Belliard Gives Nats Extra-Inning Bounce

Nationals 4, Padres 3

Each night, as he waits for a chance that might never come, Ronnie Belliard heads back into the bowels of RFK Stadium. He brings a bat. By himself, he swings.

Last night, he had already gone through those motions, already prepared himself, when Cristian Guzman hit a single in the 10th inning. Ryan Zimmerman was up next. Manny Acta, the manager of the Washington Nationals, needed a hitter to follow Zimmerman. He yelled to Belliard. Belliard's thought: "Hey, here we go."

And away Belliard went. His bouncing, pinch-hit single to the right side of the infield in the bottom of the 10th brought home Guzman with the winning run in a well-played, well-earned 4-3 victory for the Nationals, their seventh win in their last 10 games.

Belliard wasn't the only hero, as four Washington relievers combined for 4 2/3 scoreless innings and Guzman and first baseman Dmitri Young each had four hits. But Belliard was the one standing on the infield afterward, his teammates giving him playful jabs and mock punches to the gut, the crowd of 22,354 celebrating a fine end to a sweaty, tension-filled night.

"For me, I always say, 'I'm lucky,' " Belliard said afterward. "I'm lucky sometimes."

As are the Nationals, who used a rally started by Guzman and continued by Zimmerman's single to overcome not only San Diego ace Jake Peavy, but a groundball that might have been the final out of the sixth. That roller instead hit an umpire and tied the score, yet the Nationals ground away at the Padres, who entered the game in a three-way tie for first in the National League West.

"We probably don't have a team loaded with superstars," Acta said. "But these guys, they have a lot of character, and they play hard."

They played hard against Peavy, getting a pair in the first on run-scoring hits from Zimmerman and Young to take a 2-0 lead. That began an interesting night for Young, who singled in each of his four at-bats. Thursday, he did the same in a win over the Los Angeles Dodgers -- 4 for 4. With eight hits in eight plate appearances, he tied a franchise record for consecutive hits set by Montreal Expos great Andre Dawson in 1983.

"He's hitting everybody," Acta said. "Left. Right. Hard-throwing. Soft-tossers. He's locked in. He's always been a good hitter. We all know that. Right now, he's in the zone."

Think so? Since May 17, Young is hitting a scalding .581 (25 for 43). His thoughts on the matter, which has his average now at .327: "Talk to somebody else."

Perhaps he's a tad superstitious. Or more than a tad. "Big time," he said.

Young's RBI single off Peavy -- whose only loss this season came to Washington on April 30 -- gave the Nationals a 3-1 lead. Lefty Matt Chico did his best to protect it, but in his words, "I tried to do a little too much" in the sixth, and Josh Bard's run-scoring double made it 3-2.

Then, the play that saved Peavy a loss. With two outs and reliever Winston Abreu on the mound, Padres left fielder Terrmel Sledge, a former National, hit a grounder back up the middle. The ball glanced off Abreu, and second baseman Felipe Lopez appeared to have a bead on it.

"I had it," he said.

But before the ball reached Lopez, it came across an impediment -- second base umpire Bob Davidson. It caromed off Davidson, took a 90-degree turn and ended up in short right field.

"I just said, 'Why us, Lord?' " Acta said.

Thus, a potential inning-ending grounder turned into a game-tying double. So the game headed to extra innings. And as it turned out, Belliard hitting in Young's spot -- he was lifted for a pinch runner in the eighth, after his fourth hit -- would decide it.

As the Nationals look toward next season and beyond, they have said it is a priority to stock their system with young players who might help in the future. Last year, they traded such part-time veterans as Daryle Ward, Marlon Anderson and Mike Stanton for pitchers who are now in the low minor leagues.

Both Belliard and Young, signed after spring training began, could turn into tradable commodities. Belliard, whose major league career began in 1998, understands that as well as anyone. Last year, he was dealt in midseason from Cleveland to St. Louis, and he won a World Series because of it.

Belliard has been a starter for most of the past several seasons. When he signed a non-guaranteed, minor league contract in spring training, Acta talked to him.

"We just told him what was there for him," Acta said.

A stint if there was an injury. An occasional start here or there. And an at-bat in a crucial spot.

"I know what my job is," Belliard said.

Last night, he fulfilled the job requirements. He grounded a 1-0 sinker from Cla Meredith to the right side. A part of the future or a piece to be traded, for one night, Belliard's preparation paid off for the Nationals.