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Washington's Hernandez Goes the Distance in L.A.
Nats' Livan Hernandez retires the first nine men he faces en route to a 131-pitch, complete-game performance.
(By Chris Pizzello -- Associated Press)
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When Robinson was asked whether Day needed a "change of scenery," he responded, "Yeah. Zach Day doesn't think I like him. He thinks I hate him, and anything I do, short of him being successful, he's going to think I'm not giving him the opportunity to pitch enough."
Day didn't dispute that assessment, either. "Just by what's gone on, just by what's on the field," Day said.
Robinson, though, said that doesn't accurately reflect his thoughts about Day.
"I don't dislike any of the players on my team," Robinson said. "I don't lose confidence in them. It's just that if they're not going well, I have to do certain things for the good of the team that I may not do if you're going good."
During spring training, the Cincinnati Reds were interested in trading outfielder Wily Mo Pena for Day, a Cincinnati native. The Nationals thought that was too high a price. General Manager Jim Bowden said Wednesday the team is not shopping Day, and Day said he hasn't asked to be traded.
"I think Zach's a very important part of our pitching staff," Bowden said. "He's been battling an ear infection, and I think that's having an effect. But he's a very important piece of the puzzle, whether he's in the rotation or in the bullpen."
Hernandez long ago established himself as an important piece of the puzzle, and he showed why in the fifth, retiring Choi on a pop-up to shortstop on a slow curveball to end the bases-loaded threat.
Perez, meanwhile, couldn't get out of his problematic inning, the seventh. Second baseman Jose Vidro, in a 3-for-27 skid, singled to lead off, and with one out, Castilla launched a double to right-center that scored Vidro all the way from first, igniting the big inning that featured run-scoring hits from Johnson and Endy Chavez along with a sacrifice fly from Gary Bennett.
Vidro, however, got up gingerly after the run, and was replaced in the field in the bottom of the inning. He said he rolled his left ankle, but Robinson said he was also battling a slightly strained quadricep muscle.
"I'm fine. I'm fine. I'm fine," said Vidro, who hates missing games. "I already told Frank I'm playing Friday."
That left it to Hernandez - and the defense. With runners on first and third in the eighth, Castilla ranged toward the line to stab a bouncer by Milton Bradley and made a sterling throw to second for the inning-ending force, perhaps the Nationals' best defensive play of the year.
"A dagger," Vidro called it.
"The Castilla play," Robinson said, "was probably the ballgame, right then and there."
Except it's not over until Hernandez says it is. Bennett, who caught him, said he was as strong in the eighth and ninth as he was in the first. He led the majors in complete games in each of the last two years, yet when he looked at the newspaper this season, he saw other pitchers with three already, and he didn't have his first.
"It's not easy," he said. "Now, I got my first. I'm good. Let's see what happens."
