Nationals vs Braves, Game 1

[wpa2629]

The play on Sazuki's hit was ridiculous. It looked like a pee wee game when the ball is hit and all the little kids run to the ball and kick it around the field. Just awful. Follow that with Uggla's brain cramp? Turrible

Atlanta's infield defense is beyond awful

[wpa2629]

Contact doesn't necessarily lead to lower pitch counts and I am tired of people perpetrating this myth with absolutely nothing to back it up.

WALKS drive up pitch count.  Not hits and not even strikeouts

Just throw strikes

That's what I'd do

[Sharp]

WALKS drive up pitch count.  Not hits and not even strikeouts

Just throw strikes

That's what I'd do

Pretty much.  Would love Stras to go out and do what he did in 2011 tomorrow--no walks.

[Clever]

Somebody needs to tell Charlie and Dave about the scoring change. 

[Squab]

Pretty much.  Would love Stras to go out and do what he did in 2011 tomorrow--no walks.

We'll see if it's possible. I saw somewhere a scout said he's lost some of his control and velocity (wearing down) and is pitching "effectively wild" and they can't hit him because his stuff is so good.

[RobDibblesGhost]

Somebody needs to tell Charlie and Dave about the scoring change. 

I flipped over to the Braves postgame show because I can't stand Don Sutton and wanted to hear his take   They didn't get the memo about the scoring change either.

[lastobjective]

Well if you guys need to rewatch the play:

http://www.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=24081317&c_id=was&partnerId=aw-6398225453849127815-1047

[Sharp]

We'll see if it's possible. I saw somewhere a scout said he's lost some of his control and velocity (wearing down) and is pitching "effectively wild" and they can't hit him because his stuff is so good.

He has in the last couple of starts, but I'm wary of trying to extrapolate anything from three or four games.

[Fan037]

Between that Astros' fiasco and tonight's craziness with the Uggla play, you have to feel the sun is shining on the Washington Nationals this year.

[welch]

The incredible double play

Three consecutive singles by Ruth, Gehrig, and [Dixie] Walker cut the Washington lead to 6 - 3. With Gehrig on second, Walker on first, nobody out, and the crowd cheering for a rally, Tony Lazzeri got hold of a pitch by Monte Weaver and sent the 35,455 fans into hysteria when his long fly ball sailed over the extended reach of Goose Goslin. Walker sprinted toward second base, then stopped. Lou Gehrig was still by the second base bag, making sure the ball fell for a hit, and when Gehrig began to run, Walker was right on his heels

Goslin quickly got to the ball, picked it off the grass, and heaved it on a direct line to the cutoff man.Cronin, who assigned himself as Washington's designated cutoff man since he had the strongest arm among the Washington infielders, caught Goslin's throw, and when he turned toward the infield , Gehrig rounded third base and Walker was about to round third. Cronin reared back and fired a strike to Luke Sewell. Gehruig was surprised to see the ball arrive before he did, and he made a quick slide to the outside of home plate. Sewell tagged him, skipped over his slide, and tagged Walker, who slid to the inside, to complete the sort of incredible double play "that is seen once in a lifetime".

Gehrig and Sewell remained in a reclining position both in disbelief at what had happened....

After the play, the veteran catcher thought it would be wise to check on his pitcher, believing he was bewildered by what had happened. As he approached Weaver, he held up two fingers. "It's two outs, Monte", he said.

"Oh, do we have two outs?" said the confused pitcher

Sewell turned away and covered his face with his big catcher's mit, and laughed.

A moment later Bill Dickey grounded out to win the game"

(from Gary Sarnoff, "The Wrecking Crew of '33", pp 118 - 119)

We just saw the Braves pull the fielding equivalent of the Lou Gehrig / Dixie Walker self-propelled DP against the Nationals in 1933.

This team is special.

[UMDNats]

Nationals PR ‏@NationalsPR
Scoring change on the final play. Credit Chad Tracy with a single and an RBI. #Nationals

[welch]

The play on Kazuki's hit was ridiculous. It looked like a pee wee game when the ball is hit and all the players run to the ball and kick it around the field. Just awful. Follow that with Uggla's brain cramp? Turrible

Atlanta's infield defense is beyond awful

Atlanta did the same thing in the last two games of the last series. Under pressure, their IF makes Little League mistakes.

[welch]

So, I know the Nats won and that's all that matters, but I really want to understand what happened on that last play before I go to bed.

I didn't realize that the infield was in, which explains why he didn't just throw to second. I guess Dan Uggla was conflicted as to whether to go home or go for the unconventional DP, and decided to resolve the conflict by dropping the ball.

The explanation is worth repeating.

[Copecwby20]

My roomate's kid effectively jinxed this game when he said "this game is over" when we we up 4-1.  That being said, Uggly's fielding kept him safe from a 1 am asswhooping

 A game that cost me a 750 of jack, a 750 of sailor jerry and took so long I had to break into my emergency stash of Natty Light was totally worth the Curly W as far as I'm concerned given the opponent. Glad I DVR'd that last play

[hammondsnats]

i love this team

[Kevrock]

I thought we played awful through the first nine innings -- too many missed opportunities and too many walks. I missed extras unfortunately, but that is huge that we got out of there with a win. Wow.

[Clever]

 

[OldChelsea]

Comparative dates on which the Nationals notched their 76th win, each season:

2012 - 20th August (122nd match of season)
2005 - 15th September (147th match)
2011 - 22nd September (155th match)
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2007 - finished 73-89
2006 - finished 71-91
2010 - finished 69-93
2008 - finished 59-102
2009 - finished 59-103

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THIS DAY WITH THE '05 OVERACHIEVERS: Saturday 20th August 2005 saw the Nats lost 9-8 in 10 innings at the Mets, with Livan lit up for eight runs across the second and third innings...record now 64-59...http://espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=250820121.

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Stayed through the seventh-inning stretch (I go to work at 06.00 and observe a fairly strict 22.30 curfew on pre-work matchnights)...got home in time to catch the last 2 1/2 innings on the radio.

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There was no need for that 'weather' delay - I got to the ballpark at my usual time (reaching TBSITH just before they would normally do the national anthem - probably wouldn't have gone out at all if I'd known the field was going to be tarped at the stated start time) and never felt more than a couple of stray drops every few minutes from then until they finally started. Typical DC weather wusses...thank goodness our Stella/Heineken in-stands vendor was back on the job last night.

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44 pages...our longest GDT for a home match since 5th June (vs Mets, 62 pages).

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Not sure if this has been brought up elsewhere in this forum, but the Nats have already clinched a winning record on the road...they're an MLB-best 41-23 in opposition ballparks this season, and even if they never win another away match this season they'll still be 41-40.

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THESE ARE EXCITING TIMES!

[Clever]

I've got the Natitude in me!

[OldChelsea]

Atlanta did the same thing in the last two games of the last series. Under pressure, their IF makes Little League mistakes.

Charlie and Dave really made it sound like Keystone Kops when they called that final play.

We've still got five more matches to play against Atlanta, and I may be tempting fate by proposing this...but is it perhaps time for Dan Uggla to turn in his Nats Killer Card? Besides last night's play, against the Nats this season he's hitting .200 (8 for 40) with just 1 homer and 4 RBI.

[OldChelsea]

Some interesting post-match quotes, followed on by some often-entertaining comments, from the Journal-Constitution: http://blogs.ajc.com/atlanta-braves-blog/2012/08/21/braves-postgame-quotes-after-loss-to-nats/

[mitlen]

Some interesting post-match quotes, followed on by some often-entertaining comments, from the Journal-Constitution: http://blogs.ajc.com/atlanta-braves-blog/2012/08/21/braves-postgame-quotes-after-loss-to-nats/

Losers lose  ...

[JCA-CrystalCity]

We now have the key - it was the Rally Putin! 

[HerndonNat]

My roomate's kid effectively jinxed this game when he said "this game is over" when we we up 4-1.  That being said, Uggly's fielding kept him safe from a 1 am asswhooping

 A game that cost me a 750 of jack, a 750 of sailor jerry and took so long I had to break into my emergency stash of Natty Light was totally worth the Curly W as far as I'm concerned given the opponent. Glad I DVR'd that last play

You drank a whole handle worth of alcohol?  By yourself??

[houston-nat]

I've now come to the conclusion that Uggla didn't have a chance on that play. Espinosa was moving fast and he would've almost certainly been safe. The double play is the only hope and frankly, Dan Uggla cannot outrun Chad Tracy. Which is saying something since I could outrun Chad Tracy.