Circus at Nats Park Tonight includes Leprechaun Innings, Pyromaniacs… Pirates Win 12-7

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Pyromania Video.

As I listened to the broadcast tonight, Bob Walk and Greg Brown talked about a quote from Nats CF Willie Harris.  He felt confident about the Nats offense.  ‘We just have to avoid the leprechaun innings.’  Hmmm, ok whatever that means.  It fit into the circus storyline for me.

Why any ML pitcher throws anything remotely straight to Craig Monroe baffles me. He drilled a three run homer to stake the Pirates to a three run lead off Nats rookie Ross Detwiler.

The Nats sent eight men to the plate in the fifth and scored five runs off starter Ross Ohlendorf. A three run homer and a solo shot by Ryan Zimmerman were the highlights.

The one stunning move was that the lead was turned over to the Nats bullpen. And it didn’t take long for Garrett Mock and the rest of the pyromaniacs in the Nats bullpen to pour accelerent on the Pirates bats.  The Pirates scorched the Nats pen for nine runs.  I saw a stat that the Nats had blown 12 of 18 save opportunities.  I can’t even imagine that being possible?   The Nats bullpen’s record fell to a gaudy 1-13. 

Mock was as wild as Paris Hilton an a warm LA evening. Mock walked LaRoche. A wild pitch moved him to second base.  He then hit Diaz with an inside pitch which is the only way imaginable we will ever see the freeswinger walk to first base.  A bunt moved them over.

With runners on second and third, Jack Wilson took a 1-2 curve into the left field corner for a two RBI double. Brandon Moss batted for Ohlendorf and smashed a double into left center field.

Delwyn Young ripped a pitch off the batters box chalk past the secondbaseman to score Moss. After Freddy Sanchez flew out, Nate McLouth blasted a double off the right field wall scoring Young who would have been out had the catcher not dropped the ball. (Bob Walk said let them throw us out. Really?)

In all, the Bucs sent nine men to the plate and took the 8-5 lead as Monroe took ANOTHER fast ball deep,  but it was caught by LF Willingham at the track. Monroe has to lead the majors in warning track outs.

Rollercoaster Kip Wells made an appearance for the Nats bullpen.  And he walked Diaz.  WOW.  How hard is that to do?  Diaz’ first walk of the year.

I enjoyed watching Tom Gorzelany charge in to the mound after Jesse Chavez left runners on second and third with two outs in the seventh.  I didn’t enjoy him falling behind 0-2 in the count to slugger Adam Dunn,  but he battled back and got the strikeout on a nasty 2-2; 76 mph curve ball to get out of the inherited jam.

John Grabow had three straight scoreless outings coming in to the night. That was erased in the eighth as the Nats touched him for a run to make it 9-6 Bucs headed into the ninth.

Yawn….three more Pirates run scored off the circus act in the ninth inning.

Matt Capps faced the heart of the potent Nats offense.  Capps struggled.  Ugh.. He finished it and the Pirates escaped  the …..

Circus Act
Four errors by the Nats and numerous other very awkward plays that lead to hits or extra bases.  A couple mental errors were also evident by the Nats defense. 

Jack Wilson went 4-4? An awful defensive play earned him a triple off the wall, two doubles and a single.  He came up in the ninth with only a homer seperating him from the cycle….and walked.

Growing Daily
Diaz has been a wall behind the plate in the past few games. He blocked at least twenty balls in the dirt for his pitching staff tonight. He is looking stronger and stronger defensively to go along with his steady offense.

Pedro Alvarez homered, doubled and singled for Lynchburg last night.  [Hillcats]

Enough with the analysis…lets get back to the Circus…..

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