The Official Washington Nationals Game Tracker-2007 [Archive]

Aa3rt

06-02-2007, 11:59 PM

I decided to separate the 2006 & 2007 entries and start a new thread for the current season.

Please make any further comments about 2007 Nationals games in this thread.

My apologies for not having done this prior to the start of the 2007 season.

Aa3rt, Nationals Moderator.

Aa3rt

06-03-2007, 12:22 AM

Saturday, June 2nd: Padres 11, Nationals 3. :mad: The Nationals give up 6 runs in the top half of the first inning and are never in the game. Levale Speigner gets charged with the loss, his record now 1-2 with an ERA of 9.10.
The only highlight for the Nationals was Dimitri Young going 2-4 with a homer, although his string of hits in eight consecutive at bats was broken.

The weather in the DC area doesn't look good for Sunday, with the remains of Tropical Storm Barry headed up the coast.

One other highlight-Nick Johnson took batting practice tonight!!! :hyper: It was his first trip to the batting cage since breaking his leg last season. He did admit to being "weak and wobbly" and it will still probably be more than a month before he's back in playing shape but its great to see him making some progress after what was a very serious injury.

wilkerson_rulz-06

06-03-2007, 02:19 PM

Aa3rt

06-03-2007, 04:20 PM

And we're just about to lose to San Diego 7-3 again.

:mad:

After working all night, I went to bed around noon, certain that the game wouldn't be played. Was I wrong!

I woke up to find that the game had been played-online game reports say that the players were none too happy with the field conditions. San Diego's David Wells gets credit for the win, Jason Simontacchi gets tagged with the loss. Both teams used five pitchers each.

Attendance: 26,967 in some pretty crappy conditions.

The only highlight-a Ryan Zimmerman home run, wasted in a losing cause. :ughh

Aa3rt

06-04-2007, 07:53 AM

Monday, June 4: The Washington Nationals get a day off today, hopefully this will give the field at RFK at chance to dry out. Actually, the whole month of May was pretty dry in this region so yesterday's rain was much needed although I still can't believe that the game wasn't cancelled. Anyone who watched Sunday night's telecast of the Yankees-Red Sox game saw, especially in the last two innings, what the weather was like in Washington during the day.

June 5-7 HOME vs. the Pittsburgh Pirates
June 8-10 AWAY vs. the Minnesota Twins*
June 11 OFF DAY
June 12-14 AWAY vs. the Baltimore Orioles
June 15-17 AWAY vs. the Toronto Blue Jays
June 18-20 HOME vs. the Detroit Tigers

* the ORIGINAL Washington Senators, through 1960.

NationalsFan

06-05-2007, 08:13 PM

Well this certainly blows. I know the call at first base with Young not having control went our way but there would be no runs as a result of that play anyways, but the call at home was just ridiculously stupid. I wouldn't mind seeing the Nats lose, we all have gotten used to it, but not this way with a blown call that could have changed the outcome. I don't know if the Nats would have won in extra innings, but at least I would have liked for them to have that chance.:mad: :mad: :mad:

Shabba

06-05-2007, 08:42 PM

That deffinantly was a tough game to lose. Getting back into the game after that 5 run inning buy the Bucs was exciting. Well we have tomorrow night.

Aa3rt

06-07-2007, 08:39 AM

The Nationals win 6-5 after blowing a 4 run lead in the eighth inning. The winning run comes in the bottom of the ninth with the bases loaded on a wild pitch. The Pirates use 4 pitchers, the Nationals 6.

The Nationals record is now 24-35, only the Reds have a worse record in the National League (The Rangers-the expansion Washington Senators-have a worse record in the AL.) with the Astros having one less loss.

The Nats finish up the homestand against the Pirates Thursday with a 1:00PM game. Then it's on the road for some interleague action.

Aa3rt

06-07-2007, 01:31 PM

Chad Cordero gives up a home run to the first batter he faces (Jason Bay) in the top of the ninth. Nats lose 3-2, a Dimitri Young home run accounts for the only 2 Washington runs. Off to Minnesota. 'Nuff said...:mad:

wilkerson_rulz-06

06-07-2007, 02:06 PM

God almighty.

Cordero can't survive more than 2 weeks without giving up a homer.

d33ps

06-07-2007, 04:35 PM

NationalsFan

06-08-2007, 10:17 AM

AS much as i wanna blame Cordero, you gotta put some blame on Acta, he brings Cordero in again for the 3rd game in a row, none save situations, (day game following night game as well) i know he's a rookie coach, but this is gonna be a loooong season, especially with our offensive woes once again :ughh

Yeah, you are right. I don't know if he was trying to build up Cordero's confidence or just being arrogant, but that was a bad idea. Capps didn't throw in the loss the night before so he definitely had the advantage.

The ones I really blame for the loss is the offense, what is going on, 2 runs and that is it. I mean the whole pitching staff gave up 3 runs, if they would have just scored a run in the 7th or 8th, they would have put some pressure on Capps and less of it on Cordero. Also, Zimmerman is having a bit of a slump and it couldn't have come at a worst time.

wilkerson_rulz-06

06-08-2007, 07:17 PM

Lookie here, 7-0 Nats in the middle innings against Minny.

What do you know?

We really are not THAT BAD, once more...:happy: :thumbsup:

d33ps

06-09-2007, 06:02 AM

Ugh, bad enough we're facing Santana tonight, but we have Speigner going as well, with his horrid 9.1 era, why is this guy still starting, i'd rather see anybody else pitch than him. WEll, here's to a miracle win tonight. :pray:

Aa3rt

06-09-2007, 09:02 PM

Well, here's to a miracle win tonight. :pray:

Looks like you got your miracle! Speigner only gave up 2 hits in 7 innings (one of them a home run), Zimmerman hits a 3 run homer and Cordero gets his 99th save! After Friday's 8-5 win, the Nats are 2-0 on the road trip thus far.
:happy:

Aa3rt

06-10-2007, 03:30 PM

Sunday, June 10th: Pitcher Mike Bacsik gives up 4 runs in 5 innings, the Nats strand 11 runners and lose 6-3. The only bright spot seemed to be Dimitri Young who went 3 for 5.

Tomorrow's an off day, then it's back to Baltimore to resume the "Battle of the Beltways".

wilkerson_rulz-06

06-12-2007, 06:16 PM

Here we go!

O's are going down!

5-3 Nats in the middle innings, we just shazamed Danny Cabrera! :waving

KingJ

06-12-2007, 06:38 PM

Schneider with a HR...7-3 Nats. We might have to move Flores to 1B to be our 1B of the future, lol.

Somebody ask the O's fans how that $58 million more in payroll than us is working for them.

NationalsFan

06-13-2007, 09:47 AM

9.5 games behind the Mets, that is not bad at all. Like some said here before, if this team gets to 60 wins, it is a moral victory.

KingJ

06-13-2007, 12:45 PM

9.5 back... statistically, we have the same chance of winning the NL East as the Yankees do of winning the AL East. Who would've thought that this late (60-65 games) into the season?

d33ps

06-15-2007, 06:09 AM

NationalsFan

06-15-2007, 09:56 AM

...and now with a sweep over the O's, only 8 back of the Mets :o ...this team is really surprising me this year, especially with all the injuries, maybe we can actually play some .500 ball when Johnson and some of our starters come back.

Someone in this forum told me that most probably Nick is not coming back this year. But I still am very optimistic and think they can get to .500 around the 100th game mark.

For some reason, the Nats are a much better team in the inter-league match-ups. One can only imagine if they didn't do so poorly in the beginning, where would the team be now.

Peorgie T

06-16-2007, 06:53 AM

Someone in this forum told me that most probably Nick is not coming back this year. But I still am very optimistic and think they can get to .500 around the 100th game mark.

For some reason, the Nats are a much better team in the inter-league match-ups. One can only imagine if they didn't do so poorly in the beginning, where would the team be now.

I think they do better in the interleague matchups in AL parks because they can add a bat to their mediocre lineup.

wilkerson_rulz-06

06-17-2007, 09:05 AM

I think they do better in the interleague matchups in AL parks because they can add a bat to their mediocre lineup.

Oh come on, the Nats' lineup has been improving, and since Felipe has moved to the no.2 hole, he's been hitting the lights out of the ball!

Aa3rt

06-24-2007, 02:57 PM

Jason Simontacchi evens his record at 5-5 and strikes out 6 in 6 innings and Chad Cordero gets his 13th save (after blowing one Saturday night) as the Nationals win 3-1. Jesus Flores collects 2 RBIs, Dimitri Young scores twice and Ronnie Belliard goes 3-3.

The Nationals end 2007s interleague play with a record of 9-9.

To get this thread up to date:

June 12 @ BAL W 7-4
June 13 @ BAL W 9-6
June 14 @ BAL W 3-1

June 15 @TOR L 7-2
June 16 @TOR L 7-3
June 17 @TOR W 4-2

June 18 DET L 9-8
June 19 DET L 15-1 :(
June 20 DET L 8-4

June 22 CLE W 4-1
June 23 CLE L 4-3
June 24 CLE W 3-1

Aa3rt

06-28-2007, 01:44 PM

:ughh Three straight losses in Atlanta-certainly nothing to write home about. Bright spots? None that I recall.

June 25 @ATL L 4-1
June 26 @ATL L 6-2
June 27 @ATL L 13-0 :dismay:

Overall the Nationals are outscored 23-3 and outhit 40-25. (To be fair, the Nationals did outhit the Braves in Monday night's game 9-7, but still lost.)

Oh well, hope springs eternal-it's off to Pittsburgh for a 3 game series in the Steel City (June 29, 30, July 1) and then back to Washington for 7 games in 7 days against the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers before the All-Star break.

KingJ

06-28-2007, 09:11 PM

The Cleveland and Atlanta series are good example at what level this team is playing. They are good enough to beat anybody, but they just aren't consistent yet. Consistency comes through experience and hopefully they'll gain that

Lopez, Kearns and Zimmerman's play are a key to this team going forward. They aren't playing like they are capable of doing.

Aa3rt

06-30-2007, 07:55 AM

The Nationals continue their losing ways on the road falling to the Pirates 3-2. Matt Chico's 6 innings of scoreless pitching and a Ryan Langerhans home run are wasted in another losing effort. :(

wilkerson_rulz-06

06-30-2007, 10:49 AM

The Nationals continue their losing ways on the road falling to the Pirates 3-2. Matt Chico's 6 innings of scoreless pitching and a Ryan Langerhans home run are wasted in another losing effort. :(

Langerhans led off yesterday and had a pretty decent game, I still think when Johnson returns we should stick him at leadoff, the guy can hit and walk and who cares about speed, it's overrated?
and if you do want speed, then I think he had something like 10 SB last year :D

Aa3rt

07-02-2007, 01:48 PM

After going 1-5 on the short road trip to Atlanta and Pittsburgh, the Nationals are now 33-48. Only the Reds have a worse record at this point. The bright side (if you can call it that) is the fact that many so called "experts" were predicting that the Nationals would be even worse.

To get this thread up to date:

June 30 @ PIT L 7-2
July 1 @ PIT W 3-2

The Pirates win the season series 4-2. This is the first winning season series for Pittsburgh against the Expos/Nationals since 2000.

To date, the Nationals have scored 301 runs in 81 games, an average of 3.71 runs per game, worst in the NL. :sigh:

The Nationals start a 7 games home stand tonight with 4 games against the Chicago Cubs July 2-5 and 3 games against the Milwaukee Brewers July 6-8 before the All-Star break. Let's hope a return home will be good for the team and that some bats come back to life.

wilkerson_rulz-06

07-03-2007, 06:55 AM

Sigh, and to think at one point we were less than 10 games under .500 and a chance to get back into it. :sorry: :disbelief:

wilkerson_rulz-06

07-03-2007, 06:57 AM

And to make matterrs worse; Jason Simmontachi officially sucks bad and Micah Bowie's on the DL.

Chris Schroder is going to start for us tomorrow, sheesh, from situational reliever to starter, I hope we can get 3 innings out of him.

Aa3rt

07-03-2007, 07:20 AM

The Nationals lifeless offense continues with a 7-2 loss to the resurgent Chicago Cubs.

The Nationals have now lost 6 of their last 7 games and 12 of the last 16. The last time they scored more than 4 runs in a game was on June 18 in a 9-8 loss to the Detroit Tigers. :dismay:

What does Manny Acta need to do to end the collective hitting slump? :shrug: ?

Aa3rt

07-04-2007, 05:25 AM

Tim Redding gives up 3 runs in 5 innings and the only run the Nationals can muster is from a sacrifice fly by Ronnie Belliard. :(

Aa3rt

07-04-2007, 12:57 PM

Hallelujah!!! The Nationals break their losing streak and score more than 4 runs in the process!!!

Matt Chico pitches 7 scoreless innings, Saul Rivera and Ray King 1 inning each and combine for a 5 hit game.

Doubles by Ronnie Belliard and Dimitri Young as well as a first inning home run from Ryan Zimmerman and a GRAND SLAM from Dimitiri give the Nationals a 6-0 win on the Fourth of July!!! :gt

Peorgie T

07-04-2007, 08:05 PM

Good day for Zimm. Here's hoping he breaks out of his slump, and tears it up in the second half.

Aa3rt

07-06-2007, 08:32 AM

After the 4th of July "fireworks", the Nationals revert to their light hitting ways in a 4-2 loss to the Cubs. :ughh

The Nats only manage 7 hits, go 0-5 with runners in scoring position and leave 8 men on base.

The Nats have now lost 15 of their last 22 at home.

Coming up-a 3 game homestand against the Milwaukee Brewers before the All-Star break.

KingJ

07-06-2007, 10:23 AM

Comeback Player of the Year Dmitri Young is pretty much the only thing to root for these days. Did you guys see the triple?

d33ps

07-06-2007, 04:08 PM

Comeback Player of the Year Dmitri Young is pretty much the only thing to root for these days. Did you guys see the triple?

that was awesome, i was waiting for the helmet flip, but i guess he forgot? anyway, i hope the offense shows up anytime soon for a longer stretch than a game... :silent:

Peorgie T

07-07-2007, 05:19 AM

that was awesome, i was waiting for the helmet flip, but i guess he forgot? anyway, i hope the offense shows up anytime soon for a longer stretch than a game... :silent:

I was at the game, it was the only bright spot all evening for the Nats' offense. I think Alex Escobar is due to come back after the break. Maybe he will fire things up until he gets injured again.

Aa3rt

07-07-2007, 05:37 AM

Mike Basick surrenders 6 runs in 5 innings, including 2 home runs to the Brewers Ryan Braun and the Nationals lose another. :ughh

Ronnie Belliard goes 4-5, including a solo home run in the losing cause.

Obviously the warm weather here in the DC area isn't affecting the Nationals bats.

Aa3rt

07-08-2007, 05:21 AM

After being held hitless for the first 3 innings, the Nationals break out for 4 runs in the fourth inning and finally get another win!

Jason Simontacchi evens his record at 6-6, Chad Cordero gets his 15th save (after giving up a home run to Johnny Estrada with one out in the ninth inning) and Austin Kearns hits a 2 run double, his first extra base hit in 15 games.

All 4 of the Brewers runs come on solo home runs but the Nationals hang on for the win! :happy:

EDIT: Last night's win raises the Nationals winning percentage back above the .400 mark. The Nats record is now 35-52, .402 but they're tied with the Reds for worst record in the National League.

Peorgie T

07-08-2007, 09:30 AM

The game article in the Post today pointed out that Simontacci's average run support is almost a run higher than the other starters'.

Aa3rt

07-08-2007, 03:00 PM

The Nationals score 6 runs in the 6th inning and Tim Redding gets his first win since September of 2004.

Washington gets home runs from Felipe Lopez and Ryan Zimmerman. Lopez reached base 4 times.

The wins Saturday and Sunday are the first consecutive wins for the Nats since the 3 game sweep in Baltimore on June 12-14.

Now it's off for 4 days while Dimitri Young represents Washington at the All-Star game. Dimitri should be in the running for "Comeback Player of the Year", IMHO.

The Nationals next games are July 13-15 against the Marlins in Florida.

Aa3rt

07-14-2007, 06:40 AM

The Washington Nationals get their third straight win, and score the highest number of runs in a game since the franchise moved from Montreal, in a 14-10 win over the Florida Marlins. Washington starter Jason Bergmann only lasts 4 1/3 innings, giving up 7 hits, 5 runs and 3 homers, but Saul Rivera gets the win. Almost everyone contributed to the offensive outburst on Friday the 13th, most notably Dimitri Young who hit a 3 run double and had 4 RBIs, Ronnie Belliard had 3 hits and Nook Logan scored 4 runs.

Aa3rt

07-15-2007, 08:27 AM

The Nationals 3 game winning streak comes to an end with a 5-2 loss to the Marlins. The Marlins get 3 home runs off Matt Chico (record 4-6) and can only collect 2 runs, thanks to an Austin Learns sacrifice fly in the 7th and a Ronnie Belliard double in the 8th.

The Nationals are now 37-53 with a .411 winning percentage.

Aa3rt

07-16-2007, 01:56 PM

Miguel Cabrera hits two home runs, Josh Willingham one, as the Marlins win another 5-3. Jason Simontacchi allows all 5 Florida runs in 4 1/3 innings. The Nationals are outhomered in the 3 game stand in Florida 9-0. Washington's runs come from 2 Dimitri Young RBIs and a bases loaded walk to Felipe Lopez.

The Nationals return home for a series of games against the Houston Astros and the Colorado Rockies.

For anyone going to tonight's game, there are severe thunderstorm warnings in effect. It is the middle of July, and this is Washington, so it's to be expected. Be careful.

Aa3rt

07-17-2007, 08:19 AM

A Dimitri Young 3 run homer with Ronnie Belliard and Ryan Zimmerman on base in the sixth inning, provides the winning margin in a 4-3 victory over the Astros.

Starter Mike Bascik gave up 2 runs (one unearned) in 5 2/3 innings, Saul Rivera gets the win (record now 4-2) and Chad Cordero records his 16th save.

d33ps

07-18-2007, 05:43 AM

Man...if this team had any offense, I really believe we can be a .500 ball club, I don't want to blame all our offensive woes on the ballpark, but I'm gonna be so happy when they move next year. I mean just look at what we did at Cincy when we played there, 31 runs in 4 games, roughly 7.5 runs a game.
Anyway, go Nats :party:

Aa3rt

07-18-2007, 08:16 AM

Tim Redding gives up 3 runs in 7 innings and the Astros hold the Nationals to 2 runs in a 4-2 loss. The listless Washington bats have returned.

Solo home runs by Ronnie Belliard and Ryan Zimmerman are wasted in a losing effort. :(

The final game of the series is this (Wednesday) afternoon with a 4 game home series against the Colorado Rockies starting Thursday.

the orange soda kid

07-18-2007, 12:46 PM

great game right now...finally scoring some runs

wilkerson_rulz-06

07-18-2007, 07:19 PM

And thank the Good Lord we got thru this one, what a squeaker against 'em Astros! :applaud:

Aa3rt

07-19-2007, 04:01 PM

Jason Bergmann gets his first win in over 2 months and the Nationals win the 3 game series over the Astros. Ryan Langerhans hits a 3 run homer, Ronnie Belliard hits a RBI double in the second, Dimitri Young extends his hitting streak to 10 games and Chad Cordero records his 17th save. It wasn't pretty but it was a WIN! :clapping

d33ps

07-20-2007, 06:25 AM

A clutch hit by Flores and a huge error by Hawpe and Nats take the Rockies in extra innings 5-4 last night.

Traber starting next game...this smells trouble and a long day for the relief pitchers.

Aa3rt

07-21-2007, 08:00 AM

Billy Traber gives up 2 runs in 4 innings and the listless bats return in a 3-1 loss to the Rockies.

The only Nationals run comes from a Ryan Zimmerman RBI. Brian Schneider gets robbed of a home run to right by the Rockies Ryan Spilborghs.

Aa3rt

07-21-2007, 04:31 PM

Mike Bacsik throws 6.2 innings of shutout baseball, and with some help from Luis Ayala, Saul Rivera and Chad Cordero, the Nationals get their first shutout win since I can't remember when! :applaud:

Offense comes from a Felipe Lopez home run and 2 RBIs from Tony Batista.

Ryan Church, Brian Schneider and Ryan Zimmerman all contribute doubles to the cause.

:applaud: :clapping :gt

wilkerson_rulz-06

07-22-2007, 09:35 AM

Awww, Jason Simontacchi just went on the disabled list with elbow tendinitis...what a loss...and we've recalled, blech, Chris Booker to replace him.

I still don't get why Fruto or Hanrahan won't get the call!

Aa3rt

07-22-2007, 01:59 PM

In the immortal words of Homer J. Simpson "Woo Hoo!!!"

The Nationals pitching staff shuts out the Rockies for the second day in a row and a 3 run home run from Austin Kearns in the 8th provides the only offense needed for another 3-0 win. :thumbsup:

Tim Redding pitched 6.2 innings of shutout baseball, Chris Booker gets the final out of the 7th inning and Jon Rauch gets the win with a shutout inning in the 8th and Chad Cordero gets his 19th save.

The Nats get a well deserved day off tomorrow and then its off to Philadelphia for a 3 games series with the Philles. :gt

Aa3rt

07-25-2007, 12:21 PM

wilkerson_rulz-06

07-25-2007, 01:53 PM

The Nationals use 6 pitchers in 8 innings (Bergmann, Traber, Booker, Rivera, King & Ayala) but its still not enough as the Nationals fall in Philadelphia 4-3.

Jason Bergmann strains his hamstring :sigh: attempting to score at home and is listed as day-to-day. All 3 of the Nationals runs come off a Brian Schneider double with the bases loaded.

With 99 games having been played, the Nationals are 42-57 with a .424 winning percentage and are currently (just barely) ahead of the Cinncinnati Reds, Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants in the overall standings.

:(

Well, you know what, I don't get why Acta had Langerhans and Fick bat with Kearns on 2nd, we had the tying run with ONE OUT and Langerhans and Fick both blow it.

Fick is terrible, come on, you coulda have put someone else in to hit for Ayala?
He's batting .132 this month and .205 overall,

Langerhans? .164!
Come on, bring out a PH!

Jim Bowden? Are you ok? NO, you're not, get these guys OFF out team! :hp :choke:

Peorgie T

07-25-2007, 04:24 PM

:(

Well, you know what, I don't get why Acta had Langerhans and Fick bat with Kearns on 2nd, we had the tying run with ONE OUT and Langerhans and Fick both blow it.

Fick is terrible, come on, you coulda have put someone else in to hit for Ayala?
He's batting .132 this month and .205 overall,

Langerhans? .164!
Come on, bring out a PH!

Jim Bowden? Are you ok? NO, you're not, get these guys OFF out team! :hp :choke:

This is why I thought Guzman's injury was such a blow. With Belliard and Lopez forced to play everyday, the Nats have no bench. Batista had already hit for Booker, and so all they were left with were Logan:(, Jimenez and Flores, who they try and avoid using as a PH in case Schneider needs to come out.

wilkerson_rulz-06

07-25-2007, 06:56 PM

This is why I thought Guzman's injury was such a blow. With Belliard and Lopez forced to play everyday, the Nats have no bench. Batista had already hit for Booker, and so all they were left with were Logan:(, Jimenez and Flores, who they try and avoid using as a PH in case Schneider needs to come out.

I woulda used Jimenez, he had a hit the other night when we needed it most and maybe, MAYBE he has just a tinsy winsy bit of confidence back.

Peorgie T

07-25-2007, 07:08 PM

I woulda used Jimenez, he had a hit the other night when we needed it most and maybe, MAYBE he has just a tinsy winsy bit of confidence back.

Between Logan, Jimenez, and Fick, it's kind of a crap shoot as to which bad hitter is going to have a lucky at bat:shrug: Hopefully, the Nats will have better choices next year.

wilkerson_rulz-06

07-25-2007, 07:38 PM

And right now, Batista's hitting for Nook in the 9th down 2 runs with Church and Schneider on.

EDIT: Make that a DOUBLE to deep-centre, 1 run's in and with only 1 out...oh God, come on Fick, ground out so we can cash in Schneider!

2nd EDIT: Well, Alfonseca's out and the Nats PH for Fick by bringing in Flores to hit against the lefty Mike Zagurski

3rd EDIT: Flores cashes in 2 with another double, 5-4 Nats, way to go bench! You were saying, Peorgie? :D

Peorgie T

07-25-2007, 08:59 PM

KingJ

07-26-2007, 05:46 PM

Interesting series.

(1) We make three amazing comebacks, but only win one game as our bullpen imploded.
(2) John Lannan's first ML start featured an ejection and breaking Chase Utley's hand.
(3) Jesus Flores is awesome. Period.
(4) Young and Belliard getting paid... it looks like we are spending money now for some reason.

Aa3rt

07-28-2007, 03:26 PM

Due to working a lot of extra hours the last few days, I haven't been able to keep this thread updated in a timely fashion.

July 25 Phillies 7, Nationals 5 (14 innings)
July 26 Nationals 7, Phillies 6
July 27 Nationals 6, Mets 2
July 28 Mets 3, Nationals 1

Except for today, it's good to see the Nationals scoring more than 3 or 4 runs a game. Current record 44-59. The 1962 Mets record of 40-120 remains safe!!! :laugh :clapping

wilkerson_rulz-06

07-28-2007, 05:20 PM

And Joel Hanrahan is making his major-league debut, hopefully he's here to stay.

And by God, Tim Redding is looking like gold!

After being picked up off the minor-league scrap heap, he's posted a 2,64 ERA so far in a couple of starts, and shone in a loss to the Mets last night!

Bascik is coming along quite nicely too, going 7 strong innings en route to defeating New York 2 games ago too.

Looks like the rotation is panning out, now we can only hope Jay Bergmann finds that early season magic again and loses these mediocre performances of his of late.

wilkerson_rulz-06

07-28-2007, 05:39 PM

Wow, Joel's just hit a TRIPLE and Jimenez drove him in with his first double.

Oh and you know something, I like Joel (if you know what I mean, I don't want to say anymore, even if it certainly feels like it's early in an unimportant game) :shhh: :)

d33ps

07-28-2007, 06:04 PM

wilkerson_rulz-06

07-28-2007, 06:11 PM

I heard Joel was a hard thrower, but he's hitting 95 on the radar gun with control and that's very impressive to see, hopefully he can keep it up. Hopefully we can split this day night double header. :)

Joel had a no-no going until the 4th when Wright singled to centre.

He still has allowed only one hit thru 4 innings and struck out 4.

d33ps

07-28-2007, 07:15 PM

Yeh i spoke too soon, after striking out the first 2 batters in the 6th, Joel gives up 3 runs in the 6th, 3-3 in the 8th =/

Peorgie T

07-28-2007, 08:33 PM

Not half bad for his first start; he even helped his own cause with a triple and a run. Rauch had an unusually bad outing to make it interesting, but Chief was lights out for once.

redlegsfan21

08-01-2007, 07:43 PM

Whoever does the scoring for the Nationals is horrible. Robert Fick booted a ground ball, infield hit. Then Fick picks up a ground ball throws to the covering Belliard, Belliard drops the ball, base hit. ANd according to the Elias Sports Bureau, Brandon Phillips should be credited with two stolen bases on his play, not one. Come on.

Aa3rt

08-03-2007, 09:01 AM

To get us up to date...

July 28 L Mets 3, Nationals 1
July 28 W Nationals 6, Mets 5*
July 29 L Mets 5, Nationals 0 (rain shortened 5 inning game)
July 30 Off Day
July 31 Nationals 3, Reds 3
Aug. 1 Nationals 7, Reds 2
Aug. 2 Nationals 7, Reds 3

* Two games on July 28th, a day/night double header.

IMHO, the game on Sunday the 29th should never have been played. Admittedly the Mets had to contend with the same weather and field conditions. However, it appeared that they simply squeezed in those first five innings, went to a rain delay, and then cancelled altogether, playing just long enough to make it an official game.

Last (Thursday, Aug. 2nd) night was Walter Johnson Night, a tribute to the famed Walter Johnson, an original member of the Baseball Hall Of Fame, who made his major league debut on Aug. 2, 1907.

In a career that lasted 20 years (1907-1927) Walter Johnson had a 417-279 won/lost record with a career 2.17 ERA. Johnson also managed the Senators from 1929-1932.

In his honor, the Nationals wore replica caps representing the 1927 Senators hats.

Aa3rt

08-04-2007, 06:58 AM

Chad Cordero gets a rare win (record 2-2) after a blown save by Jon Rauch, Tim Redding pitches 6.1 solid innings and Ryan Zimmerman gets a game-winning RBI in the bottom of the ninth as the Nationals defeat the Cardinals 3-2! :gt

Peorgie T

08-04-2007, 07:24 AM

Too bad it didn't happen sooner, but Zimmerman has been hot the last month, hitting .337. He's hitting .396 against lefties but only .233 vs. righties.

TheKingofKings

08-04-2007, 04:37 PM

STL (50-56) vs WAS (49-60)

Joel Piñeiro (1-1, 5.03) vs Joel Hanrahan (0-0, 4.50)

Batters vs Piñeiro:

Lopez: 0-6
Belliard: 3-12, 2B
Zimmerman: 0-0
Young: 3-7, 2B
Kearns: 0-3
Church: 1-3, 2B
Schneider: 1-5
Logan: 0-0

Combined: 8-36 (.222)

KingJ

08-04-2007, 07:45 PM

Nats win 12-1.

I like this Joel Hanrahan kid. At 25, still young enough to be a starter for us for the next few years.

Peorgie T

08-05-2007, 06:57 AM

Nats win 12-1.

I like this Joel Hanrahan kid. At 25, still young enough to be a starter for us for the next few years.

One can only hope. If a couple of their minor league pitchers pan out, it conserves resources for the leadoff and cleanup batters they so desperately need to get.

wilkerson_rulz-06

08-05-2007, 07:07 AM

We're 50-60 and tied for the cellar and 4th with the Marlins, and only 7 games behind Atlanta and Philadelphia...gee, we've done so terribly...I'm still waiting for that 120-loss season many ignorant morons promised us.

Acta is pumped about the streak too.

Peorgie T

08-05-2007, 07:34 AM

Aa3rt

08-05-2007, 04:43 PM

Ray King gets a rare win (His first since April of 2006 when he was playing for Colorado.) as the Nationals win their sixth straight game!!!

Matt Chico holds the Cardinals to 3 runs in 5 innings.

With the score tied 3-3, Ryan Zimmerman hit a tie breaking single in the bottom of the eighth, scoring Nook Logan. Dimitri Young followed with a 2 run double, making the score 6-3.

Chad Cordero came on in the ninth, pitched a perfect inning, and recorded his 23rd save.

Now it's off to San Francisco for a 4 game series with the Giants.

:gt

Peorgie T

08-05-2007, 05:02 PM

I hope one of our pitchers doesn't go down in infamy as the one who gives up #756.

Aa3rt

08-05-2007, 05:10 PM

I hope one of our pitchers doesn't go down in infamy as the one who gives up #756.

That thought had occurred to me as well, I didn't want to bring it up. :silent:

Solair Wright

08-05-2007, 06:14 PM

TheKingofKings

08-06-2007, 01:51 PM

WAS (51-60) vs SFG (47-62)

LHP John Lannan (2 G: 1-0, 5.40) vs RHP Tim Lincecum (16 G: 6-2, 3.75)

2007 Washington Nationals vs RHP:

Lopez- .226/4/25
Belliard- .286/3/24
Zimmerman- .239/11/42
Young- .336/7/41
Kearns- .248/6/35
Church- .271/8/31
Schneider- .248/5/24
Logan- .233/0/8

Red: The Good
Blue: The Bad
Black: The Uggly

Aa3rt

08-06-2007, 03:41 PM

Congratulations on the sweep, to a team that is rapidly falling apart. Pitching isn't as bad as a problem for the Nats compared to the Cardinals, hence why they lost in typical fashion. The postseason may seem like a fantasy for Washington, but next year may not be out of the question.

The hitting on the Cardinals is WORSE than the Nationals, actually. Runs scored doesn't mean nothing. "Albert Pujols?" He can't carry the load all of the time. But both teams got beat up horribly with the injury bug.

Good luck in San Francisco, and don't give up hope.

Thanks for the kind sentiments. While rooting for the Nationals can sometimes be frustrating, particularly early this season, it must be even tougher seeing a team that won the World Series just last year unravel in the following season. (I suppose White Sox fans are experiencing a similar feeling.) I don't think that anyone who frequents this forum has given up hope-and we've been most pleasantly surprised with the team's play as of late.

With all the pre-season pundits predicting gloom and doom for this season's team, every Nationals victory gives us even more to cheer about. With 51 wins in early August, we can only hope, barring a total collapse, that the Nats will avoid that 100+ loss season that seemed so certain in March (according to the baseball "know it alls").

Thanks for stopping in and good luck the rest of the season to you and your team as well!

Aa3rt

08-07-2007, 11:16 AM

Well all good things must end...:( , the Nationals 6 game winning streak came to an abrupt end (but not without a fight) in San Francisco.

John Lannan pitched 7 innings and only gave up one run in the first. The Nationals had scored on the top half of the same inning, the game continuing as a 1-1 tie into the 10th, when Dimitri Young homered to give the Nationals the lead. It didn't last though, as Chad Cordero gave up the tying run in the bottom of the 10th and Luis Ayala gave up a bases loaded single in the bottom of the 11th, allowing the winning run to score.

Oh yes, for those of you tracking the Barry Bonds home run watch, Bonds walked, struck out, grounded into a double play and fouled out to Ryan Zimmerman.

KingJ

08-07-2007, 10:22 PM

The Washington Nationals are in possession of 21st century Al Downing in Bacsik.

d33ps

08-08-2007, 06:30 AM

The Nats were the only team that were consistently challenging Bonds and I respect them for that, saying that, I questioned Bacsik 3-2 pitch to Bonds right down the pipe at 84 mph. Anyway, still happy we came up with a Win. :gt

Aa3rt

08-08-2007, 09:28 AM

On a night when the 756th home run by Barry Bonds received ALL of the attention, the Nationals 8-6 victory has been all but overlooked.

The Nationals were trailing 6-4 when they rallied for 4 runs in the eighth, starting with an Austin Kearns double. With runners on 1st & 3rd, Nook Logan (whose hitting has improved dramatically) hit an RBI single, pinch hitter Tony Batista hit a game tying single, and Felipe Lopez gave Washington a 7-6 lead with a double. Ryan Zimmerman hit a sacrifice fly to give the Nationals a 2 run lead.

Chris Schroder gets his first major league win and Chad Cordero gets his 24th save. Homering for the Nationals were Lopez, Kearns and Brian Schneider.

Personal aside-I'd fallen asleep on the couch, only to have my bride wake me up-just in time to see Bond's record breaking home run. Oh well, I was hoping that it wouldn't happen against the Nationals, Mike Basick has his footnote in history, and the winning streak begins anew!

TheKingofKings

08-08-2007, 09:39 AM

WAS (52-61) vs SF (48-63)

RHP Tim Redding (1-2, 2.43) vs RHP Matt Cain (3-12, 3.93)

Nationals vs Cain:

Lopez: 1-4, 3B
Belliard: 0-0
Zimmerman: 2-6, HR
Young: 0-0
Kearns: 2-5
Church: 0-6, 0 K
Schneider: 3-6
Logan: 0-0

wilkerson_rulz-06

08-08-2007, 01:41 PM

I'm surprised Cain's managed to keep his ERA under 4.00, it's truly an amazing feat considering he's lost 12 games and won only 3.
Barry and the Giants don't seem to support the kid offensively much, and I was shocked to read some Giants fans want him out of town...hey, we'll take him Brian Sabean, how about we ship you Dmitri Young for him? :gt

Aa3rt

08-09-2007, 01:51 PM

The Nationals are held to 4 hits, Nook Logan's double being the only extra base hit and Tim Redding gives up 4 runs, including Barry Bonds' 757th home run and opposing pitcher Matt Cain's first :ughh, as the Nationals lose the third game of the series 5-0. Billy Traber also gives up 1 run in the eighth in a relief appearance.

Aa3rt

08-10-2007, 06:38 PM

Joel Hanrahan gets his second major league win (2-0), Chad Cordero records another save and the Nationals hold the Giants to only 1 run, despite giving up 11 hits. A sacrifice fly by Ronnie Belliard and 2 run homer from Felipe Lopez account for the Nationals 3 runs. Hanrahan pitched 5 1/3 innings and also hit a double. He's had a hit in each of his 3 games since coming up.

Tonight the Nationals start a 3 game series with the Diamondbacks in Arizona.

Aa3rt

08-11-2007, 04:35 PM

Ugh! Where do I start? 5 Washington pitchers combine to give up 11 runs (5 in the seventh and 2 in the eighth) as the Nationals go down hard in Arizona.

Despite a pretty shaky start, including walking in 2 runs, Matt Chico had a tie score of 4-4 entering the 7th inning. Then the whole thing fell apart like an 84 Yugo, with Chico, Chris Schroder, Saul Rivera, Ray King and Luis Ayala all appearing in the 7th inning and the D-backs getting 5 runs.

A three home run inning, with homers coming from Felipe Lopez, Ryan Zimmerman and Austin Kearns, which all helped tie the game 4-4, were wasted in a losing effort. :ughh

The Nationals record against the D-backs for 2007 is now 0-5. Hopefully they can break the jinx tonight. :gt

Aa3rt

08-12-2007, 06:07 AM

John Lannan pitches 7 innings of 4 hit baseball, but the D-backs Brandon Webb was just as baffling to Nationals hitters, and the Nationals lose their sixth game this season to Arizona 1-0.

The Nationals were held to 5 hits, including a double by Ryan Church and 2 infield singles by Nook Logan. The closest the Nationals came to scoring was when Felipe Lopez made it to third in the first inning. The D-backs get their only run on a single, followed by a triple to the gap in the 4th inning.

Aa3rt

08-13-2007, 07:24 AM

The Nationals FINALLY win a game against Arizona, and do it in the most unlikely fashion!

At one point, the Nationals were down 5-0, with Arizona starter Micah Owings holding Washington to just 1 run in 6 1/3 innings. However, the D-backs bullpen couldn't hold the lead as Washington scored 4 in the eighth, with an RBI triple for Ryan Zimmerman, an RBI single for Austin Kearns and capped off with a 2 run homer by Ryan Church.

The D-backs did score in the bottom of the 8th, making the score 6-5. In the top of the ninth, Jesus Flores tied the game with a home run, just inside the left field foul pole, Robert Fick followed with a triple to deep right center and scored on a Felipe Lopez sacrifice fly.

Chad Cordero gained his 26th save by holding Arizona in the home half of the ninth inning. Mike Basick started the game, giving up 5 runs and eight hits in 4 innings, with Jon Rauch gaining the win, lifting his record to 8-2.

The Nationals have today off, followed with 3 game home series against the Phillies and Mets.

KingJ

08-14-2007, 08:12 PM

Shawn Hill pitched beautifully 7 Ks in 6 shutout IP, but Rauch blew the game. Still, we have a bunch of great young pitchers to go forward with and he's one of them.

wilkerson_rulz-06

08-15-2007, 07:57 PM

Shawn Hill pitched beautifully 7 Ks in 6 shutout IP, but Rauch blew the game. Still, we have a bunch of great young pitchers to go forward with and he's one of them.
I'm thinking more and more Tim Redding should be added to that bunch.

Just pitched a beautiful game against the Phils too! :clapping

KingJ

08-15-2007, 09:14 PM

Tim Redding is in his 30s so he can't be a great young pitcher. He's a great minor league find though.

wilkerson_rulz-06

08-16-2007, 06:28 PM

Joel just pitched 5 innings tonight, allowing 2 runs and striking out 8!

I'm liking the way our youngsters are looking now, can you imagine how good they'll be once they've FULLY developped?

wow.

Peorgie T

08-16-2007, 07:40 PM

Tim Redding is in his 30s so he can't be a great young pitcher. He's a great minor league find though.

I assumed the same thing about him; he's only 29. He's been a nice surprise though. I was at the game last night, and he looked good, although Manny should have pulled him for a PH in the 6th.

Aa3rt

08-18-2007, 07:55 AM

To get us up to date on the Nationals current home stand...

Aug. 14 L Phillies 3, Nationals 2
Aug. 15 W Nationals 4, Phillies 2
Aug. 16 L Phillies 4, Nationals 2
Aug. 17 L Mets 6, Nationals 2

Once again, the Nationals return to RFK and so does the anemic hitting...:ughh

Nationals current record 55-67, .451.

Home 31-32
Road 24-35

Aa3rt

08-19-2007, 10:02 AM

A second straight loss to the Mets and the Nationals are now 1-4 on their current home stand. :sigh:

Nationals starter John Lannan pitches 5 2/3 inning, giving up 5 runs and 8 hits. Lannan did manage to get his first major league hit and RBI but also gave up 2 home runs to the Mets, including the first to Luis Castillo in over a year.

Newly acquired Wily Mo Pena goes 1-4 with a walk, hitting a double and scoring 2 runs.

After the game, OF Ryan Langerhans was designated for reassignment and RHP Jesus Colome was activated from the 15 day disabled list.

Over 35,000 in the stands last night (probably a large contingent of Mets fans) as there were over 69,000 at FedEx Field to see the Redskins pre-season game. A good night NOT to be on the beltway.

Final game of this 6 game home series is today (Sunday, Aug. 19th) and then the Nationals head out on a 14 game road trip to Houston, Colorado and Los Angeles.

Aa3rt

08-19-2007, 02:49 PM

:dismay: The Mets complete the 3 game sweep of the Nationals this afternoon with an 8-2 win.

The Nationals waste another fine pitching performance by Shawn Hill (7 IP, 7 hits, 2 runs, 2 BB, 2 SO) by giving up 4 runs in the 8th and 2 in the 9th.

Wily Mo Pena goes 1-3 with a home run in only his second game as a National at RFK. The only other Nationals run came on a Ryan Zimmerman RBI single.

Jon Rauch gets his second loss in less than a week (current record 8-4), giving up 4 runs in 1/3 of an inning. Chris Schroder surrenders 2 runs in the 9th on a Carlos Beltran homer (his second of the game).

The Nationals were outscored 30-16 on this 6 day homestand, losing 3-2, 4-2, 6-2, 7-4 and 8-2, the only win 4-2. After that last homestand the hitting seemed to be getting better in RFK. What happened?

Off to the Lone Star State, with a 4 game series (Aug. 20-23) against the Houston Astros.

Peorgie T

08-19-2007, 05:42 PM

It's starting to look like all of those appearances Rauch has made this year are catching up to him. He hasn't had a good outing in several weeks.

TheKingofKings

08-20-2007, 09:20 AM

It's starting to look like all of those appearances Rauch has made this year are catching up to him. He hasn't had a good outing in several weeks.

True, he has a 7.71 ERA in his last 10 appearances, along with 17 hits allowed in 9.1 IP.

Aa3rt

08-21-2007, 07:41 AM

Tim Redding pitches 7 shutout innings, Jesus Colome pitched 2 innings in relief and the Nationals get their first shutout win since July.

Redding wasn't all that sharp, giving up six hits and walking 3, but he was good where it counted, and the Astros went 0-8 with runners in scoring position.

Wily Mo Pena gets his second homer in 2 games, and Dmitri Young hits an ankle high slider down the right field line for a 3 run homer. Ryan Church added an RBI double. 6 different players scored the 7 runs, a great team effort. :clapping

Going into tonight's game (Tuesday, Aug. 21st), the Nationals are 56-69, .448. They are tied with the Florida Marlins for 4th place in the National League East. By coincidence, the Astros are also at 56-69, fourth in the 6 team Central Division.

Aa3rt

08-22-2007, 05:23 PM

Another big night of offense for the Nationals...

Ryan Zimmerman hits a triple, a home run and a single and collects 4 RBIs. Nook Logan gets 5 hits and collects 3 RBIs as the Nationals get a grand total of 14 hits. Ronnie Belliard looks like he's back in the groove as well, hitting an RBI double.

Joel Hanrahan gets the win, allowing 3 hits, 3 walks and 7 hits in 5 innings.

The Nationals 18 runs in the first 2 games in Houston are 2 more runs than they scored on the 6 day homestand against the Phillies and Mets.

Aa3rt

08-23-2007, 12:49 PM

After scoring 18 runs in the first 2 games of this series, the Nationals are stymied by Astros pitcher Woody Williams and only manage 6 hits and 2 runs, both from an Austin Kearns homer, and strike out 8 times against Williams in 6 1/3 innings.

Mike Basick gave up 3 runs and 7 hits in 6 innings.

TheKingofKings

08-23-2007, 03:47 PM

I was quite suprised when I learned the Nats' record against NL teams out of the NL East: 18-7!

Aa3rt

08-24-2007, 01:21 PM

I was quite suprised when I learned the Nats' record against NL teams out of the NL East: 18-7!

:confused: I don't understand what your point is. As of this (Friday, Aug. 24th) afternoon, the Nationals record is 58 wins, 70 losses. :noidea

The record against each division:

East 19-28
Central 21-18
West 9-15

Aa3rt

08-24-2007, 02:08 PM

The Nationals score 5 runs in the first inning off Astros rookie pitcher Juan Gutierrez, and would need all of them as they hang on to win by one run.

Nationals rookie John Lannan evens his record at 2-2, giving up 3 runs, 5 hits and 5 walks in 5 innings.

Ryan Zimmerman, Dmitri Young and Austin Kearns all hit consecutive RBI doubles in the 1st, capped off by Ronnie Belliard's 8th homer.

Chad Cordero gets his 28th save, but not before giving up a 9th inning 2 run homer to Carlos Lee, who homered twice in the game.

The Nationals are now 58-70, with 6 more games on this road trip. They will face the Rockies in Colorado tonight (Friday, Aug. 24th) and on the weekend, and then travel to Los Angeles, to face the former, beloved Brooklyn Dodgers.

Peorgie T

08-24-2007, 03:07 PM

The game article in the Post quotes Manny as saying Lannan will get one more start, then essentially be shut down. He's pitched as many innings as they would like him to this year.

d33ps

08-24-2007, 09:35 PM

somebody mind telling me why Acta brought Cordero into the 9th with a 5-1 lead, a. its not a save situation, b. cordero has been anything but close to perfect lately, i just don't get this move, and as i'm typing, the score is tied at 5 a piece. As much as i blame Cordero here, I blame Acta more, somebody explain this idiotic move. :crazy

..and we lose 6-5 after a booted ball by Jimenez...great work

i feel for Hill the most,. he pitches another great outing with nothing to show for it.

Peorgie T

08-25-2007, 07:30 AM

Aa3rt

08-26-2007, 05:20 PM

After defeating the Astros 3 out of 4 games in Houston, the Nationals went to Denver for a 3 game series with the Rockies. Things went well until the last inning of Friday night's game, then things fell apart like a '71 Vega. I can't help but wonder if the Rockies comeback Friday really dampened the spirits of the Nationals for the rest of the weekend.

To get us up to date...

Aug. 24 Rockies 6, Nationals 5
Aug. 25 Rockies 5, Nationals 1
Aug. 26 Rockies 10, Nationals 5

Off to LaLa Land (Los Angeles) for a 3 game series with the Dodgers. :crossfingers:

wilkerson_rulz-06

08-26-2007, 06:32 PM

Wow, I still can't believe Hanrahan allowed 9 runs in 2 and 2/3!

Owch, and his ERA googleplexed to 5.90.

Hope they won't send him down for this.

wilkerson_rulz-06

08-26-2007, 06:33 PM

Agreed that Cordero shouldn't have been out there. It's not like he needed the work after almost blowing a save the night before. The fact that D'Angelo (E-6) Jimenez is even on the team speaks to its lack of depth that will hopefully be remedied next year.

Jimenez is hitting .154 after hitting over .370 with Columbus...and I can't believe he batted 2nd that game, come on Acta.

Aa3rt

09-01-2007, 01:30 PM

LA Goodbye...

After 3 losses in Colorado, the Nationals continued their road woes in Los Angeles...

Aug. 27 L Dodgers 5 Nationals 4
Aug. 28 L Dodgers 4 Nationals 3
Aug. 29 L Dodgers 10 Nationals 9, 12 innings :ughh

A day off and a return home didn't improve last night's outcome:

Aug. 31 L Giants 3, Nationals 2

By virtue of their current 7 game losing streak, the Nationals are now tied for last place in the National League East with the Florida Marlins @ 58-77.

The Nationals have 2 more games with the Giants (Sep. 1&2) , a 3 game homestand against the Marlins (Sep. 3-5), an off day Sep. 6 and then head back to Atlanta on Sep. 7-9 where they lost their last 3 in June by a combined score of 23-3. (June 25-27)

Aa3rt

09-02-2007, 06:59 AM

The 7 game losing streak has been broken, thanks to 6 innings of one-hit ball, pitched by Joel Hanrahan. Ray King, Jesus Colome share duties in the 7th, Jon Rauch pitched in the 8th and in the 9th Chad Cordero completes the game, getting his 29th save. (Barry Bonds goes 0-4.)

The Giants were held to 2 hits (one a homer by Pedro Feliz), for the Nationals Jesus Flores homered and had 2 RBI. Other runs come from a Ryan Church sacrifice fly and a Ryan Zimmerman double.

Humorous note from the game: Catcher Jesus Flores attempted to throw out the Giants' Omar Vizquel stealing second. His errant throw hit pitcher Hanrahan in the right leg. After the game a Hanrahan jersey with a bull's eye taped to the back was hung outside Flores' locker.

The Nationals complete their series against the Giants this (Sunday, Sep.2nd) afternoon.

Aa3rt

09-02-2007, 02:41 PM

Ryan Zimmerman hits an RBI single in the bottom of the 9th to score Felipe Lopez, who had previously doubled, and the Nationals win again!

Matt Chico pitches 7 innings, giving up 4 hits and 1 run, that coming on a Rich Aurilla home run.

The Nationals first run came in the 3rd when Ronnie Belliard scored on a triple by Nook Logan.

Saul Rivera pitched the 8th and Chad Cordero gets the win, raising his record to 3-3.

The Marlins come to town for 3 games, Sept. 3-5, the "Battle For The Basement" of the National League East! :laugh

Aa3rt

09-03-2007, 02:58 PM

The Nationals escape the basement, leaving it all to the Marlins, with a 6-3 Labor Day win over Florida.

Jason Bergman pitches 7 innings, striking out 9, giving up 4 hits, including a Mike Jacobs home run, and a walk. Jesus Colome struggled in the 8th and was relieved by Jon Rauch, who struck out 2 with the bases loaded. Chad Cordero ups his save count to 30.

Hitting highlights for the Nationals included a Felipe Lopez triple, a Ryan Zimmerman double and a Wily Mo Pena home run all in the bottom of the 6th. Austin Kearns went 3-4.

KingJ

09-04-2007, 08:07 PM

Jesus Flores with the walkoff 2 run double as the Nats beat the Marlins 4-3.

Flores is going to be a special player.

NationalsFan

09-04-2007, 08:40 PM

Jesus Flores with the walkoff 2 run double as the Nats beat the Marlins 4-3.

Flores is going to be a special player.

yeah, and was so happy that Belliards unexpected strange decision didn't cost the Nats the game. Belliards is a good contact hitter who could have had a sac fly. I like the way he plays and all, but I have to say, that was a bone-head play.

Aa3rt

09-14-2007, 01:01 PM

Hello folks. I've been out of town for the last 10 days and have been unable to maintain this thread, so in the interest of continuity, I'll bring this up to date:

Sep. 4th @ Washington-Nationals 4, Marlins 3
Sep. 5th @ Washington-Nationals 6, Marlins 4*

Sep. 7th @ Atlanta Braves 7, Nationals 1
Sep. 8th @ Atlanta Braves 9, Nationals 2
Sep. 9th @ Atlanta Nationals 7, Braves 4
Sep.10th @ Florida Nationals 5, Marlins 4
Sep.11th @ Florida Marlins 13, Nationals 8
Sep.12th @ Florida Marlins 5, Nationals 4

*This win raises the Nationals record to 63-77, ensuring that the Nationals WON'T lose 100 games, something all those professional pundits were predicting prior to the start of the season. While the current record (65-81) isn't pretty, and it will be difficult to catch the Braves over these last couple of weeks, the Nats record is better than expected, and this team is showing a lot of promise for the future! :thumbsup:

Aa3rt

09-15-2007, 05:08 PM

Where do I start? The Nationals give up 3 runs in the first inning, claw their way back and go ahead 5-3 in the 7th on a Ryan Zimmerman home run with one aboard only to have Jon Rauch give up a run in the 8th and Chad Cordero blow a save opportunity in the ninth.

The game dragged on in a persistent rain, the remains of Tropical Storm Humberto, until the Braves scored 3 runs in the top of the 13th off Jesus Colome.

Home runs by Zimmerman and Ronnie Belliard are wasted in this losing effort. :dismay:

There are only 9 games left to be played in RFK on this final home stand of the season.

d33ps

09-15-2007, 09:11 PM

when chipper hit that 3 run bomb, to make it a 3-2 lead for the braves, i thought we would get blown out, just had a weird feeling, but Bergmann really settled down, Cordero made another save situation extremely interesting loading the bases, and 2 of the most unlikely of hitters on the Nats, (hell, in all of MLB) hit 2 bombs, Jimenez and Fick.

Oh yeh, anybody catch that weird hop that hit Young in the head, I hope he's alright.

Aa3rt

09-22-2007, 12:13 PM

After working some rather long hours to compensate for the two weeks I was away from work, I really haven't had time to keep this thread up to date, so to pick up where we left off...

Sep. 15 vs Atlanta-Nationals 7, Braves 4
Sep. 16 vs Atlanta-Braves 3, Nationals 0

Sep. 17 vs NY Mets-Nationals 12, Mets 4
Sep. 18 vs NY Mets-Nationals 9, Mets 8
Sep. 19 vs NY Mets-Mets 8, Nationals 4

Sep. 20 vs Philadelphia-Phillies 7, Nationals 6
Sep. 21 vs Philadelphia-Phillies 6, Nationals 3

Two remaining home games left at RFK tonight and Sunday vs Philadelphia, then it's goodbye to the old stadium as the Nationals finish their season on a tough road trip.

Current record 68-86 with a .442 winning percentage.

Aa3rt

09-27-2007, 06:09 PM

Sep. 22 vs Philadelphia-Phillies 6, Nationals 3
Sep. 23 vs Philadelphia-Nationals 5, Phillies 3*

Sep. 24 @ NYMets-Nationals 13, Mets 4
Sep. 25 @ NYMets-Nationals 10, Mets 9
Sep. 26 @ NYMets-Nationals 9, Mets 6

*The final game at RFK Stadium. The Nationals finish 3 years at RFK with a record of 122-121.

The Nationals are currently 72-87, with a .453 winning percentage. Three games remain: Sep. 28-30 at Philadelphia.

One of the highlights for the last game for me was seeing some of the expansion Senators I remember from my youth paying homage to RFK. They included: Hank Allen, Dick Bosman, Ron Hansen, Chuck Hinton, Frank Howard, Don Loun and Fred Valentine.

Aa3rt

09-29-2007, 10:39 AM

The Nationals start their final series of the 2007 season by being shut out in Philadelphia. After averaging 10.6 runs per game in their 3 game sweep of the (then) division leading Mets, the Nationals only managed 6 hits against the Phillies Cole Hamels and stranded 7 runners, with only 2 left in scoring position.

Meanwhile, the Phillies scored 4 runs off loser Tim Redding (now 3-6) and another 2 off reliever Arnie Munoz who surrendered a 2 run homer to Ryan Howard.

Two games remain in Philadelphia Saturday and Sunday. Saturday's projected starters are Matt Chico (6-9, 4.75 ERA) for the Nationals against the Phillies Adam Eaton (10-9, 6.33 ERA).

AutographCollector

09-29-2007, 03:28 PM

SOLID game thus far by Nats starter Matt Chico. He has allowed 3 hits and the game is in the 6th with 2 outs. GO NATS! :thumbsup:

Aa3rt

09-29-2007, 05:07 PM

In a game with playoff implications for the Phillies, the Nationals manage to score 4 runs and hold off the Phillies.

Matt Chico gets the win, raising his record to 7-9, Chad Cordero gets his 37th save, with pitching help from Saul Rivera and Jon Rauch. The Nationals get doubles from Felipe Lopez and Ryan Zimmerman.

The Phillies 2 runs came from solo home runs by Ryan Howard and Aron Rowand. Phillies starter Adam Eaton is tagged with the loss, his record now 10-10, but 6 other Phillies pitchers were used. Two costly errors by the Phils were part of their undoing.

The Phillies are now 88-73, the Nationals 73-88.

Last game of the regular season is tomorrow with the Mets and Phillies tied for first place in the National League East. The Mets are home against the Marlins.

Aa3rt

09-30-2007, 03:09 PM

The Nationals use 6 pitchers but give up 6 runs on 7 hits (including Ryan Howard's 47th home run) and the Nationals offense never gets untracked as they lose 6-1 to the resurgent Phillies.

Jason Bergmann, Jonathan Albaladejo, Saul Rivera, Luis Ayala, Mike Basick and Jesus Colome all appear for the Nationals with Bergman giving up 3 runs, Rivera 2 and Basick 1.

The only offense for the Nationals was Ronnie Belliard's 35th double.

Further up I-95 the Mets lost again to the Marlins so the Phillies win the division with a 89-73 record.

The Nationals season ends with a 73-89 won/lost count.

Aa3rt

10-06-2007, 03:07 PM

My sincere thanks to all who have contributed to this thread during the course of the 2007 season. While the 2007 season was oft-times frustrating for us Nationals faithful, it wasn't the unmitigated disaster that so many were predicting.

Please feel free to continue any Nationals discussions in the following threads:

Discuss off season trades or other roster moves, and any updates on the new Nationals stadium in: ""Washington Nationals 2007-2008 Off-Season" (http://www.baseball-fever.com/showthread.php?t=68672) thread.

Relflect on the 2007 season in: "Washington Nationals 2007-The Good, the Bad and the Ugly." (http://www.baseball-fever.com/showthread.php?t=68673)

As the Nationals season ended on Sep. 30th in one final loss to Philadelphia, 6-0 :thumbsdown: , this thread is now locked.

I look forward to everyone's return to "The Official Washington Nationals Game Tracker-2008" (http://www.baseball-fever.com/showthread.php?t=68674) beginning next April! :clapping :gt :clapping