COMMENT by: Andrew Clem, of Staunton, VA on Jul 23, 2012 16:37 PM
Friday night's game was one that Washington Nationals fans would rather forget, as the Atlanta Braves came back from a 9-0 deficit and ultimately won. For some inexplicable reason, manager Davey Johnson kept Stephen Stasburg on the mound after he was already showing signs of fatigue, and all of a sudden it was a 9-4 game, and then a 9-8 game after reliever Sean Burnett choked and gave up four more runs in the 8th inning. Closing pitcher Tyler Clippard also choked once again, and the Nationals found themselves behind 10-9 in the bottom of the ninth. But Danny Espinosa hit a heroic homer to tie the game, another miraculous clutch RBI. It didn't matter, however, because the Braves scored a run in the 11th, and won 11-10.
In the first game of Saturday's double-header, the shell-shocked Nats were shut out 4-0, and the nightcap started just as bleak, with two Braves' runs in the first inning. But John Lannan (in his first major league outing this year) settled down, while Roger Bernadina got some late clutch hits to give the Nats a desperately-needed 5-2 win. On Sunday, Ryan Zimmerman hit two homers, leading the way to a 9-2 victory, putting the Nats 3.5 games ahead of the Braves in the NL East once again. Whew!

COMMENT by: Andrew Clem, of Staunton, VA on Jul 23, 2012 16:56 PM
That 2-2 series split was satisfactory, though the Nats really should have done better, but it could have been worse without those gritty clutch performances by the Nats on Saturday night. That erased the dark cloud of Friday night's debacle, allowing the team to get back on track. Aside from the Braves the rest of the NL East teams have been falling further behind. The Nationals begin a series against the Mets in Citi Field this evening.
Across town in The Bronx, the Yankees have lost four in a row while the Orioles (five behind) have won five in a row, so the AL East race is not sewn up just yet. Meanwhile, the Tigers have pulled ahead of the White Sox in the AL Central, while the Red and Pirates are in a furious neck-and-neck race in the NL Central. Plenty of drama as the trading deadline approaches!

COMMENT by: Andrew Clem, of Staunton, VA on Jul 23, 2012 22:56 PM
Bryce Harper put the Nationals on top of the Mets 2-0 with a home run in the first inning, and then put them back ahead 3-2 in the top of the tenth inning, sparking a huge six-run rally powered by Ryan Zimmerman (double) and Michael Morse (home run). Final score: 8-2. Amazing! Meanwhile the Braves lost 2-1 to the Marlins, falling 4.5 games behind the "D.C. 9."