The Day in Sports: September 28, 2005

Baseball. Lots and lots of baseball. It’s been a slow week.

I think that was a haiku.

Anyways, the Nats won, and that guarantees that they won’t finish below .500. Combined with the Mets loss, it also put them in sole possession of third place in the National League East.

As for the O’s, the misery is almost over. Tonight is the last home game of the season, so if you haven’t been to many/any games this year, hit up Camden Yards lest you go five months without Boog’s Barbecue and Uncle Teddy’s Pretzels. I am planning on going, so you might even see me! (Gasp.)

In non-area baseball news, Jimmy Rollins of the Phillies (who the Nationals will start a series with on Friday) got a hit in last night’s 16-6 rout of the Mets to extend his hitting streak to 33 games. That puts him 23 games away from Joe DiMaggio’s record of 56 set in 1941. Rollins’ streak would have to extend 20 games into the 2006 season to reach 56, and breaking the record with a split-season streak would be crappy. The thing is, we don’t have to worry about this because 23 games is still a loooong hitting streak. It would be an interesting cliffhanger for the offseason, though. The Rollins streak is the longest since Luis Castillo compiled a 35-game hitting streak for the Marlins in 2002.

Caps and Recaps were in a boat. Caps fell out. Who was left? RECAPS!

MLB: Nationals 11, Florida Marlins 7

The Nationals completed a sweep of the Marlins last night and scored 11 runs for the second game in a row. The win puts the Nats three games over .500 (81-78) with three games left (all against Philadelphia).

Last night’s game was a slugfest, with Esteban Loaiza (12-10) benefiting from Preston Wilson’s 3-for-5, five RBI game. Loaiza gave up six runs on 10 hits in six innings, but got the win thanks to the offense.

Wilson and Nick Johnson both homered, and they combined for nine of the teams 11 RBIs.

Marlins pitcher Brian Moehler only lasted 3.1 innings, giving up seven runs on six hits.

Washington has the day off today before taking on the Phillies at RFK Stadium for a weekend series. The first game is Friday at 7:05 p.m., with Livan Hernandez (15-9, 3.95 ERA, RHP) slated to face Eude Brito (1-2, 3.68 ERA, LHP), with the Phillies still clinging to wild card hopes.

MLB: New York Yankees 2, Orioles 1

How do you play a 17-9 barnburner one night, then turn around and play a 2-1 pitchers duel the next? I have no idea.

Daniel Cabrera (10-13) and Shawn Chacon (7-3) kept the bats quiet for the most part last night. Cabrera worked into the seventh inning, giving up two runs on six hits, while Chacon worked 6.2 innings, giving up one run on four hits.

The Orioles only run came on a second-inning solo homer from Javy Lopez, his 14th of the year and second in as many games. Alex Rodriguez hit a solo shot also, his 47th homer of the season, which tied the game at one.

Derek Jeter broke the tie in the seventh, hitting an RBI single off of Todd Williams (not literally) that scored Jorge Posada.

Mariano Rivera worked the ninth inning for his 43rd save.

The Red Sox got thumped by the Blue Jays last night, so the Yankees now have a one game lead in the American League East with four games remaining. After tonight’s game with the Orioles, the Yankees head to Fenway Park for a division-deciding, season-ending, three-game set with the Sox.

But first things first, tonight is the last game of the season at Camden Yards, with Aaron Small (9-0, 3.25 ERA, RHP), who has been the subject of a couple of my recent rants, facing Erik Bedard (6-7, 3.74 ERA, LHP). I would love to see the Orioles hand Small his only loss of the season.