Washington Nationals’ Bryce Harper (34) slides safely into second base with a double as Minnesota Twins shortstop Eduardo Escobar (5) fields the throw from the outfield during the first inning of an interleague baseball game at… “Well this, I certainly haven’t seen anything like this”. Backup catcher Jose Lobaton then hit a two-run single to left, and Washington led 4-0.
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Tearing up the two-spot: Michael Taylor (+13.8%) is 2-3 with a walk. Washington manager Dusty Baker said OF and former Twin Ben Revere (right oblique strain) is making progress after he went on the 15-day disabled list April 6. “We have to regroup and put this game behind us”.
Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Kyle Gibson delivers a pitch against the Washington Nationals during the first inning of a baseball game Friday, April 22, 2016, in Washington.
“(Baker) came up to me at the beginning of the game and said, if we have an opportunity to pinch hit you, if you can hit a homer, that would be great”, Harper said.
Anthony Rendon and Daniel Murphy also had two hits for the Nationals (12-4), who are 6-1 at home.
Miguel Sano homered and singled for the Twins.
The Nationals, who only produced one run for Gonzalez in his first two starts, collected four in a first inning capped by Lobaton’s two-run single.
After Espinosa stole, Perez bunted and Murphy seemed to have time to make the play.
Brian Dozier (two hits) hit a three-run homer on a 3-2 pitch from Stephen Strasburg in the eighth to give the Twins a 4-1 lead. The huge K total says more about the Twins than it does Roark, but the stellar outing still dropped his ERA to 2.63 on the season and should, at least for now, put to rest any talk of him getting bumped from the rotation in favor of uber-prospect Lucas Giolito.
In the fifth den Dekker hit a liner off the upper right shoulder of Duffey, a right-hander.
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Twins: RHP Ervin Santana has been scratched from his scheduled start Sunday with a sore lower back, an injury that occurred during batting practice on Friday, assistant GM Rob Antony said. “Starting to get there”.Eaton threw to first to get Ian Desmond, and the White Sox eventually got Fielder in a rundown between third and home to finish the play. The right-hander allowed one run – a leadoff home by den Dekker – and five hits. “Just a small tribute”, Molitor said. Jonathan Papelbon (+7.5%) gets the last two outs in the 10th on two pitches for his own shutdown. Washington has claimed the first two contests in the series, including a 2-0 triumph behind starter Tanner Roark’s career-high 15 strikeouts on Saturday that stands as the club’s seventh consecutive triumph at Nationals Park. RHP Joe Ross, who left his start Wednesday in the third inning with a blister on his middle finger, will have his regular throwing session Saturday. The 25-year-old was 3-0 with a 1.95 ERA in his final five starts last season and began this year with a 1.72 mark in three starts for Triple-A Rockester.
