Energized Nats Enjoy a Rare Night On
Nationals 10, Reds 6

By Zach Berman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, August 3, 2008

It is just two games, Washington Nationals Manager Manny Acta warns. Two games in the span of a 162-game season are hardly defining, but the players and manager alike recognize something is different.

In the clubhouse, in the dugout and on the diamond, members of the Nationals recognize a distinguishable difference since the days before the infield tandem of Emilio Bonifacio and Alberto González played their first game on Friday.

The difference was highlighted by the Nationals' 10-6, come-from-behind win over the Cincinnati Reds last night at Nationals Park. And it was evidenced in the festive atmosphere of the Nationals' locker room after the game.

Laughter came from each direction. Players hung around watching a West Coast baseball game on the televisions. They were soaking in the moments after a reinvigorated roster won two games in a row for the first time since July 19-20.

"If you don't get excited watching the last two games, then you're not a baseball fan," said infielder Pete Orr, whose two-run, pinch-hit single gave the Nationals an 8-6 lead in the seventh inning.

"Right now, we are just clicking," said right-hander Jason Bergmann, who allowed five earned runs in the second inning but ended up going six innings.

The energy has arrived with the two newcomers, who are a combined 7 for 16 with five runs, three doubles and a triple in their first two games. Bonifacio was 2 for 5 with a double and a triple last night. González recorded a career-high three hits. Both were effective up the middle on defense, and both sparked a crowd of 30,970.

"We just share a lot of confidence," Bonifacio said. "In my second game here, [the fans] are watching me play. They like it. It's really exciting."

Despite the contributions of the two middle infielders, the win can be credited as much to the bench. Orr's pinch-hit single combined with Ronnie Belliard's pinch-hit two-run home run in the sixth inning chipped away at the early lead.

Belliard's home run came when the Nationals were trailing 6-2. It set the pace for the six-run onslaught in the seventh and eighth innings that allowed them to overcome their largest deficit for a win this season.

"That basically won the game," Acta said. "The Ronnie home run was huge. It put us right back in the game. It's not the same when you're trailing by four runs than two."

Despite Belliard's homer and a home run from Lastings Milledge, the offensive infusion was mainly singles and bloopers.

"Those are the type of hitters that they are, and it's important they realize that and not try to play a big man's game," Acta said. "If you see guys like Pete Orr or González or Bonifacio try to be pull hitters, they're not doing the right thing."

Orr's single was the result of either well-timed luck or impressive managing by Acta. With injuries to Cristian Guzmán and Ryan Zimmerman, the Nationals had a thin bench. Acta's options for a bases-loaded pinch-hitting opportunity were Orr and catcher Wil Nieves. Orr had just seven hits and no RBI in 29 at-bats before the game.

Acta went with Orr, and it saved Bergmann from falling to nine losses.

Bergmann, who has suffered from a lack of run support this season, recovered from the second inning, which alone represented more earned runs than he has allowed since June 6.

Since his nearly month-long demotion to Class AAA Columbus earlier this season, Bergmann has been a reliable starter. Last night was the 10th time in 14 starts since the call-up that he pitched through the sixth inning, but he needed the offense to bail him out.

"I don't think, ever in my life, I've been so happy after a game I've given up six runs," he said. "This team showed me something today. They showed themselves something. They should be really happy."

The Nationals' bullpen -- Charlie Manning, Luis Ayala and Saúl Rivera -- allowed just one hit in three scoreless innings. Manning earned his first career win.

But the credit continued circulating back to the two players who entered the clubhouse for the first time on Friday and have not lost since arriving. And the catalyst, Bergmann insists, is their energy. For a team that had little to be excited about before they arrived, the Nationals are in a position for their first series sweep since June 13-15, when they swept Seattle. Even though it's just two games, it is more than they had to be excited about before the duo arrived.

"These two guys have brought some big-time level of energy, and just right now, by having a lot of guys like that, you just expect to have energy," Acta said. "And why not? These guys are the youngest team in the big leagues right now. We shouldn't be lacking any type of energy."