Entering the 2015 season, many experts picked the Washington Nationals to win the World Series.
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Stephen Strasburg was masterful in his first start back from being activated from the disabled list and the Washington Nationals beat the Colorado Rockies 6-1 on Saturday. Rockies assistant to the general manager Vinny Castilla hit the Nationals’ first homer in Washington on April 14, 2005, against Arizona….
Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Jorge De La Rosa delivers a pitch against the Washington Nationals during the third inning of a baseball game, Friday, August 7, 2015, in Washington. However, Washington has underachieved this season in large part due to injuries. He fanned Bryce Harper for the last out with a runner on first in the ninth.
Williams stuck with Storen, who started Gonzalez off with a fastball for a ball inside and high at 96 miles per hour, then came back with a 93 miles per hour heater over the middle that ended up bouncing off the back wall of the right field bullpen for a grand slam.
“Our guys fight to the final out”, manager Walt Weiss said. Span had hit and done defensive work on the field this week along with some baserunning, but his back wasn’t progressing. The trade of Troy Tulowitzki on July 28 was the unofficial concession that no playoff run will occur, but the Rockies are still playing gritty baseball. Pitching in front of family, friends and a group from Radford University, his alma mater, Butler was rapped for four runs and eight hits.
“A few guys get on base for numerous causes after which I make one unsafe pitch, a fastball over the plate to an excellent hitter”, Storen stated. Last year, he had a 3.14 ERA and led the National League in strikeouts with 242 strikeouts in 34 starts. This one was particularly enjoyable. “Storen has been great the whole season”.
“So I’m going in there, I’m attacking him with what I think’s best and just trying to get soft contact, and if I would have executed the pitch and it would have stayed where it was that’s probably what I would have gotten”.
Gonzalez is 7 for 18 with two homers, two doubles and seven RBIs in his last five games and leads the league with 19 home runs since June 1. The Rockies trailed from the second inning, when Wilson Ramos hit a two-run double. Colorado starter Jorge De La Rosa gave up four runs (three earned) and before Oberg took over in the seventh.
One swing by Gonzalez, however, undid the lead that Harper helped build. Washington was 46-3 when ahead after seven innings.
“Having the off-day [Thursday] allowed us to rearrange it a little bit”, Weiss said. “Nothing you can do about that”. Right-hander Max Scherzer will get the start for Washington. Bryce Harper (2 for 3, BB) singled, but Ryan Zimmerman grounded into a 6-4-3 double play.
The Nationals added two runs in the sixth. Charlie Blackmon got the other two hits off Strasburg, both doubles, but even he struck out once. Colorado trimmed the margin to 4-1 in the seventh on an RBI single by first baseman Ben Paulsen. He went on the DL the next day with a strained left oblique.
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Matt Williams called upon the 27-year-old right-hander again on Friday night with the Nationals up 4-1 after seven innings in the series opener with the Colorado Rockies.
