WAS: 13-12 (3rd in East, 6 behind Connecticut, 2 behind Indiana, 0.5 ahead of New York)
After leading by 10 at the half, the Mystics found themselves clinging to a lead in the final seconds of the game last night. They pulled off a two-point win, though, and handed Charlotte their ninth straight loss.
The Mystics led most of the game, but the Sting cut the lead to three with a basket by Jia Perkins with 16.2 seconds remaining. They then fouled Chasity Melvin, who made one of two to extend the lead to four before Perkins nailed a three-pointer with 4.4 seconds left that cut the lead to one. Washington's Temeka Johnson was fouled on the inbounds play and missed one of her two free throws, but a long three-point attempt at the buzzer barely even hit the backboard and the Mystics took the victory.
Melvin led the Mystics with 17 points and seven rebounds while Alana Beard struggled, going 1-for-13 from the floor and only scoring four points.
Tangela Smith scored 25 for the Sting, but it wasn't enough to overcome the Mystics.
Washington doesn't play again until Sunday, when they have a big matchup with the Indiana Fever, who is directly ahead of them in the Eastern standings. The game is at MCI Center at 7:30 p.m.
THOUGHTS:
This win was big, not only because it put the Mystics back in third place and gave them another game on fifth-place Detroit, but also because they proved that they can win when Alana Beard struggles. That could prove extremely important come the playoffs, when every game counts for so much because of the best-of-three series structure.
The Mystics are keeping their heads above water as they move toward the latter part of the season. With nine games left in the regular season, the Mystics are in third place in the East (top four in each conference make the playoffs) and would have to play two games worse than Detroit to get knocked out.
Washington is in great position for another playoff berth, barring a late-season collapse and a big run by Detroit.
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
MLB: Los Angeles Dodgers 5, Nationals 4 (August 2)
WP: Jeff Weaver (9-8)
LP: Esteban Loaiza (6-7)
S: Yhency Brazoban (21)
WAS: 56-50 (2nd in NL East, 5.5 behind Atlanta, 1 ahead of Florida)
The Nationals struggles continued on Tuesday, thanks to four homers by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Jeff Kent got the offense started in the second inning with a solo shot, but the Nationals answered in the third when Brad Wilkerson hit a triple that scored a pair.
The Dodgers then got a solo homer in the fifth, a two-run homer in the seventh, and another solo homer in the eighth to go up 5-2. Jason Repko, Jason Phillips and Hee-Seop Choi hit the homers (Phillips hit the two-run shot).
The Nationals attempted to come back in the bottom of the eighth, getting runs from a Vinny Castilla sac fly that scored Jose Vidro and a throwing error that scored Jose Guillen to cut the lead to 5-4, but the rally would fall short as Yehncy Brazoban shut the door in the ninth inning.
For the Nats, Christian Guzman went 1-for-2 and scored a run to raise his average to .188.
The middle game of this three game set comes tonight at 7:05 at RFK, with Tony Armas Jr. (5-5, 4.83 ERA, throws right) pitching against D.J. Houlton (4-4, 5.70 ERA, throws right).
THOUGHTS:
The Nationals struggles have reached Expos-like proportions, as they haven't strung together consecutive wins since July 2 and 3, a span of 25 games. In that time, they have gone 6-19. (The Orioles, who have received more media attention for their struggles coupled with the Palmeiro fiasco, have gone 7-18).
However, the Nationals remain just 5.5 games out of first place in the NL East and two behind Houston for the Wild Card. It's bad, but it's not so bad that it's over. You just have to hope that a team that played so well for so much of the season has one more big run in it to push toward the playoffs. The problem is, they can't afford to drop many more games before starting that run.
LP: Esteban Loaiza (6-7)
S: Yhency Brazoban (21)
WAS: 56-50 (2nd in NL East, 5.5 behind Atlanta, 1 ahead of Florida)
The Nationals struggles continued on Tuesday, thanks to four homers by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Jeff Kent got the offense started in the second inning with a solo shot, but the Nationals answered in the third when Brad Wilkerson hit a triple that scored a pair.
The Dodgers then got a solo homer in the fifth, a two-run homer in the seventh, and another solo homer in the eighth to go up 5-2. Jason Repko, Jason Phillips and Hee-Seop Choi hit the homers (Phillips hit the two-run shot).
The Nationals attempted to come back in the bottom of the eighth, getting runs from a Vinny Castilla sac fly that scored Jose Vidro and a throwing error that scored Jose Guillen to cut the lead to 5-4, but the rally would fall short as Yehncy Brazoban shut the door in the ninth inning.
For the Nats, Christian Guzman went 1-for-2 and scored a run to raise his average to .188.
The middle game of this three game set comes tonight at 7:05 at RFK, with Tony Armas Jr. (5-5, 4.83 ERA, throws right) pitching against D.J. Houlton (4-4, 5.70 ERA, throws right).
THOUGHTS:
The Nationals struggles have reached Expos-like proportions, as they haven't strung together consecutive wins since July 2 and 3, a span of 25 games. In that time, they have gone 6-19. (The Orioles, who have received more media attention for their struggles coupled with the Palmeiro fiasco, have gone 7-18).
However, the Nationals remain just 5.5 games out of first place in the NL East and two behind Houston for the Wild Card. It's bad, but it's not so bad that it's over. You just have to hope that a team that played so well for so much of the season has one more big run in it to push toward the playoffs. The problem is, they can't afford to drop many more games before starting that run.
Monday, August 01, 2005
MLB: Chicago White Sox 6, Orioles 3 (August 1)
WP: Mark Buehrle (12-4)
LP: Daniel Cabrera (8-9)
S: Dustin Hermanson (25)
BAL: 51-54 (4th in AL East, 8.5 behind Boston, 6 behind New York, 2.5 behind Toronto)
Despite a solid effort by Daniel Cabrera after getting hit on the pitching hand just two days ago, the Orioles could not snap their skid and were swept by the White Sox.
Cabrera went 6.1 innings giving up three runs on five hits while striking out five to record a quality start and while also giving the bullpen some much-needed rest.
The offense, however, could not solve Mark Buehrle, scoring only one run on him in five hits before he was ejected in the sixth inning for throwing at B.J. Surhoff.
The White Sox scored one run in the sixth inning, one in the seventh and three in the eighth to break the game open before the Orioles came back with two in the bottom of the eighth.
Five different White Sox had RBIs in the game, with Pablo Ozuna being the only player to record two.
The Orioles now head on the road for a six game trip that will have them facing the Angels and Rangers.
In tomorrow's game in Anaheim, Sidney Ponson (7-9, 5.80 ERA, throws right) will pitch for the first time since being knocked out of his last start against Texas when a comebacker hit his pitching hand. He will face Bartolo Colon (12-6, 3.72 ERA, throws right).
THOUGHTS:
Excuse me if I don't feel too much like writing right now, but the Palmeiro suspension was a huge blow to the team. Palmeiro claims he didn't knowingly use steroids, and I don't know how it might ever happen, but I am holding out some slim hope that maybe he will end up vindicated in this whole thing. Realistically, I expect that vindication will never come.
As for the loss, who can blame them? Apparently this black cloud has been in the clubhouse for at least a few days, because Palmeiro already went through the appeals process. This is the type of thing that can really damage your team's chemistry, and it is not at all what the Orioles needed at the moment.
While maybe it will spark the team to rally wihout him, I somehow doubt it.
The one bright note is that Eric Byrnes has been everything we had hoped he would be and more, batting exactly .400 (6-for-15) since joining the Orioles.
LP: Daniel Cabrera (8-9)
S: Dustin Hermanson (25)
BAL: 51-54 (4th in AL East, 8.5 behind Boston, 6 behind New York, 2.5 behind Toronto)
Despite a solid effort by Daniel Cabrera after getting hit on the pitching hand just two days ago, the Orioles could not snap their skid and were swept by the White Sox.
Cabrera went 6.1 innings giving up three runs on five hits while striking out five to record a quality start and while also giving the bullpen some much-needed rest.
The offense, however, could not solve Mark Buehrle, scoring only one run on him in five hits before he was ejected in the sixth inning for throwing at B.J. Surhoff.
The White Sox scored one run in the sixth inning, one in the seventh and three in the eighth to break the game open before the Orioles came back with two in the bottom of the eighth.
Five different White Sox had RBIs in the game, with Pablo Ozuna being the only player to record two.
The Orioles now head on the road for a six game trip that will have them facing the Angels and Rangers.
In tomorrow's game in Anaheim, Sidney Ponson (7-9, 5.80 ERA, throws right) will pitch for the first time since being knocked out of his last start against Texas when a comebacker hit his pitching hand. He will face Bartolo Colon (12-6, 3.72 ERA, throws right).
THOUGHTS:
Excuse me if I don't feel too much like writing right now, but the Palmeiro suspension was a huge blow to the team. Palmeiro claims he didn't knowingly use steroids, and I don't know how it might ever happen, but I am holding out some slim hope that maybe he will end up vindicated in this whole thing. Realistically, I expect that vindication will never come.
As for the loss, who can blame them? Apparently this black cloud has been in the clubhouse for at least a few days, because Palmeiro already went through the appeals process. This is the type of thing that can really damage your team's chemistry, and it is not at all what the Orioles needed at the moment.
While maybe it will spark the team to rally wihout him, I somehow doubt it.
The one bright note is that Eric Byrnes has been everything we had hoped he would be and more, batting exactly .400 (6-for-15) since joining the Orioles.
MLB: Rafael Palmeiro suspended 10 days for drug policy violation
USA Today and just about everyone else is reporting that Rafael Palmeiro has been suspended 10 days for violating Major League Baseball's steroid policy.
USA Today reported that Palmeiro immediately appealed the suspension. He is not in the lineup today against the Chicago White Sox, but that is likely because the team is facing left-hander Mark Buehrle, and Palmeiro does not hit lefties well.
Palmeiro is the highest-profile player to be caught in baseball's new testing program, and it will undoubtedly cast a black eye on the league, his 3,000th hit, his solid season and his 569 home runs.
There is no telling if this will hurt his Hall of Fame chances, but one can only assume that it will.
This is a great disappointment for Baltimore and all of baseball, because Palmeiro was seen as a player that probably had not used steroids because his sweet swing is how he hits home runs, not with pure strength like Jason Giambi, Gary Sheffield or Barry Bonds.
Personally, I'm disgusted and disappointed. Unfortunately, I don't think anyone would blame the Orioles if they lose by about 10 runs today with this black cloud hanging over them (although that may have happened anyway).
Flat out, this sucks.
UPDATE:
Palmeiro's suspension did start today. He had already gone through an appeals process and was told that the suspension would stand. He is the first positive-tested player under the new policy to actually have his case reach an arbitrator. In his statements, he said that the arbitrator found his defense to be "compelling" but that the rules were clear about testing positive.
EDIT:
The original headline for this post said that the suspension was 10 games. It is actually 10 days. This actually covers only nine games, because the O's have August 8th off. Apologies.
USA Today reported that Palmeiro immediately appealed the suspension. He is not in the lineup today against the Chicago White Sox, but that is likely because the team is facing left-hander Mark Buehrle, and Palmeiro does not hit lefties well.
Palmeiro is the highest-profile player to be caught in baseball's new testing program, and it will undoubtedly cast a black eye on the league, his 3,000th hit, his solid season and his 569 home runs.
There is no telling if this will hurt his Hall of Fame chances, but one can only assume that it will.
This is a great disappointment for Baltimore and all of baseball, because Palmeiro was seen as a player that probably had not used steroids because his sweet swing is how he hits home runs, not with pure strength like Jason Giambi, Gary Sheffield or Barry Bonds.
Personally, I'm disgusted and disappointed. Unfortunately, I don't think anyone would blame the Orioles if they lose by about 10 runs today with this black cloud hanging over them (although that may have happened anyway).
Flat out, this sucks.
UPDATE:
Palmeiro's suspension did start today. He had already gone through an appeals process and was told that the suspension would stand. He is the first positive-tested player under the new policy to actually have his case reach an arbitrator. In his statements, he said that the arbitrator found his defense to be "compelling" but that the rules were clear about testing positive.
EDIT:
The original headline for this post said that the suspension was 10 games. It is actually 10 days. This actually covers only nine games, because the O's have August 8th off. Apologies.
MLB: Chicago White Sox 9, Orioles 4 (July 31)
WP: Freddy Garcia (11-4)
LP: Rodrigo Lopez (9-6)
BAL: 51-53 (4th in AL East, 8 behind Boston, 5.5 behind New York, 2 behind Toronto)
The Orioles needed innings from Rodrigo Lopez to rest their overworked bullpen, and he would not deliver.
The White Sox scored five runs in top of the first inning and three more in the second to chase Lopez after just 1.1 innings.
The much-used bullpen pitched well, going 7.2 innings giving up just one run, aided by 3.2 innings of shutout work by Bruce Chen, who was scheduled to start tomorrow. Lee Mazzilli said during the game that Daniel Cabrera will start tomorrow instead.
The Orioles did have a bright spot with back-to-back homers by Brian Roberts and Eric Byrnes that made it 9-4 in the seventh inning, but by that time the game already was out of hand.
Byrnes went 3-for-5 and was a triple shy of the cycle.
The White Sox scored all five of their runs in the first inning with two outs.
THOUGHTS:
For some reason, this loss wasn't that hard to take. Probably because it was already a lost cause after the first inning. After the second inning, the O's outscored the Sox 3-1.
Bruce Chen really helped out today, giving some of the key players in the bullpen who had been pitching most of the last three games a rest, so that could help if the Orioles can keep the game close for once.
The O's did fight hard even after falling behind 8-1, which shows the fans that maybe the team isn't giving up on this season yet.
Hopefully the O's can get a win tomorrow and leave town on a high note. I'm still optimistic that the team has a run in it.
LP: Rodrigo Lopez (9-6)
BAL: 51-53 (4th in AL East, 8 behind Boston, 5.5 behind New York, 2 behind Toronto)
The Orioles needed innings from Rodrigo Lopez to rest their overworked bullpen, and he would not deliver.
The White Sox scored five runs in top of the first inning and three more in the second to chase Lopez after just 1.1 innings.
The much-used bullpen pitched well, going 7.2 innings giving up just one run, aided by 3.2 innings of shutout work by Bruce Chen, who was scheduled to start tomorrow. Lee Mazzilli said during the game that Daniel Cabrera will start tomorrow instead.
The Orioles did have a bright spot with back-to-back homers by Brian Roberts and Eric Byrnes that made it 9-4 in the seventh inning, but by that time the game already was out of hand.
Byrnes went 3-for-5 and was a triple shy of the cycle.
The White Sox scored all five of their runs in the first inning with two outs.
THOUGHTS:
For some reason, this loss wasn't that hard to take. Probably because it was already a lost cause after the first inning. After the second inning, the O's outscored the Sox 3-1.
Bruce Chen really helped out today, giving some of the key players in the bullpen who had been pitching most of the last three games a rest, so that could help if the Orioles can keep the game close for once.
The O's did fight hard even after falling behind 8-1, which shows the fans that maybe the team isn't giving up on this season yet.
Hopefully the O's can get a win tomorrow and leave town on a high note. I'm still optimistic that the team has a run in it.
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