Rookie collects six RBI in pair of wins
It didn’t take Danny Espinosa long to cure the Nationals’ leadoff woes.
In his second day hitting from the top spot in the order, the rookie second baseman led the Nats to their first doubleheader sweep in three seasons. With Espinosa driving in the go-ahead runs in both games, Washington swept the Milwaukee Brewers, 8-4, and 5-1, before 23,047 at Nationals Park.
In the opener, Espinosa’s three-run home run to right in the fifth inning, put the Nationals up 4-2. In the nightcap, Espinosa’s bases-loaded triple to left in the seventh, gave the Nats a 4-1 lead.
“He’s definitely comfortable there,” coach Jim Riggleman said of Espinosa in the leadoff slot. “Is he the best player for us to have there? At this point it certainly looks like he is. He’s a good hitter period. There’s a lot of ways to take advantage of Danny.”
It was the Nationals first doubleheader sweep since Aug. 7, 2008 at Colorado. It also gave them their first series sweep this season and put Washington (8-7) over .500 for the first time since last May.
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| Nationals at Cardinals |
| When » Tuesday, 8:15 |
| Where » Busch Stadium, St. Louis |
| TV » MASN |
| Radio » 106.7 FM/1500 AM |
| John Lannan (1-1) of the Nats faces Jake Westbrook (1-1) of the Cardinals in the first of a three-game series. |
In addition to the home run for Espinosa, the Nats got round trippers from Ivan Rodriguez and Ian Desmond in the first game, and Jerry Hairston and Adam LaRoche in the second. It was a rare show of power from a team that entered with the worst batting average in the major leagues (.209).
“I don’t think any of us were concerned about our offense,” Espinosa said. “Obviously we weren’t swinging it as well as we’d like to. But everything’s starting to click. Everyone’s starting to hit.”
The Nationals also rode strong work on the mound from right-handers Jason Marquis (1-0) in the opener, and Livan Hernandez (2-1) in the nightcap. Both lasted seven innings.
In the opener, Chad Gaudin and Tyler Clippard added clutch relief, closing the eighth and ninth innings respectively with strikeouts with two runners on. In the nightcap, Drew Storen got a two-inning save, allowing just one batter to reach base.
“As an offense, it can make you relax at the plate a little bit,” LaRoche said of the Nationals’ improved pitching. “You don’t need to make something happen every at bat.”
Espinosa is hitting free and easy. At the start of the year, Riggleman wanted the switch hitter at the bottom of the order to reduce pressure. But now the 23-year-old leads the Nats in slugging (.512) and has twice as many RBI (14) as any of his teammates.
“It’s real easy for a young guy to come up and not be sure you belong here,” LaRoche said of Espinosa. “You play with the guy, talk to the guy, you’d think he’d been here three or four years. The fact that he’s that mature as a ball player is impressive.”
In the first game, the Nats beat one of baseball’s best young pitchers, Yovani Gallardo (1-1). It was the first time in four starts the right-hander had lost to the Nationals. He surrendered 10 hits and seven earned runs in five-plus innings.
Milwaukee led 2-1 in the fifth when Alex Cora and Marquis hit solid singles to center, bringing Espinosa to the plate with one out. On a 3-2 pitch that Gallardo put on the inside corner and at the knees, Espinosa lifted it into the Nationals’ bullpen.
“I knew I had to just get a good pitch to hit. When I try to do too much, is when I’m not successful with runners in scoring position,” Espinosa said. “With the bases loaded, I just needed to put something in play hard, not really hit the ball one way or the other. But just try to make solid contact.”
It was Espinosa’s second home run this year — one from each side of the plate – and eighth in 143 major league at bats. The rookie hit six last year in a September call-up.
“I have confidence in my left-hand swing,” Espinosa said. “It’s not as strong as my right-hand swing, I would say just because of my top hand. But it’s getting there.”
An inning after Espinosa’s blast, Rodriguez followed with his three-run drive to right-center, the 310th home run of his likely Hall of Fame career. It scored left-fielder Mike Morse, who had singled and advanced to third on Desmond’s ground-rule double. Morse also had an RBI fly out to deliver the Nats’ first run.
In the second game, the Nats struggled against Mario Espinosa, a former Nat (2008-09), who limited them to five hits in six innings before departing with a 1-1 tie.
In the seventh, however, Layne Nix, Desmond, and Hairston loaded the bases with singles, setting the scene for Espinosa, who went the opposite way, down the left-field line, clearing the bases and giving Hernandez all the runs he needed.
“I don’t even think he’s hit his stride yet,” Desmond said of Espinosa. “Hopefully it comes sooner than later.”
For now, the Nats will keep Espinosa at the leadoff spot, even with his impressive power numbers.
“When he’s swinging well, he can help you a lot of places,” Riggleman said. “But right now, we need him to hold us at the top.”
Notes » Marquis (3.26 ERA) gave up nine hits, all singles, in his seven innings. Hernandez (2.88 ERA) surrendered six hits and no walks in his seven innings of work … Desmond, who entered batting .173 and without a hit at home this year, went 4-for-8. Hairston, who entered the day hitting .043, went 3-for-3 and stood at the plate in the eighth inning with a chance to hit for the cycle. Instead he got nothing to hit, and accepted a walk. “I’m not 21 anymore. If I hit one in the gap, long day, it may have been a disaster.”
