D.C.: 9-6-5 (3rd in East, 4 points behind Chicago and New England, tied with Kansas City)
D.C. United earned a big win against the East's top team on Saturday.
They played most of the first half to a 0-0 tie, but Brian Carroll scored in the 41st minute to put D.C. up 1-0 going into the half. In the second half, United jumped up to a 3-0 lead thanks to a goal by Dema Kovalenko and a scored penalty kick by Jaime Moreno.
The Fire started a rally in the 83rd minute with a goal by Lubos Reiter, and Chris Rolfe scored again for Chicago five minutes later to cut the lead to one.
But D.C. held on to win the game and keep pace with the other third place team, Kansas City, who beat the other first place team, New England, on the same day.
Freddy Adu left the game 35 minutes in with a strained MCL. Adu turned his knee awkwardly early in the game, but it was assumed to be a bruise so he continued to play. He was removed late in the first half by coach Peter Nowak when it was clear that it was more serious. Adu is expected to be out for two weeks.
D.C.'s next game is on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at RFK Stadium against the MetroStars.
THOUGHTS:
This win was huge for D.C. because, after struggling for the early portion of the season, they have showed that they are capable of beating the best teams in Major League Soccer.
The excitement over the win was dampened by Adu's injury, though, as one of the team's top offensive players (and not to mention the huge fan favorite) is out for two weeks.
Now the United will have to prove not only that they can play with the top teams, but that they can do it without Freddy.
Monday, August 08, 2005
MLB: Orioles weekend recap (August 5-August 7)
Sorry for another wait. I was at work. Here's a quick summary of the weekend in Orioles baseball (Sunday's recap includess previews and standings information)...
Friday:
Orioles 10, Texas Rangers 5
WP: Bruce Chen (8-6)
LP: C.J. Wilson (0-4)
The score doesn't even show how lopsided this game was. The O's jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the first four innings thanks in part to a huge third inning that included a three-run homer by Jay Gibbons and a two-run bomb by Brian Roberts. Bruce Chen pitched six solid innings, giving up two runs on five hits before yielding to the bullpen. Jason Grimsley and Steve Kline then made it look closer than it was, giving up three runs in three innings.
Saturday:
Texas Rangers 10, Orioles 3
WP: John Wasdin (1-1)
LP: Daniel Cabrera (8-10)
S: Kameron Loe (1)
The Rangers returned the favor to the O's on Saturday, scoring 10 runs of their own in a 10-3 rout while handing Baltimore their first loss of the Sam Perlozzo era (three games deep at that point). Daniel Cabrera was all over the place, giving up eight runs on five hits and five walks in 3.2 innings. He did strike out seven batters, though. Steve Kline actually pitched three innings of shutout ball to knock his ERA down to 5.04, but it was already too late, as the score was 10-1 when he came in.
Sunday:
Texas Rangers 9, Orioles 3
WP: Chris Young (9-7)
LP: Sidney Ponson (7-11)
BAL: 53-58 (4th in AL East, 10.5 behind Boston)
The Rangers injured Sidney Ponson again. Two starts before Sunday, Ponson went 2.1 innings before a comebacker bruised the thumb on his pitching hand. Sunday, he again went just 2.1 innings before straining his calf while covering first base. He gave up three runs on five hits before leaving the game. The bullpen didn't do any better, and the Orioles lost the series to the Rangers after starting it so promising.
The O's now have Monday off before returning to Baltimore to face the Devil Rays, who swept them just over two weeks ago. Tuesday's game starts at 7:05 p.m., with an interesting matchup of a pair of young and talented left-handed pitchers. Erik Bedard (5-4, 2.96 ERA) will look to bounce back from a shaky outing against the Angels in his last start when he gave up seven runs in 4.1 innings. He goes against Scott Kazmir (6-7, 4.22 ERA), who shut down the Orioles, only allowing four hits and one run in seven innings on July 23.
THOUGHTS:
The Orioles are in a strange situation. The Sam Perlozzo managerial experience started off so well, then fell into a tailspin just like the rest of the Orioles season. However, the O's pitching isn't so good and they aren't going to win an offensive throwdown against the Texas Rangers, especially when they're sending Sidney Ponson to the mound. Hopefully his last outing gets through to Perlozzo what never reached Lee Mazzilli: It's time to send Ponson to the 'pen and bring someone up from Triple-A. Anyone. Hell, I'll go out there and get shelled for three innings if it means I don't have to see Sidney's fat legs struggling to cover first base again.
The O's now look to redeem themselves in their own park against Tampa Bay, and hopefully they will give them some payback for the embarrassment that the D-Rays caused the team in Tampa. Erik Bedard, Rodrigo Lopez and Bruce Chen will be the starters for the Birds, so maybe the chips are stacked somewhat in the O's favor.
Friday:
Orioles 10, Texas Rangers 5
WP: Bruce Chen (8-6)
LP: C.J. Wilson (0-4)
The score doesn't even show how lopsided this game was. The O's jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the first four innings thanks in part to a huge third inning that included a three-run homer by Jay Gibbons and a two-run bomb by Brian Roberts. Bruce Chen pitched six solid innings, giving up two runs on five hits before yielding to the bullpen. Jason Grimsley and Steve Kline then made it look closer than it was, giving up three runs in three innings.
Saturday:
Texas Rangers 10, Orioles 3
WP: John Wasdin (1-1)
LP: Daniel Cabrera (8-10)
S: Kameron Loe (1)
The Rangers returned the favor to the O's on Saturday, scoring 10 runs of their own in a 10-3 rout while handing Baltimore their first loss of the Sam Perlozzo era (three games deep at that point). Daniel Cabrera was all over the place, giving up eight runs on five hits and five walks in 3.2 innings. He did strike out seven batters, though. Steve Kline actually pitched three innings of shutout ball to knock his ERA down to 5.04, but it was already too late, as the score was 10-1 when he came in.
Sunday:
Texas Rangers 9, Orioles 3
WP: Chris Young (9-7)
LP: Sidney Ponson (7-11)
BAL: 53-58 (4th in AL East, 10.5 behind Boston)
The Rangers injured Sidney Ponson again. Two starts before Sunday, Ponson went 2.1 innings before a comebacker bruised the thumb on his pitching hand. Sunday, he again went just 2.1 innings before straining his calf while covering first base. He gave up three runs on five hits before leaving the game. The bullpen didn't do any better, and the Orioles lost the series to the Rangers after starting it so promising.
The O's now have Monday off before returning to Baltimore to face the Devil Rays, who swept them just over two weeks ago. Tuesday's game starts at 7:05 p.m., with an interesting matchup of a pair of young and talented left-handed pitchers. Erik Bedard (5-4, 2.96 ERA) will look to bounce back from a shaky outing against the Angels in his last start when he gave up seven runs in 4.1 innings. He goes against Scott Kazmir (6-7, 4.22 ERA), who shut down the Orioles, only allowing four hits and one run in seven innings on July 23.
THOUGHTS:
The Orioles are in a strange situation. The Sam Perlozzo managerial experience started off so well, then fell into a tailspin just like the rest of the Orioles season. However, the O's pitching isn't so good and they aren't going to win an offensive throwdown against the Texas Rangers, especially when they're sending Sidney Ponson to the mound. Hopefully his last outing gets through to Perlozzo what never reached Lee Mazzilli: It's time to send Ponson to the 'pen and bring someone up from Triple-A. Anyone. Hell, I'll go out there and get shelled for three innings if it means I don't have to see Sidney's fat legs struggling to cover first base again.
The O's now look to redeem themselves in their own park against Tampa Bay, and hopefully they will give them some payback for the embarrassment that the D-Rays caused the team in Tampa. Erik Bedard, Rodrigo Lopez and Bruce Chen will be the starters for the Birds, so maybe the chips are stacked somewhat in the O's favor.
MLB: Nationals weekend recap (August 5-August 7)
Sorry to those four people who stopped by from Friday Evening to now that may or may not have been looking for updates on the O's, Nats, D.C. United and Mystics games. I was at a wedding up in Yankees/Mets territory and couldn't make my usual recap posts. But here's a quick review just to get anyone up to date who was relying solely on my blog for sports information. Starting with the Nationals (Sunday's recap includess previews and standings information)...
Friday:
San Diego Padres 6, Nationals 5
WP: Scott Linebrink (5-1)
LP: Chad Cordero (2-3)
S: Trevor Hoffman (28)
The Nationals had their two-game run snapped in a see-saw battle that saw them down 1-0, up 2-1, down 4-2, up 5-4, then finally losing 6-5 on a Robert Fick groundout in the ninth inning.
Saturday:
San Diego Padres 3, Natonals 2
WP: Pedro Astacio (1-2)
LP: Ryan Drese (3-5)
S: Trevor Hoffman (29)
The Nationals lost a lead again, but this one wasn't as late in the game. The Nats were up 2-1 in the fourth inning after a Vinny Castilla solo homer, but the Padres scored a run each in the sixth and seventh innings to take a 3-2 lead that they would hold to the finish. New Padre Joe Randa came up with the RBI double that scored the game-winning run.
Sunday:
San Diego Padres 3, Nationals 0
WP: Jake Peavy (10-4)
LP: Esteban Loaiza (6-8)
WAS: 58-53 (2nd in NL East, 5.5 behind Atlanta, tied with Florida, 0.5 ahead of Philadelphia, 1 ahead of New York)
Jake Peavy did it all in this one, throwing a five-hit complete game shutout and hitting the game-winning RBI single in the fifth inning. Esteban Loaiza gave up just three runs in seven innings but took the loss.
The Nats are now in a tie for second place with the Marlins and are just one game ahead of the Mets for last place. They have Monday off before starting a three-game set in Houston on Tuesday, where they will face the Wild Card-leading Astros. Washington is two games behind Houston in the Wild Card standings.
Tuesday's game is an 8:05 p.m. start, with John Patterson (5-3, 2.42 ERA, throws right) taking his microscopic ERA to the pitchers' hell that is Minute Maid Park. He will face Ezequiel Astacio (2-4, 6.33 ERA, throws right).
THOUGHTS:
Well the Nats looked like they were gaining some momentum with a couple of wins against the Dodgers, but then they went out and fell flat against the Padres. Well, the Padres are a little better than the Dodgers. Not a lot, but they are better. It's so important to forget about this and look ahead, because now the Nats leave their cavernous ballpark to go to Houston where you could spit a sunflower seed for a homerun, so it's time to find some offense.
The upcoming series against the Astros is huge for so many reasons. Huge huge huge huge HUGE! The Nationals still aren't out of the division race with the Braves, but a rough series could drop them to 6.5, 7.5 or 8.5 back and all the way to last place in the NL East, as Florida is tied with Washington and Philadelphia and New York are in the rearview. Also, the Nationals are tied for second in the Wild Card race, and a couple of wins could cut into the Astros' lead there.
After Saturday's loss, manager Frank Robinson held a closed-door meeting that lasted almost two hours, but it didn't seem to help on Sunday.
Luckily, the Nats send John Patterson and his 2.42 ERA to the hill on Tuesday to get the series started off right. It will be a true test for him in the run-producing park in Houston, but he has been up to most tasks this season, and he can hope that the park will produce some runs for his team, as well.
Friday:
San Diego Padres 6, Nationals 5
WP: Scott Linebrink (5-1)
LP: Chad Cordero (2-3)
S: Trevor Hoffman (28)
The Nationals had their two-game run snapped in a see-saw battle that saw them down 1-0, up 2-1, down 4-2, up 5-4, then finally losing 6-5 on a Robert Fick groundout in the ninth inning.
Saturday:
San Diego Padres 3, Natonals 2
WP: Pedro Astacio (1-2)
LP: Ryan Drese (3-5)
S: Trevor Hoffman (29)
The Nationals lost a lead again, but this one wasn't as late in the game. The Nats were up 2-1 in the fourth inning after a Vinny Castilla solo homer, but the Padres scored a run each in the sixth and seventh innings to take a 3-2 lead that they would hold to the finish. New Padre Joe Randa came up with the RBI double that scored the game-winning run.
Sunday:
San Diego Padres 3, Nationals 0
WP: Jake Peavy (10-4)
LP: Esteban Loaiza (6-8)
WAS: 58-53 (2nd in NL East, 5.5 behind Atlanta, tied with Florida, 0.5 ahead of Philadelphia, 1 ahead of New York)
Jake Peavy did it all in this one, throwing a five-hit complete game shutout and hitting the game-winning RBI single in the fifth inning. Esteban Loaiza gave up just three runs in seven innings but took the loss.
The Nats are now in a tie for second place with the Marlins and are just one game ahead of the Mets for last place. They have Monday off before starting a three-game set in Houston on Tuesday, where they will face the Wild Card-leading Astros. Washington is two games behind Houston in the Wild Card standings.
Tuesday's game is an 8:05 p.m. start, with John Patterson (5-3, 2.42 ERA, throws right) taking his microscopic ERA to the pitchers' hell that is Minute Maid Park. He will face Ezequiel Astacio (2-4, 6.33 ERA, throws right).
THOUGHTS:
Well the Nats looked like they were gaining some momentum with a couple of wins against the Dodgers, but then they went out and fell flat against the Padres. Well, the Padres are a little better than the Dodgers. Not a lot, but they are better. It's so important to forget about this and look ahead, because now the Nats leave their cavernous ballpark to go to Houston where you could spit a sunflower seed for a homerun, so it's time to find some offense.
The upcoming series against the Astros is huge for so many reasons. Huge huge huge huge HUGE! The Nationals still aren't out of the division race with the Braves, but a rough series could drop them to 6.5, 7.5 or 8.5 back and all the way to last place in the NL East, as Florida is tied with Washington and Philadelphia and New York are in the rearview. Also, the Nationals are tied for second in the Wild Card race, and a couple of wins could cut into the Astros' lead there.
After Saturday's loss, manager Frank Robinson held a closed-door meeting that lasted almost two hours, but it didn't seem to help on Sunday.
Luckily, the Nats send John Patterson and his 2.42 ERA to the hill on Tuesday to get the series started off right. It will be a true test for him in the run-producing park in Houston, but he has been up to most tasks this season, and he can hope that the park will produce some runs for his team, as well.
Friday, August 05, 2005
MLB: Orioles and Nationals both win on the same day!
Let it be known that on August 4, 2005, the Orioles and Nationals both won their games. It's true!
The last time that happened was over a month ago, on July 2 when the Orioles notched a 4-0 win over the Indians behind a stellar pitching performance from Daniel Cabrera, and the Nationals were spurred to a 4-2 victory over the Cubs by a first-inning solo homer in a 2-for-4 day for Jose Guillen.
I just thought that was interesting. See the below posts for game recaps and thoughts on the games of August 4.
The last time that happened was over a month ago, on July 2 when the Orioles notched a 4-0 win over the Indians behind a stellar pitching performance from Daniel Cabrera, and the Nationals were spurred to a 4-2 victory over the Cubs by a first-inning solo homer in a 2-for-4 day for Jose Guillen.
I just thought that was interesting. See the below posts for game recaps and thoughts on the games of August 4.
MLB: Nationals 7, Los Angeles Dodgers 0 (August 4)
WP: John Patterson (5-3)
LP: Brad Penny (5-7)
WAS: 58-50 (2nd in NL East, 4.5 behind Atlanta, 1.5 ahead of Philadelphia)
John Patterson continued his stellar season by posting his first complete game and first shutout, and for once he got some run support in a Nationals win.
For most of the game it looked like another squeaker, as the Nationals only led 2-0 going into the eighth inning, but then Brad Wilkerson broke it wide open. After a Christian Guzman RBI single, Wilkerson came up with the bases loaded and crushed a pitch to deep right field for the Nationals' first ever grand slam. It also made the score 7-0 and virtually guaranteed the win.
Patterson struck out 13 Dodgers and only gave up four hits to shut down Los Angeles. It was Patterson's seventh consecutive Quality Start, but only his second win in that span.
The wins on Wednesday and Thursday were the first consecutive wins for the Nationals -- and scored them their first series win -- since they swept the Cubs in the first three days of July.
The Nats open up a three-game series against the reeling Padres tomorrow at 7:05 p.m. at RFK Stadium. Livan Hernandez (13-4, 3.27 ERA, throws right) will face Pedro Astacio (2-10, 6.06 ERA, throws right).
THOUGHTS:
This was huge. We can only hope that this was the big moment that the Nats have been looking for that will wake up their bats -- and keep them awake for a while.
Patterson pitched one of the best games I've seen from a pitcher all season, completely shutting down the Dodgers for the entire game (and also making me not look foolish for praising him so much in my last Nationals post). He's been golden for the Nationals this year, and honestly has been their best pitcher despite Livo's eight win edge over him.
Wilkerson's grand slam was a thing of beauty, not just because it locked up the game and scored the Nats some hard-to-come-by runs, but also because Wilky's year at the plate hasn't quite lived up to expectations. If he gets hot, with Nick Johnson back, the team might actually score some runs.
Now the Nats look to make this a legit winning streak when they face the Padres, who have been even worse than the Nationals of late, only managing two wins in their last 14 games and giving up their lead in the terrible NL West.
LP: Brad Penny (5-7)
WAS: 58-50 (2nd in NL East, 4.5 behind Atlanta, 1.5 ahead of Philadelphia)
John Patterson continued his stellar season by posting his first complete game and first shutout, and for once he got some run support in a Nationals win.
For most of the game it looked like another squeaker, as the Nationals only led 2-0 going into the eighth inning, but then Brad Wilkerson broke it wide open. After a Christian Guzman RBI single, Wilkerson came up with the bases loaded and crushed a pitch to deep right field for the Nationals' first ever grand slam. It also made the score 7-0 and virtually guaranteed the win.
Patterson struck out 13 Dodgers and only gave up four hits to shut down Los Angeles. It was Patterson's seventh consecutive Quality Start, but only his second win in that span.
The wins on Wednesday and Thursday were the first consecutive wins for the Nationals -- and scored them their first series win -- since they swept the Cubs in the first three days of July.
The Nats open up a three-game series against the reeling Padres tomorrow at 7:05 p.m. at RFK Stadium. Livan Hernandez (13-4, 3.27 ERA, throws right) will face Pedro Astacio (2-10, 6.06 ERA, throws right).
THOUGHTS:
This was huge. We can only hope that this was the big moment that the Nats have been looking for that will wake up their bats -- and keep them awake for a while.
Patterson pitched one of the best games I've seen from a pitcher all season, completely shutting down the Dodgers for the entire game (and also making me not look foolish for praising him so much in my last Nationals post). He's been golden for the Nationals this year, and honestly has been their best pitcher despite Livo's eight win edge over him.
Wilkerson's grand slam was a thing of beauty, not just because it locked up the game and scored the Nats some hard-to-come-by runs, but also because Wilky's year at the plate hasn't quite lived up to expectations. If he gets hot, with Nick Johnson back, the team might actually score some runs.
Now the Nats look to make this a legit winning streak when they face the Padres, who have been even worse than the Nationals of late, only managing two wins in their last 14 games and giving up their lead in the terrible NL West.
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