The Nationals shoved aside the trade talk, and the constant rumors, over the past week. At least the players have. They’ve played their best baseball; they’ve hit; they’ve pitched well.
And, like the trade watch, the winning streak continues thanks to a two-run ninth-inning rally.
Washington beat visiting San Francisco, 4-3, in front of 30,248 fans Wednesday night. Austin Kearns’ one-out, bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the ninth scored Felipe Lopez, who had singled, with the game-winning run. After Lopez singled Robert Fick to second, Ryan Zimmerman scored Fick with a single.
“If you keep giving him chances, he will come through,” Nats manager Frank Robinson said. “That’s why he’s up here; he’s been successful.”
And now it comes to this: Alfonso Soriano could be playing his last home game in Washington today. He had two hits for the Nationals (45-56) and outdueled that other famous left fielder, the Giants’ Barry Bonds, who once more was greeted with loud boos each time he did anything. Bonds walked twice, struck out looking once and grounded out.
Soriano doubled and scored in the third, taking second on a hit to left center when center fielder Steve Finley took his time getting the ball back to the infield.
But the games are meaningless compared to what could happen by month’s end. The Nationals, perhaps you’ve heard, likely will trade Soriano, who has maintained a desire to stick around. But his name is far from the only one mentioned.
So the clubhouse could change dramatically by the July 31st deadline. Among the pitchers who could be traded: Livan Hernandez, Ramon Ortiz and Tony Armas. Reserve Daryle Ward, a valuable pinch-hitter, also has value.
“I don’t want to get traded,” Hernandez said. “I like it here. [But] I can’t do nothing about it. I want to stay here and play here. … I don’t know what’s going to happen.”
Nobody does. And that’s why most players say publicly that they don’t worry about things they can’t control.
“If something happens, it happens,” Ortiz said. “There’s a lot of talking but right now no one’s doing anything. The trade deadline is a little bit crazy. There’s only two months left in the season so for some people it’s very hard to play for one team and then go somewhere else.
“But if something happens, you don’t worry about it. I have to come in and just pitch the game.”
