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After Meeting, Nats Lose Again
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"I'm very proud of the young man. Just a tremendous outing," Acta said.
But with the way Hudson was pitching, Chico must have known one mistake would be enough to cost him the game, and the mistake came on his first pitch to Escobar in the sixth. With Flores set up on the outside corner and calling for a fastball, Chico's offering stayed down the middle, where Escobar's bat found it and sent it atop the out-of-town scoreboard in right-center.
"Terrible pitch," Chico said. "A sinker that didn't do anything."
By yesterday afternoon, there was little question in the minds of the Nationals' veterans that a team meeting was coming on
"When you've been around awhile, you can feel one coming," veteran reliever Ray King said. "I had a feeling it was going to happen last night, or happen today."
Acta is not known for clubhouse histrionics, and like the lone meeting he called during his rookie season of 2007, this time Acta's tone was measured and calm, and his message overwhelmingly positive.
"It was just to take the temperature of the ballclub and let them know I'm not panicking," Acta said before the game.
In the waning moments of the ensuing game, fate would bring together the two principals from the dramatic finish of Opening Night, all those many nights ago, when Zimmerman homered off Braves reliever Peter Moylan in the bottom of the ninth for a stirring walk-off victory to christen Nationals Park.
This time, however, with the bases empty, two outs, and an eighth straight loss nearly complete, Zimmerman flailed at strike three and walked back to his dugout, with nary a hit nor an answer to speak of.
