The Nats have lost two ballgames this weekend. Friday night’s game (The Post), televised on Ch. 20, was a fairly predictable affair. Ramon Ortiz had a couple of bad innings, and that was it aganist John Smoltz, who gave up two on a Ryan Zimmerman homer, but otherwise shut down the Nats in nine innings. It would figure the Friday-night win streak would come to an end with Ortiz on the hill.
Saturday night, Fritz and I headed south on I-95 to take in a Potomac Nationals game. It was my second trip to G. Richard Pfitzer Stadium, but Fritz’s first. I had been there way back in the 90s one Sunday afternoon.
Getting there is simple, but tedious. I-95 had the usual Springfield delays, and the Prince William Parkway was not much fun either. It seems that the model for zoning along the PW is VA 3 west of Frederickburg — lots of lanes, even more big box developments. It is ugly and slow with all the drawbacks of exurbia.
The stadium itself is over five miles off of I-95. Once there, we found ample parking for $3. It should be noted that almost everyone had to make two attempts to get in their spots. Getting out of there could be really nasty.
After a three-minute walk, we arrived at the front the Pfitz. It is not much to look at, reminding me a little of Penn State’s Beaver Field, just a little bigger. Inside, you are greeted with a concession stand right away. the prices are reasonable, with $2.50 for a cheeseburger (Fritz recommends) and $5 for a 24 oz. domestic draft. Jumbo hot dogs are $5 or so, but that’s not bad. Fries are around $2.50 as well. There is also a speedpitch setup for just $1. My three pitches from about 12 feet away on flat asphalt hit 43, 43, 46.
Our tickets were on the first base side, which proved to be unfortunate because of the park’s north/northwest orientation. We were looking into the sun for several innings. If you go there for a night game, it would be beneficial to get tickets on the third base side. As for the seats themselves, they were aluminum bleachers with seat backs, not bad.
The P-Nats did not have their best night, getting shut out 4-0 by the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, a Braves affiliate (figures). They seemed particularly vulnerable to pitches thrown 59 feet with two strikes. I counted at least four times that they struck out swinging on pitches in the dirt and had to be thrown out at first. In general all pitchers on either side threw a lot of pitches in the dirt. Also, the crack of that bat was not nearly as loud it seemed, perhaps because there was little for the sound to bounce off of. Nevertheless, it was fun and entertaining, even if the crowd was a little too country for my taste. Check out the gallery of the evening.
Driving home, we picked up Nats game on WTWP. I arrived back at my place with Nats going the ninth up 5-3. Mike O’Connor pitched well enough through five and the bullpen kept the Nats in the lead headed to the 9th. By the time I got back to my apartment and settled, closer Chad Cordero came in and turned a 5-3 lead into a 8-5 loss, giving up a walk-off grand slam to Jeff Francoeur to end the game. Brutal.
Yesterday, the Nats bounced back on Mother’s Day, crushing Atlanta 8-1 (The Post). Tony Armas, Jr. pitched well again, pitching 7 shutout innings. That might be the game of his life up to this point. I caught the beginning of it and the end of it on radio, so I missed Nick Johnson running out a sure-out that wasn’t, and led to four runs. Good job Nick.
More headlines
Nats Hoping Gonzalez Can Deter Stealing – The Post
C Wiki Gonzales was called up in the hope he could actually throw at a runner, unlike the other catchers of late. He started yesterday and was successful. He also went 3 for 5 at the plate.
The Nats’ Trial by Fire – The Post
Bos reminds us that Frank Robinson and Jim Bowden are “playing for their jobs” right now.
Armas, Nats feeling better – The Wash. Times
Patterson leaves many questions – The Wash. Times
Is Bos ghostwriting for the other paper? P John Patterson’s toughness is questioned. Um, he’s a pitcher, a good one, let’s not blow his arm during a lost season…
Books relive D.C. baseball – The Wash. Times
Two new D.C. baseball books are reviewed, but no National Pastime. Hmmm….