Boxscore
The Washington Nationals pounded out ten hits including two doubles, a triple, and two homers and put six runs on the board. The San Francisco Giants responded with 13 hits including five doubles and a triple and piled up twelve runs to take the third game of the series. Gio Gonzalez got the Max Scherzer treatment and was out of the game in the 3rd inning. Jake Peavy couldn't get out of the 6th but it was enough as the lineup kept adding on and the 'pen (George Kontos and Yusmeiro Petit) closed the door. The win tonight brings the home squad's August record to .500 (7-7), evens up the season series (3-3), and pushes the away team's seasonal record to .500 (58-58). Not how the pundits predicted things would go for the talent-rich DCers. Pitching coach Steve McCatty got tossed for talking smack to the homeplate umpire and I thought manager Matt Williams might jump in and get the heave-ho as well but he played it cool and stuck around. I wonder if he'll be around much longer if his team continues to disappoint.
Gregor Blanco and Matt Duffy combined for five hits, five runs, and five runs batted in. I think I like those two at the top of the lineup. Tomorrow Madison Bumgarner takes the ball as the Giants go for the sweep. Rookie Joe Ross gets the call for the Nats. He's a Berkeley kid who went to Bishop O'Dowd and was a first-round pick for the Padres in 2011. His is the younger brother of San Diego's Tyson Ross. None of these games have stuck to the script and it has been a weird series. Not that I'm complaining--the outcomes have been great. It's just that it makes me think tomorrow's game might go differently than we expect.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
7 comments:
I want to have Matt Duffy's children. I can not even do that but it would be the least I could do to repay him the joy he is giving me. I remember Pablo coming out of nowhere but this seems even more remarkable. He is probably the best 3B in the NL right now. Go figure.
I must admit to the same feeling as MOC. The pitching match ups have been so tilted in favor of the Nats and they have been so wrong. Now the matchup is in our favor so it is easy to have doubts. I expect MadBum to be great (as always) but the other guy will probably give us fits. Yet, it is really hard not to be very confident about today. We sure have been teeing off lately and they look close to calling it quits. Can we stick the knife right through them today? Go for the kill? I also agree that Williams has a dead man walking kind of stare going on now. Not long for the world.
I expected this whole series to be low-scoring. I figured fielding would be the key. Instead they just rapped out hit after hit after hit!
Looking forward to the Bum-Harper matchups today.
I just love how every Giant is contributing. There's offense, defense, base running, pinch hitting, key pitching, relief... Some really fine play all-around. Oh, the Nats seem done. This isn't just coming from me as a G's fan. Read the Nats fan boards. Wow. I read how one Nats season ticket holder just got a cold call for renewal. Oh, the timing! "Do you also want to reserve your playoff tickets?" Doh.
The curly W's were getting booed at home recently. Everybody (including their local media) is calling for not only Matty's head, but for Rizzo's. Their aces have collapsed, their bullpen has imploded. Their offense is sporadic at best. And nobody seems to know their role. Should Escobar or Espinosa be starting? What's up with Rendon? Is Taylor starting over Werth? How's Storen feel about his demotion with the acquisition of Pap, who hasn't been stellar. You want to explain to guys like Roark and Fister why they're not in the rotation? And the same tired platitudes aren't smoothing things too well. Williams saying, "we'll get 'em tomorrow" is tired and played out. Rizzo echoing that with, "we can't worry about today, that's already the past." Uhhh. And the Big Marine seems to have lost the clubhouse a long while ago. Who is their leader? Can't be Werth, without the production.
Their spirits seemed to really get crushed when Scherzer lost to COL at home. Losing two out of three to the worst hitting road team, all 3 games the Nats held leads. Now this turn through their rotation? No, they could effectively fold and not be a WC threat. Take 'em down. They might soon start trying out prospects for next season.
Nothing is guaranteed. Play hard. With Bum going, gotta like our chances. Yeah, how about these "kids," huh? Some fun beisbol to watch, hope it continues. Oh, and thanks for the shout, linking me up. Eventually I'll get my act together and put up a blogroll. Please don't take any offense that I haven't sorted all that tech stuff out. Cheers.
It's the curse of Papelbon. I like the Nats and hope they take the NL East (at least, to the extent that I really care). But not with Papelbon. I guess I don't have anyone to root for there.
Like I said I was looking forward to the Bum-Harper matchups today. Three whiffs for the most-likely-to-be-MVP. He hit one ball hard that Blanco caught on the wall. You could see the young Nat drop the f-bomb as he rounded first base! What a performance by our superstar southpaw. Jaw-dropping display of power pitching and power hitting.
Dang. Bumgarner is so frickin' spectacular. It's like, I think he can't possibly top the performances I've seen. But we ALL know better, right? I was at the April 2014 game where he hit a sac fly that almost went out and then later hit a grand slam. Ummm, his first of TWO GS last season! We witnessed October Bumgarner. We saw him carry the pitching staff last start, to rest the weary bullpen.
Now, he goes after the jugular, sweeping the vaunted Nats. I think this will prove to be the blow that knocks them out of *any* Wild Card consideration. Yup, they'll soon start playing their prospects. On a day when Giants legend & hero Juan Marichal is at the yard, being celebrated. Flat out amazing. Bum.
Oh, and check out what Kelby did done. Speed got him on first. Speed got Harper to misplay that ball. Speed got him home. Speed. How fun is that to watch? Tomlinson. Incredible play deep in the hole by Craw. That catch by Maxwell. Blanco. What a game. S-w-e-e-p. Woo-hoo!
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