A week ago, the Nationals were riding high after opening their season with a 2-0 record. It’s a different story this week, as we are now dealing with a 5 game skid. The game got off to a rough start in the first inning when a Lastings Milledge fielding error allowed one run to score. Milledge was able to make up for his mistake by hitting an RBI double in his first at bat. The Nats had a 3-2 lead heading into the third inning. The Marlins certainly had their bats swinging and were able to connect to drive in 5 runs throughout the inning. Out of the 7 runs scored with Tim Redding on the mound, 6 of them were unearned, which kept his ERA at a low 0.82.
Unlike Redding’s last outing where he pitched into the eighth inning, he only made it 4 innings tonight. Chris Schroeder, Saul Rivera, Luis Ayala and Jon Rauch all pitched at least one inning to complete the game. Only Rivera and Ayala were able to escape their innings without any damage.
Even though the boys looked rather good at the plate, they were unable to capitalize on a late inning opportunity. With two men out in the bottom of the eighth inning, the Marlins walked Zimmerman, Johnson and Kearns to load the bases and bring up Paul Lo Duca. Lo Duca struggled and grounded into a fielder’s choice. All together, the Nationals stranded 11 men on base tonight and have left the bases loaded 9 times this season. Clutch hitting is key to any team’s success, and we are feeling the absence of it this season. We’re hoping that as the guys get into the groove of the season, they get more comfortable in those pressure situations.
The rest of the week is supposed to bring warmer temperatures to the area, and we’re hoping that it also brings some wins for our boys!
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