Nats 7, Orioles 6
There is a lot to talk about after a wild win for the Nats against Baltimore on Saturday afternoon. Washington rallied for another win. The bullpen was dynamite. Power hitters Adam Dunn and Josh Willingham both produced big hits. But all of that came despite a lapse in judgment by center fielder Nyjer Morgan that allowed Baltimore’s Adam Jones to hit an inside-the-park home run – the second in four games against Washington. Read about the specifics in my game story here. Simply put, Morgan made a leap for Jones’ long fly ball to center and thought he had knocked the ball over the fence. He slammed his glove on the ground and pouted – all while the ball actually sat at the base of the fence. By the time Willingham threw the ball back to the infield it was too late.
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The crowd was furious. Nats manager Jim Riggleman’s initial instinct was to pull Morgan from the game for his mental error. But by the time the inning ended – with the Orioles now up 4-2 – he had decided against it. Riggleman had already lost catcher Ivan Rodriguez to a back injury. To bring another player into the game would have left Washington with just three bench players and five innings still to go. So Riggleman calmed down and allowed Morgan to take his turn at bat in the bottom of the fourth inning.
“[Morgan] made a human error. He didn’t not hustle or do something that was a horrible thing,” Riggleman said. “He made a terrible mistake, but it wasn’t malicious. It wasn’t directed at anything other than he was mad that he didn’t catch the ball and he thought he knocked it over the fence.”
Morgan’s track record – or lack of one, in this case – helped his cause. But while Riggleman described the play as an “isolated incident” he also said after the game that even a player with a history of not hustling would have been given the benefit of the doubt on a play like that. Morgan is as energetic as anybody in the Washington clubhouse and rarely takes a play off. And while he has struggled early this season none of his teammates grumble about his effort. Let’s give Willingham the podium on that subject:
“Nobody plays harder than Nyjer Morgan in the big leagues. The only thing from my perspective that he did is he assumed that the ball went over the fence…That [reaction] was him as a competitor knowing that he should have made that play. Nyjer makes that play nine times out of 10. We’ve seen him do it plenty of times. And the fact that he didn’t he got a little upset about it and, obviously, assumed that he knocked the ball over the fence. I think that’s something that we all can learn from. Because that happened to me last year when I went up against the wall and hit a ball and didn’t know where it was – thought I’d knocked it over the fence. And then everybody was pointing to it. You’ve got to learn not to assume in this game. He’s going to have to deal with it. But nobody felt worse about it than Nyjer, either.”
After the game, the Nats made a roster move. They placed left-handed pitcher Scott Olsen on the 15-day disabled list with left shoulder tightness. Read about Olsen’s thoughts on his injury in an earlier blog post here. That conversation happened before Saturday afternoon’s game. He lasted just three innings against the Orioles on Friday night before leaving with a stiff shoulder. A corresponding roster move will be announced on Sunday morning, according to team officials.
Meanwhile, Rodriguez said he will be fine. But his back injury has to be a concern given how often it has flared up this season. Plus, there is the long flight to San Francisco on Monday.
“You don’t need to worry about me,” Rodriguez said with a smile. “It happens to catchers. You squat that many years behind the plate sometimes you’re going to get a tight lower back. Just got to get it stretched, get it loose, treatment and I’ll be fine in a few days.”
Nats Notes
» Washington first base coach Dan Radison was ejected after the fourth inning for arguing what he thought should have been a balk call against Baltimore pitcher Brad Bergesen. With bench coach John McLaren out of town for personal reasons, Tim Foli – the organization’s quality control coach – took over for Radison.
» Nats pitcher Craig Stammen wasn’t happy with his performance. He gave up six runs, but only four of them were earned. The big blows were Jones’ inside-the-park homer and a bad pitch to Ty Wigginton in the sixth that landed in the left-field bleachers and made it 6-3 Baltimore. Stammen pitched 5 1/3 innings and gave up nine hits with no strikeouts. He did not, however, walk any batters.
» Washington is now 20-0 when leading after eighth innings. Closer Matt Capps leads the sport with 16 saves. The Nats are back at .500 with a 22-22 record. Baltimore dropped to a major-league worst 14-30.
» Cristian Guzman was 3-for-4 with an RBI and was hit by a pitch. He is 25-for-56 (.446 batting average) in May (18 games) with three doubles, a triple and 10 runs scored.
» Roger Bernadina ended a 1-for-12 skid with a 2-for-4 afternoon, including an RBI triple in the decisive seventh inning.
» Wigginton led the Orioles with a 2-for-4 game. He had a two-run single in the first to put Baltimore up 2-0 early. His two-run homer off Stammen came in the sixth and ended the pitcher’s day.
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