Despite some uneven performances, Gonzalez gave up just two runs and four hits in six innings Friday as the Nationals beat the Colorado Rockies 8-5 for the 100th win in the career of the Florida native.
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The wheels came off the wagon for the Rockies after their starter left the game which has become as predictable as random PokemonGo references in the middle of game recaps where they don’t obviously belong. The Rockies won 5-3. The 22-year-old Giolito pitched well for the Nationals in his first spot start in June, but yielded four runs in each of two outings in July while walking a total of seven batters in seven innings. Muchlinski was injured on the play but stayed in the game.
Washington Nationals’ Wilson Ramos celebrates his home run during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies, Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016, in Washington.
The bad news? The Nationals touched Adam Ottavino for the first run of the season he has given up to tie the game at 4-4 in the ninth inning. Muchlinksi remained in the game.
WASHINGTON (AP) – Two poorly placed fastballs created plenty of problems for Lucas Giolito and the Washington Nationals on Sunday. After pinch-hitter Ben Revere drew a one-out walk and stole second base, Blackmon made a sliding catch on Trea Turner’s soft liner to shallow center field for the second out in the ninth.
“He’s warm. He is not hot yet but he is getting there”, said Dusty Baker, the Washington manager. That was the key.
The Rockies scored three runs in the third to take a 4-1 lead.
The final run against Hoffman came in the fifth on a solo home run from Daniel Murphy who is having a career year.
The right-hander induced Ben Revere into an inning-ending double play with two runners on in the fifth to preserve a 4-1 lead. Werth had an RBI double and Harper drove in two with a triple to center field as part of a four-run inning, another black mark on Colorado’s crumbled bullpen.
“They definitely jumped on the fastball, and when I wasn’t able to locate it, they kind of made me pay”, Giolito said. He has thrown 65 pitches, 41 for strikes. Bryce Harper added his own solo home run in the ninth – his 23rd of the season and third in 15 games since coming back from a neck injury.
Giolito said he was pitching better at Syracuse over the last month, but struggled with his command against Colorado. He departed after throwing 100 pitches.
“If I could take one thing away, I think I did a decent job of limiting all the damage”, he said. HR No. 5 of 2016 for Turner, 1-1 after one. That’s one point above the Nationals’ Daniel Murphy, who went 2-for-5. I like what I see from him the second time out here. “When I picked up my eyesight to look for the ball, I looked in the wrong direction and could not find it”.
Washington first baseman Ryan Zimmerman ended the game with a flyout to right as Ottavino got his second save. To make room on the 25-man roster, INF Wilmer Difo was sent to Double-A Harrisburg after he hit.257 (9-for-35) in 18 games at the big league level this year.
BOSTON – Boston snapped a three-game losing streak by rapping out 12 hits, including three home runs, and Dustin Pedroia just missed tying a record for consecutive at-bats with a hit in a win against Kansas City at Fenway Park.
Rockies: RHP Tyler Chatwood (10-8, 3.75), on the disabled list with a mid-back strain since August 16, will have a rehab start Monday for Double-A Hartford at Richmond. Chatwood is expected to go five innings or about 75 pitches.
NOTES: The Nationals called up RHP Lucas Giolito from Triple-A Syracuse to make the start Sunday.
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Trea Turner, Anthony Rendon, Espinosa and Murphy had two hits for the Nationals (75-54), who began the day eight games ahead of the Miami Marlins in the National League East. David Dahl had three hits and Cristhian Adames and Arenado had two for the Rockies.
