Tonight the Nationals took the 2010 Divisional Champs by surprise, as Washington won 7-4. Down 1-0 the Nationals immediately tied the game only to press forward entering the ninth inning with a 7-3 lead. Sean Burnett was challenged in the ninth but closed the door when Jimmy Rollins hit a soft liner to Ian Desmond ending the game. Jayson Werth was amazing tonight hitting a homerun, and Wilson Ramos dominated as he continued his timely hitting. The series continues tomorrow as the Nats feature John Lannan against the best starter in the National League Doc Halladay.
This was the game to win in this series and the Nats can challenge Hallady and Lee to get another win taking this series. I don’t anticipate a sweep but the Nationals definitely have the opportunity to win another ball game. There still are some hiccups happening that should be resolved as the season progresses. A missed double play and some kicked balls can not continue against a Phillies line up.
The base running is OUTSTANDING and Bo Porter has this team taking advantage of opportunities not seen in years past. He is clearly the best third base coach the Nats have ever had, and he has done a fantastic job scouting the opponents outfield. If you don’t understand the importance of a third base coach, then ask yourself why our catcher goes first to third just about every chance he gets. The hustle of Wilson Ramos is a reflection of the third base coach whom I have nicknamed “EZ PASS”. The Nationals toll booth is no longer as we are commuting to home plate. Anemic offense, I don’t think so!
Nats fans we are new to baseball as this is a transient area and most people don’t remember the Senators. If you do remember the Senators and you want to claim you were a season ticket holder. Well I argue you watched a team that did not know how to play baseball because the Senators were terrible. I read the tweets and trust me most Nats fans are not baseball savvy. How do you question a safety squeeze by Riggleman with the bases loaded with one out? It was a brilliant call because it not only scored a run but kept the Nats out of the double play. Ian Desmond then had an opportunity to bat with runners on 2nd and third.
The Nationals have a tough one tomorrow but momentum has a funny way of playing out a series. The key for the Nationals is to get a couple of runs and knock Halladay out by the seventh. We stand a better chance beating the Phillies bullpen rather than Hallady. Be prepared to see a motivated Phillies team tomorrow as they will be focused on getting the win to even things out.