn't get the ball out of the infield.
Washington finally got to Baek in the sixth on Zimmerman's 13th home run of the season, making it a 3-1 game. It was his first long ball since he took Mike Hampton deep in Atlanta on September 6th.
The Nationals' bullpen couldn't keep the game close as the Padres score three times in the eighth to blow the game open.
Edgar Gonzalez reached on Zimmerman's throwing error, his 10th of the season. After a walk, Kouzmanoff doubled home Gonzalez for a 4-1 lead. Chase Headley followed with an RBI single to put San Diego up 5-1. They added a run on Nick hundley's sac fly for the five-run advantage.
Washington mounted a mini comeback in the home half of the inning, but it wasn't enough to put pressure on the Padres bullpen.
Pinch-hitter Ryan Langerhans, who hit a one-out single and moved to second on Willie Harris' base hit, scored on Zimmerman's single, his second RBI of the day.
Clubhouse Audio: Manny Acta
Postgame Notes
Odalis Perez matched the season-high strike outs for a Nationasl pitcher this year with 11. He also struck out five straight, the first time a Washington pitcher has done that since Chris Schroder K'd six in a row on September 17, 2006.
Clubhouse Audio: Odalis Perez discusses his outing in the Nats 6-2 loss to the Padres
The five straight losses is the sixth time this season they Nationals' have lost at least five in a row.
Ryan Zimmerman snapped an 0-12 skid with the 6th inning home run. He went 2-4 on the afternoon.
Final Linescore
Padres 6-8-1
Nationals 2-8-1
WP-Baek (6-10)
LP-Perez (7-11)
HR- A. Gonzalez (35), Zimmerman (13)
Pete McElroy's Live Gameblog
Nationals scoring, 8th inning
Ryan Zimmerman drove in pinch-hitter Ryan Langerhans with an RBI single to make it a 6-2 game after eight innings.
Langerhans hit a one-out single and moved to second on Willie Harris' base knock. Zimmerman followed with a sharp single to left cutting the Padres lead to four.
Padres scoring, 8th inning
The inning started with a throwing error by Ryan Zimmerman and it snowballed into the Padres building a 6-1 lead.
Edgar Gonzalez reached on the error and moved to second on a walk. Kevin Kouzmanoff doubled home Gonzalez to make it 4-1. Chase Headley followed with a run scoring single to make it 5-1. Nick Hundley hit a fly ball to right that was caught by Elijah Dukes, but Dukes thought it was the third out. Kouzmanoff scored as Dukes started jogging towards the infield. I doubt that he would've had a play at the plate, but it would've been nice to find out.
Nationals scoring, 6th inning
Ryan Zimmerman hit his first home run since September 6th at Atlanta to cut the Padres lead to 3-1 in the sixth.
Zimmerman jumped on a 3-1 fastball and sent it over the scoreboard in right-center. In the process, Zimmerman snapped an 0-12 hitless streak.
Perez thru 6 innings
Odalis was cruising from the third thru the fifth, but that all changed when he gave up a solo homer to Adrian Gonzalez. Perez had retired 10 in a row before the long ball. He struck out the side after the homer and he has 11 on the afternoon, which matches his career high. Perez struck out 11 Phillies on April 30, 2003.
6 IP, 5 H, 3 R, BB, 11 K, HR. 96 pitches, 65 strikes.
Padres scoring, 6th inning
Adrian Gonzalez hammered his 35th home run of the season to give the Padres the 3-0 in the sixth.
Odalis Perez got ahead in the count 1-2, but he grooved a fastball that Gonzalez crushed over the wall in right.
Baek thru 3 innings
Padres starter, Cha Seung Baek is keeping the Nationals hitters off balance thru three innings. He's allowed two hits, but one was erased on a double play and the other, Lastings Milledge, was stranded at third. Baek has retired six straight batters.
Perez thru 3 innings
Since the two-run first, Perez has settled down and looks to have found a rhythm. He's allowed two base runners, both in the second, but has avoided any damage.
3 IP, 4 H, 2 R, BB, 4 K. 54 pitches, 34 strikes.
Padres scoring, 1st inning
Odalis Perez doesn't look sharp early and he already finds himself in an early 2-0 hole.
Kevin Kouzmanoff's two-run double put the Padres up before the Nationals' have a chance to answer. Edgar Gonzlaez hit a one-out single and his brother, Adrian, doubled him to third before Kourmanoff plated both runners.
Starting Line-Ups
Padres
CF Will Venable
2B Edgar Gonzalez
1B Adrian Gonzalez
3B Kevin Kouzmanoff
LF Chase Headley
RF Chip Ambres
C Nick Hundley
SS Sean Kazmar
P Cha Seung Baek
Nationals
2B Anderson Hernandez
LF Willie Harris
3B Ryan Zimmerman
CF Lastings Milledge
RF Elijah Dukes
1B Kory Casto
SS Alberto Gonzalez
C Wil Nieves
P Odalis Perez
Game Preview
San Diego (60-95) at Nationals (58-97)
Emilio Bonifacio's costly error, in the fifth, opened the door for three unearned runs and that's all the Padres would need to defeat the Nationals' 6-1.
San Diego starter Chris Young tossed seven scoreless innings of two-hit ball and he even helped his own cause, with his first career home run, in the seventh, to even his season record at 6-6.
Washington, who has lost four straight and dropped to 2-4 on their current nine-game homestand, looks to avoid getting swept by the Friars in the series finale.
Veteran Odalis Perez takes the bump for the Nationals while the Padres counter with Cha Seung Baek.
Pitching Match-Up
LHP Odalis Perez (7-10, 4.26), who is making his final start at Nationals Park this year, was outstanding in his last outing against the Mets last Tuesday night. He tossed seven scoreless innings of four-hit ball in the Nationals' 1-0 victory.
After a two-out single, in the first, Perez retired 13 in a row before allowing a lead-off single to former National Brian Schneider. Perez was lifted in the eight after he gave up consecutive single with one-out. He struck out six and didn't walk a batter.
Perez is making his second start against the Padres this season. He earned the win in the Nationals' 6-4 victory on May 28th at Petco Park. Perez gave up three runs on six hits and three walks in 6 1/3 innings
In his career vs. San Diego, Perez is 2-4 with a 5.14 ERA in 10 games, nine starts. At home this season, he is 3-5 with a 2.51 ERA in 15 starts.
RHP Cha Seung Baek (5-9, 4.96), who is making his 19th start of the season, left his last outing after two innings with a triceps strain. He gave up a run on two hits and two walks and threw 37 pitches, 24 for strikes before leaving the game.
Prior to the injury, Baek tossed seven scoreless innings of three-hit ball in the Padres 4-0 shutout of the Dodgers. It was his first win in his last six starts.
Baek, who has never faced the Nationals', makes his eighth road start, ninth appearance, of the season. He's 4-2 with a 4.64 ERA outside of San Diego and 9-5 with a 5.14 ERA in his career away from Petko Park.
In his five starts during the day, Baek is still in search of his first win. He's 0-2 with a 4.67 ERA.
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