At age 23, Danny Espinosa’s career is just beginning. At age 39, Ivan Rodriguez’s is coming to an end.
Sunday in the first game of a doubleheader against the Milwaukee Brewers, the Washington Nationals’ oldest and youngest starters hit three-run home runs in back-to-back innings, leading the Nats to an 8-4 victory.
The blasts came against one of baseball’s better young pitchers, Yovani Gallardo (1-1), who the Nats battered for 10 hits and seven earned runs in five-plus innings, breaking out of their recent batting woes. In their previous three games the Nats had mustered just 14 hits, their team batting average sinking to a major-league low .209.
Nats shortstop Ian Desmond also hit his way out of a prolonged slump. He entered with a .173 average, but got his first home hit, a ground rule double, in the sixth inning, and followed with his second home run of the year in the eighth as the Nats’ record improved to 7-7.
Espinosa’s home run turned the game around in the fifth inning. It came with Milwaukee (7-7) in front, 2-1. Alex Cora and winning pitcher Jason Marquis set it up with solid singles to center. With one out, Espinosa delivered his shot, into the Nats’ bullpen in right.
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.
It was the third straight solid start for right-hander Marquis (1-0) after last year’s injury-riddled free fall to a 2-9 record and 6.60 ERA. Marquis surrendered nine hits — all singles — in seven innings, limiting the Brewers to two runs.
Three Nats relievers – Doug Slaten, Chad Gaudin, and Tyler Clippard – had mixed success. But Gaudin and Clippard were clutch when they needed to be. Each got an inning-ending strikeout with two runners on in the eighth and ninth inning respectively.
Rodriguez’s home run, a drive to right-center, was the 310th of his likely Hall of Fame career. It scored left-fielder Mike Morse, who had singled and advanced to third on Desmond’s double. Morse also had an RBI fly out to deliver the Nats’ first run.
All the Nats starters had at least one hit, including centerfielder Rick Ankiel with two.
Former Nationals pitcher Marco Estrada (1-0) faces Livan Hernandez (1-1) in the second game of the afternoon.
Note » It was the Nats’ first three-home run game since Sept. 24, 2010. All the blasts in that game were hit by now former Nats — Adam Dunn (two) and Willie Harris.
