After the Tigers swept the Nationals earlier this week, tonight’s game against the Indians was a bit intimidating. We had little reason to worry though as the Nats took the game, winning 4-1. On a beautiful night for a game the Nationals broke a three game losing streak tonight and are now 8-8 during inter-league play.
Additionally, the boys are 7-0 with Micah Bowie starting. Bowie had another quality start tonight striking out seven batters and allowing one run in four innings. Way to go Bowie!

We got to witness some strange defensive plays this evening i.e. Zimmerman losing a ball in his shirt, official ruling… a single. Also saw some fan interference on a foul ball to left field which Church would have clearly caught! The Nats bats were hot tonight. Kearns walked three times (he’s sure been getting a lot of those lately). Lopez was 3-4 with a bunch of singles (think he likes batting number 2?)
Guzman has three hits tonight including a solo home run (his first in RFK). Yeah Guz!

We’d like to say hello to Brandon Watson! He was key in tonight’s win, having an RBI single in the 4th and an RBI double in the 6th allowing Kearns to score. We are delighted to see Watson producing in the majors.

Other high points –

Zimmerman and Lopez both stole bases. We also heard Heart again during the 7th inning stretch. We are hoping this becomes a regular deal. It was a great night for a game…can’t wait for tomorrow!

We’ve been waiting and now its here You can now order a Ryan Zimmerman pizza from Papa John’s!
Order a large pizza with up to five, count em five, toppings and Papa John’s will donate $1.11 to the ziMS Foundation dedicated to the treatment and ultimate cure of Multiple Sclerosis. This is for a great cause, and after all who doesn’t like pizza?

Check out NatsPower’s interview with the USA TODAY!

Check this out! People sent their pictures into MSNBC claiming they looked like famous baseball players. Enjoy!

The three girls would like to extend their sympathies to Nationals #13 Robert Fick and his family. We wish Robert Fick the best while he goes on bereavement as his mother lost her long battle with lung cancer on Tuesday. Fick is a staple on the team, a guy with a great sense of humor and the ability to play numerous positions. We look forward to his return. All the best Robert!

It was a tough night for the Washington Nationals as they got beat up pretty badly by the Detroit Tigers, 15-1. We took a Tigers fan with us but lost him to a ticket scalper with one cheap amazing ticket. We were able to meet up with NatsPower late in the game. ‘Ya gotta have heart, afterall. Last, but not least, we met Tim, one of the nicest ushers at RFK, who promised to start reading Three Girls with Heart.

It was also a sad night for Robert Fick, who lost his mother to lung cancer. Fick will go on the bereavement list today.

The opening will be filled by Brandon Watson, who recently broke an international record for his 43 game hitting streak. Watson will start in center field for the next few games to see if he can maintain his offensive production off of tougher pitchers.

There are still several more changes:
Alex Escobar will move from the 15 Day DL to the 60 Day DL
Mike O’Connor was optioned to Harrisburg
Bergmann will start against the Braves next Tuesday
Ayala will be activated on Friday
Ryan Wagner moved to the 60 Day DL
Speigner and Abreu both to be designated for assignment

Last night’s game proved to be a rough start for the rookie Matt Chico. We were pulling for him; he deserves to chalk up a win, but will have to try harder after last nights performance. Chico gave up a career high 8 runs on 9 hits, and the Nationals gave up 6 runs in the 5th inning. It was painful to watch, but not once did us girls give up our heart. The Tigers lead the Nationals 9-1 when the boys had their first rally in the 6th inning, with the Nats scoring four times. Lopez hit another triple and Guzman scored. Zimmerman hit Lopez home after Tiger’s Guillen lost control of the ball. Young followed up with a great single, and Kearns walked to load the bases. Ryan Church hit an RBI single at the right moment, and Schneider had a great sac fly to make the score 9-5. What an exciting rally, who knew there would be more to come!

After a scoreless top of the 7th, we stood for the customary stretch. The girls and I were ready to dance to Shake it Up Baby as usual, but instead we were rewarded with our motto You Gotta Have Heart, we saw this as a sign, and expected big things from our boys during the rest of the game. We were not disappointed!

The game was scoreless until the bottom of the 9th with the Tigers leading the Nationals 9-5. Ryan Langerhans started off the Nats second rally of the game as pinch-hitter; he hit a great double. Next up…Robert Fick. As we posted on Sunday, Fick has been putting together some nice hits lately, and boy did he come through last night. Fick singled to left advancing Langerhans. Guzman followed up with a triple into the corner, and just like that the Nats were only down by 2! The rally was in full swing. Lopez singled Guzman home, the boys down by 1. With Zimmerman on first and Lopez on second, Young struck out after seven pitches. Kearns then grounded into a fielder’s choice and now there were two outs. With one shot left Ronnie Belliard was up. We had confidence in Ronnie, he had come through in this situation before, we had the highest hopes he could do it again.

It was pretty fun at this point to see all of the Tigers fans in the stadium sweating bullets, not only from the heat but from the excitement of the game! Nats fans were as loud as could be, these are the games we love…you just never know what might happen. Alas, Belliard swung at a breaking ball and grounded out. The Nats lost 9-8 after mounting a great comeback. I hope last nights performance showed everyone that these boys play hard no matter what. Our Nats proved last night that they have miles and miles of heart.

Let’s get ‘em tonight!

The Orioles announced they are firing their manager Sam Perlozzo today at an afternoon press conference. The decision comes shortly after the Orioles lost their eight strait game this season. It’s reported that bullpen coach Dave Trembley will act as an interim manager until the O’s can hire a replacement. Perlozzo is the second strait manager the team has fired during mid-season. Who knows what will happen next for the struggling team…

The Nationals celebrate their 3rd Father’s Day victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. The Nats prevented a sweep today winning 4-2, putting the team at 30-39 (not too shabby!). Micah Bowie had another strong start. He pitched 6 innings and gave up only 2 run on 4 hits. Both Bob and Don said Bowie seems to be getting stronger after each outing. We hope this continues and want to congratulate him on another great day!

Everything was on today. Austin Kearns was player of the game. He went 2 for 4 with an RBI double and a fantastic catch in the 9th inning. It’s nice to see Kearns hitting more than once in a game, and we are glad he is out of his apparent slump. Given that it was a holiday, it’s no wonder that Ryan Zimmerman hit his 12th home run this season in the 4th inning. Ryan hit a walk off grand-slam on Mother’s Day this year. Ronnie Belliard hit an RBI single in the 5th inning given the Nats a 2 run lead. After telling the media yesterday that he “wasn’t hitting worth a crap,” Robert Fick had a good day today, with a couple of nice hits.

When Bowie exited after the 6th, the Colome, Rauch, Cordero combination did a fantastic job today. The Chief got three quick outs in the 9th, ensuring the Nats win, while is father was watching in the stands. This was a key win and a great present for the dads!

A Few Notes –

After stepping up to the starting role and doing his absolute best, Levale Speigner is now out of the starting rotation and back in the bullpen. We’d like to thank Speigner for doing his best, having some great days, and staying positive during his starts. We hope good things come for this young man.

Also, Triple A player Brandon Watson broke the 95 year old International League hitting streak record today by hitting a single in the 6th inning. Congratulations Brandon! Maybe we will see Watson in Washington soon?

Teams who don’t have 30 wins:

Tampa Bay 29
Baltimore 29
Chicago (White Sox) 28
Kansas City 27
Texas 25
St. Louis 29
Houston 29
Pittsburgh 29
Cincinnati 27