Nats bullpen implodes in 8th; Marlins win 8-7
The Nationals' bullpen was given a 6-1 lead and only needed six outs to nail down a win for Collin Balester, but Saul Rivera, Charlie Manning, Steven Shell and Joel Hanrahan allowed seven runs on five hits, four walks and two errors and Washington lost 8-7, their fifth straight defeat.
Hanley Ramirez and John Baker started the inning with back-to-back walks off Rivera. Jorge Cantu hit a two-run double to make it a 6-3 game and Rivera was done. Manning came in and walked pinch-hitter Paul Lo Duca. Manny Acta pulled Manning for Shell.
Shell uncorked a wild pitch, putting both runners in scoring position and Dan Uggla singled both home, making it a one-run game, 6-5. Luis Gonzalez singled to put runners on the corners.
One out later, Hanrahan relieved Shell and he was greeted by a suicide squeeze from Alfredo Amezaga, tying the game 6-6. Hanrahan slipped while fielding the ball and he blindly threw to first, but no one was covering the base and Florida again had runners on first and third.
Josh Willingham's pinch-hit single gave the Marlins a 7-6 lead, their first of the game. Ramirez walked again, to load the bases and Kory Casto's error allowed Amezaga to score the seventh run of the inning.
Washington got an RBI double from Lastings Milledge in the ninth to make it an 8-7 game, but pinch-hitter Elijah Dukes struck out to end the game.
Collin Balester tossed 6 2/3 innings of one-run, four-hit ball, but settled for a no-decision. He walked three and struck out five while throwing 98 pitches.
Ryan Langerhans' three-run homer, in the eighth, gave the Nationals' a 6-1 lead, but obviously it wasn't enough to hold off the Marlins.
Washington scored off Marlins starter Anibal Sanchez in the second to take a 1-0 lead. Luke Montz got his first Major League hit and RBI to put the Nationals' on the board. Lastings Milledge was hit by a pitch, stole second and scored on Montz's single to left.
Milledge's RBI single in the sixth gave the Nationals' a 2-0 lead. He went 3-4 with two stolen bases, two RBI and two runs scored.
The loss is the fifth straight for Washington and they finish up their nine-game road trip with a 2-7 record.
Final Linescore
Nationals 7-9-2
Marlins 8-9-1
WP-Miller (6-9)
LP-Shell (2-2)
SV-Rhodes (2)
HR-Langerhans (3)
Pete McElroy's Live Gameblog
Marlins scoring, 8th inning
Saul Rivera and Charlie Manning couldn't retire a batter and Steven Shell only got one out, as the Marlins, who trailed 6-1 entering the inning, scored seven times to take a 8-6 lead.
Rivera walked Hanley Ramirez and John Baker before giving up a two-run double to Jorge Cantu. Manning came in and walked pinch-hitter Paul Lo Duca, the only batter he faced. Steven Shell threw a wild pitch, moving both runners into scoring position, before Dan Uggla's single drove in both runners to make it a 6-5 game.
Luis Gonzalez singled to put runners on the corners before Shell got Cody Ross to pop out for the first out of the inning. Joel Hanrahan relieved Shell and Alfredo Amezaga laid down a perfect suicide squeeze, scoring Uggla to tie te game 6-6. Pinch-hitter Josh Willingham singled to left, off closer Joel Hanrahan, to give the Marlins the 7-6 lead.
Kory Casto's error allowed Amezaga to score and the Marlins have a two-run advantage. Uggla flew out to right and Willingham looked to score the ninth run, but he was called out for leaving third base early.
Nationals scoring, 8th inning
Ryan Langerhans, who failed to lay down a bunt on two straight pitches, hit a three-run homer, his third of the year, to give the Nationals' a 6-1 lead in the eighth.
Ryan Zimmerman and Lastings Milledge both bunted for base hits before Langerhans went deep to right-center off reliever Doug Waechter.
Marlins scoring, 7th inning
Collin Balester was on out away from seven solid innings, but he hung two fastballs and his shut out is gone and his day is over.
Cody Ross double off the wall in left-center and Alfredo Amezaga tripled, on a 3-1 pitch, down the line in right, scoring Ross, making it a 3-1 game. Michael Hinckley spelled Balester and he struck out Wes Helms to end the inning
Nationals scoring, 7th inning
The Nationals' took advantage of a Marlins error to take a 3-0 lead in the seventh.
Roger Bernadina reached first on a fielder's choice and moved to second on Collin Balester's sac bunt. Emilio Bonifacio singled to first, but Mike Jacobs throwing error allowed Bernadina to score, giving Washington a three run advantage.
Balester thru 6 innings
Collin is tossing a gem. He gave up a two-out single to Jorge Cantu in the sixth, the first of the day for the Marlins. He's walked three and struck out five. Balester's pitch count is pretty good to this point.
6 IP, H, 3 BB, 5 K. 82 pitches, 47 strikes
Nationals scoring, 6th inning
Lastings Milledge drove in Alberto Gonzalez to give the Nationals' a 2-0 lead.
Gonzalez singled, advanced to second on a wild pitch and moved to third on Ryan Zimmerman's line out to center before scoring on Milledge's RBI single to left.
Balester thru 3 innings
Collin is doing to the Marlins what he did in his MLB debut last season. He has yet to allow a hit and walked one. Last season he gave up one hit in five innings.
3 IP, 0 H, BB, 2 K. 41 pitches, 22 strikes
Nationals scoring, 2nd inning
Luke Montz picked up his first Major League hit and in the process got his first career RBI.
Montz singled to left, scoring Lastings Milledge, who was hit by a pitch and stole second.
Starting Line-Ups
Nationals
2B Emilio Bonifacio
SS Alberto Gonzalez
3B Ryan Zimmerman
CF Lastings Milledge
RF Ryan Langerhans
1B Kory Casto
C Luke Montz
LF Roger Bernadina
P Collin Balester
Marlins
SS Hanley Ramirez
C John Baker
3B Jorge Cantu
1B Mike Jacobs
2B Dan Uggla
LF Luis Gonzalez
RF Cody Ross
CF Alfredo Amazega
P Anibal Sanchez
Game Preview
Nationals (56-91) at Florida (75-72)
For the second night in a row, the Nationals' offense was held in check and Washington dropped their fourth straight game, 4-2.
Tim Redding gave up two, two-run homers and lost his ninth game of the season while the Nats managed just six hits off Marlins starter Josh Johnson.
Washington looks to avoid the series sweep this afternoon as they send Collin Balester to the bump. Florida counters with Anibal Sanchez.
Pitching Match-Up
RHP Collin Balester (3-6, 4.86) struggled in his last start, giving up four runs on a season-high 11 hits in six innings in the Nationals 7-4 win in 14 innings. He walked two and threw 99 pitches, 64 for strikes.
After a shaky first inning, where he loaded the bases but didn't allow a run, Balester gave up an RBI single to Gregor Blanco and a two-run double to Chipper Jones in the second. Martin Prado's run scoring single, in the sixth, put the Braves up 4-1.
On July 1st, Balester earned his first Major League victory by beating the Marlins 9-6 at Dolphin Stadium. The rookie allowed one run on one hit and three walks in five innings. Hanley Ramirez's sac fly in the fifth accounted for the only run he would allow.
Balester, who is making his second career start against the Marlins, is 1-3 with a 5.23 ERA in six road starts.
RHP Anibal Sanchez (2-4, 6.46) is coming off the shortest outing of his career. He lasted just 1 2/3 innings and gave up five runs on five hits and two walks to the Phillies last Monday in Philadelphia.
Sanchez, who is winless in his last four starts, has allowed at least four runs in each of those games. The Marlins are 1-3 in his last four starts.
The 24-year old is making his first against the Nationals' this season. Last year, he went 1-0, in two starts, and beat Washington 9-3 at Dolphin Stadium. Sanchez allowed three runs, two earned, on five hits and three walks in five innings.
In six career starts against the Nationals', Sanchez is undefeated; 3-0 with a 3.28 ERA. At home, he's 2-1 with a 5.14 ERA in four starts this season.
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