Morse hits solo homer in win over the Reds The Nationals spent Monday securing their future by signing the organization’s top five picks from June’s draft.
But there is still a season to finish, an important six-week stretch that could help set the tone for 2012. Washington, back at Nationals Park after a long road trip, started a 10-game homestand off right on Tuesday with a 6-4 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.
Slugger Michael Morse continued his torrid hitting with an RBI double and a solo home run. Ryan Zimmerman added a monster homer of his own, a shot into the last row of seats down the left-field line. Ian Desmond had a two-run base hit in the first inning.
| Nats notes |
| » Washington catcher Ivan Rodriguez, on the disabled list with a strained left oblique since July 8, worked out at Nationals Park on Tuesday but was not able to take batting practice. |
| » The Nats wore special hats during batting practice before Tuesday’s game that honored the Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marines, military reservists and Navy personnel, including elite SEAL units. |
| » Reds shortstop Edgar Renteria doubled home a run in the seventh inning, but barely made it to second base when his left groin gave out. He had to leave the game and will be re-evaluated Wednesday. |
That was more than enough for starting pitcher Chien-Ming Wang (2-2, 4.22 ERA), who endured another shaky start to pitch 61Ú3 innings with four runs allowed. Down 2-0 after the first inning, Wang retired 13 of 14 Cincinnati batters. His teammates, meanwhile, scored three times in the first inning and the Nats (58-62) never trailed again. It was Wang’s longest outing since June 10, 2008.
“Having two days off with the rain out in [Philadelphia on Sunday] and the day off [Monday] it’s good to get a win right here, especially getting the bats going,” Morse said. “Usually two days off you might get a little rusty. But we came out today we pitched great, we hit great and played an all-around good baseball game.”
Wang was far from perfect. He recorded just five ground-ball outs — a bad sign for any sinker pitcher. But many of the Reds’ hardest hit balls were lined right at Washington fielders. Cincinnati scored its two first-inning runs on RBI singles by Jay Bruce and Ramon Hernandez.
“I’m really appreciative of my teammates,” Wang said through an interpreter. “They really backed up for me, made a lot of good plays defensively. And offensively they also gave me good back-up and made me feel comfortable.”
In the bottom of the first, Morse doubled home Zimmerman, Jayson Werth walked and Desmond drove them both in. That put the Nats up 3-2. Morse blasted his 21st homer of the season in his next at-bat in the third inning and Zimmerman did the same in the fifth. An error charged to Reds first baseman Joey Votto allowed Wilson Ramos to score for the Nats in the fourth.
Reliever Tyler Clippard helped end Cincinnati’s seventh-inning rally. With a run in off Wang and a runner at second, Clippard got Votto, last year’s National League MVP, to pop out to second and struck out clean-up hitter Brandon Phillips. He also pitched a scoreless eighth inning. Closer Drew Storen struck out two batters in the ninth to record his 32nd save.
“The importance of the last month-and-a-half is what we’ve been preaching around here,” Zimmerman said. “The last couple of years the last [six weeks] has always been bad. We need to concentrate on finishing on the upswing instead of a downswing.”
