Tuesday's Late Game
Zimmerman Makes It 30, But Nats Can't Hold Lead
Giants 9, Nationals 7
|
TOOLBOX
   Resize
COMMENT
 Discussion Policy
 CLOSE
Comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. Additionally, entries that are unsigned or contain "signatures" by someone other than the actual author will be removed. Finally, we will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or privacy policies or any other policies governing this site. Please review the full rules governing commentaries and discussions. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.
Who's Blogging  |
Thursday, May 14, 2009
SAN FRANCISCO -- Reprinted from washingtonpost.com
With 131 games left in the season, the Washington Nationals are in danger of being reduced to a sideshow: the one that Ryan Zimmerman produces each time he comes to the plate.
But at least they have that.
Zimmerman extended his hitting streak to 30 games before sundown Tuesday night, lining a sharp single to center while much of a largely oblivious crowd was settling into its seats. The Nationals then lost, 9-7, to the San Francisco Giants, this one a total killer that, in the end, obliterated the good feelings of Zimmerman's streak and an unlikely comeback that had put the Nationals one strike away from a win.
Left-handed pitcher Joe Beimel, trying to contain the mayhem, served up a three-run homer to third baseman Pablo Sandoval into the left field seats with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. It was the sixth time in the short season that Washington's bullpen had relinquished a lead or a tie after the eighth inning.
"We have tried everybody and their cousins, and we still can't get anybody to put a zero up in the eighth and the ninth innings," Nationals Manager Manny Acta said.
The Nationals (10-21) are the worst team in baseball, and, in their second year at Nationals Park, they have the 29th lowest attendance out of 30 teams. That makes Wednesday's game, against left-hander Barry Zito, all the more critical, with the club hoping desperately that Zimmerman can carry his streak home Friday against the Phillies.
Zimmerman singled in his first two at-bats Tuesday as the Nationals settled into what initially appeared to be another desultory evening. That lasted until the seventh, when, four runs down, Nick Johnson hit a three-run, two-out bomb off Matt Cain. Johnson added a two-run ground-ball single in the eighth; his five RBI tied a career high.
The Nationals were ahead by a run going into the bottom of the ninth with Beimel on the mound.
Beimel retired the first two batters. He then gave up a single to Emmanuel Burris. Beimel tried to pick Burris off first and ended up throwing the ball away. He then walked Edgar Rentería, setting up the confrontation with Sandoval.
Sandoval ran the count to 2-2. Beimel then hung what he later identified as a sinker, and Sandoval pounded it into the left field seats.
