Nationals (8-7) SWEEP Brewers (7-8)
The Nats collected their first series sweep of the year this weekend, beating the Brewers once on Friday and twice on Sunday (after Saturday’s game was rained out) to improve to one game above .500 and 3rd in the NL East.
Friday: Nationals 4, Brewers 3 (10)
Tom Gorzelanny (ND, 5.56) had a strong outing on Jackie Robinson day, going 6 innings and giving up just 2 runs, but it was Chad Gaudin (W, 1-1, 5.68) who got the win in the tenth inning. All four RBI for the Nats came off of singles, who have been having difficulty collecting extra base hits this season. Michael Morse (2-3, .182) had the Nats’ only extra-baser, a double (1). Wilson Ramos (.480) continued his hot start, going 2-3 with a walk.
Milwaukee starter Chris Narveson (ND, 1.45) had an okay start, going 5.2 innings, giving up 3 runs on 5 hits and 4 costly walks. The game ended with an unearned run which was allowed to happen as a result of Yuniesky Betancourt’s (0-4, .205) error (2) earlier in the inning. Zach Braddock (0-1, 2.45) took the loss. Former Nat Wil Nieves (1-3, .250) doubled (2) against his former team.
Sunday Game 1: Nationals 8, Brewers 4
Nationals starting pitcher Jason Marquis (W, 1-0, 3.26) pitched like we expected him to when we signed him last winter, going 7 full innings, scattering 9 singles, a walk, and 4 K’s. And after a very lackluster start to the season in the home run department for the Nats, they exploded for 3 homers in the game that combined to account for 7 RBI. Danny Espinosa (.250), in the leadoff spot, went 1-4 with a 3-run homer (2) and his 9th, 10th, and 11th RBI. Pudge Rodriguez (1-4, .154) had his first dinger of the year, a 3-run shot that brought his RBI total up to 7, and Ian Desmond (.196) had a good day, going 2-4 with a double (4) and a solo home run (2)—that was his sixth RBI. Tyler Clippard (1.64) continued his career-long struggles with inherited runners, allowing 2 of the 3 that he got form Chad Gaudin to score—bringing Gaudin’s ERA up to 7.71. Clippard didn’t allow any earned runs of his own. And Doug Slaten (0.00) pitched 0.2 more scoreless innings.
Yovani Gallardo (L, 1-1, 4.62) got the loss after 5.1 ugly innings in which he gave up 7 runs on 10 hits. The Brewers did not collect an extra-base hit on the night; their best performance at the plate came from Casey McGehee (.275) who was 3-5 with an RBI (7).
Sunday Game 2: Nationals 5, Brewers 1
The third game of the series featured Livan being Livan—Big Bad Livan Hernandez went 7 innings for the Nationals and allowed just one run, collecting the win and improving to 2-1 and 2.88. Drew Storen (0.87) closed out the game, getting his first save. Milwaukee starter Marco Estrada (3.46) went 6 innings and allowed only a run, leaving the game tied and getting the no decision. The man who relieved him, Kameron Loe (L, 1-1, 4.32) gave up 3 runs on 4 hits, while only recording one out. The Nationals’ offense added their fourth and fifth home runs of the day-night double header, one by Jerry Hairston, Jr. (3-3, BB, .154), his first, and he also added his first double of the year and increased his RBI total to 4, and the other by Adam LaRoche (2-3, .245), a solo shot that brought Adam his second homer and fifth RBI. Ian Desmond (2-4, .217) had a stolen base (6), and Danny Espinosa (.256) had a bases-loaded triple (1) that got him 3 RBI (14). In this double header, Espinosa knocked in 6 of the Nats’ 13 runs.
For the Brewers, Ryan Braun (.327) was 2-3 with a triple (1).
~Close Call~
25-Man roster update: Gaudin, Cora, Nix, Stairs make it
Chad Gaudin, Alex Cora, Laynce Nix, and Matt Stairs have all made the Nationals’ 25-man roster. Hooray!
~Close Call~
Nationals (9-7) Beat Cardinals (8-9), 8-6
The Nationals extended their longest winning streak of the year to 4, riding a strong start from John Lannan (W, 2-1, 3.43): 5 innings, 7 hits, 2 runs; 4 double plays turned by the defense; a 3-5 day from red-hot Danny Espinosa (.292), who continued tearing things up with his second triple in as many games (2); and a crucial lead-building 8th inning home run from Laynce Nix (.286), who was 2-4 with 2 RBI (6). The bullpen was shaky for the Nats however, with Chad Gaudin (7.04) continuing his struggles, allowing 3 unearned runs in 0.2 innings. Doug Slaten (0.00) came into the 6th inning to try and close it out, but allowed 2 of those unearned runs to score. Fortunately for Slaten, his ERA remains at 0.00. And after some more shakiness by the middle of the bullpen—namely Sean Burnett (3.24) who’s been slumping recently; he gave up 1 run on 3 hits in 0.2 innings—Drew Storen (0.77) got another save, his second, in 1.1 scoreless innings. Storen cleaned up Burnett’s mess with 2 outs in the 8th, ending the inning with one pitch. It seems as though Storen has come back from his Spring Training troubles and has begun to evolve into the elite closer we believed he’d be when we drafted him 10th overall in the 2009 draft.
The game, which was scheduled to be played on Tuesday, was delayed until Wednesday afternoon due to tornado warnings. It was the first half of the Nationals’ second straight double header.
For St. Louis, starter Jake Westbrook (L, 1-2, 9.82) had an early exit—he left after the third inning after allowing 7 runs on 7 hits and 2 walks; 6 of those runs were in the 3rd. Former closer Ryan Franklin (9.45), who is having a bafflingly bad start to 2011, gave up one run on one hit—Nix’s home run—and a walk in 2 innings of work. Possible future National Albert Pujols (.254) was 2-4 with a solo homer (5) and 2 RBI (12), and Colby Rasmus also homered (3) and had 3 RBI (8) for the Cardinals.
~Close Call~
