The Washington Nationals are just teasing me now. Yesterday, the swept both games of a day-night doubleheader against the Philadelphia Phillies. The season series is knotted at 8 with 2 games to play — The Cheesesteak/Half-Smoke Challenge is going to the wire this year! There is still no chance the Nats win the next two games and win me a cheesesteak from the Ombudsman. They’ll probably lose the next two (especially tonight, since John Lannan is pitching) and I’ll still be out a half-smoke.
Game 1 saw Tom(my) Millone pitched 6 scoreless innings (The Wash. Times). He didn’t get the win, because Doug Slaten put two runners on with weak singles and Tyler Clippard gave up a 3 run Raul Ibanez home run. That tied the game — Roger Bernadina had hit a 3 run shot in the top of the 7th. In extra innings, Ryan Zimmerman had the game-winning RBI as a pinch hitter. Zimmerman is now 6 for 15 as a pinch hitter. Drew Storen earned save #39 with a high wire save that had the winning run on third with 1 out.
In game 2, Ross Detwiler pitched like a 1st round draft pick. He threw 7 1/3 scoreless innings and the bullpen did the rest, including Storen’s 40th save (The Wash. Times). Storen is only the 4th 24 year-old to record 40 or more saves (Nationals Journal, The Post). Danny Espinosa homered off of Cliff Lee in the second inning. Detwiler also singled home Espinosa in the sixth. The final run would come on an error after Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz hit Jayson Werth with a throw at third base — Werth scored, but left the game with a bruise (Nationals Journal, The Post). All runs were scored off of Lee, though the final one was not charged to him.
Oh and according to @alltimewins, “@Nationals Ross Detwiler wins 5th career game against the Phillies to move into a 212 way tie for 3,851st on the @MLB All Time Wins list” — congratulations Ross!
The Nats relievers apparently got bored and altered the lottery numbers in the bullpen (The Nats Enquirer) which is awesome when the team is winning and the bullpen isn’t blowing saves.
The Nats have won 5 in a row on the road, tying their longest streak, set in 2005.
The Nats now have 74 wins, second highest total since the return of baseball to Washington. The need to win seven of eight to reach 81 wins and a winning record, which isn’t going to happen, don’t even dream about it.