Mets 3, Nationals 1
The Nationals just couldn’t figure out Mets pitcher R.A. Dickey on Thursday afternoon as the knuckleballer baffled them for 7 1/3 shutout innings. There were some chances in the seventh and eighth innings that failed to materialize and Ryan Zimmerman homered in the ninth, but it wasn’t enough as Washington missed out on a sweep yet again. Check out the details in our game story here.
The Colorado Rockies would probably punch any Nats player in the face who appeared bummed by this “issue”: Nine times they have had a chance to sweep a three or four game series and eight times they have lost that final game. You can use the hashtag #goodteamproblems for that one.
Washington is still 32-23 and remains in first place in the National League East. It begins a six-game road trip against the American League East, baseball’s toughest division, this weekend with games at Fenway Park against the Red Sox and then in Toronto against the Blue Jays. Then the Yankees visit Nationals Park the following weekend with the Tampa Bay Rays to follow. Should be a good test.
News and notes: Bryce Harper has apparently been dealing with a sore back for a while now. Nats manager Davey Johnson said his rookie outfielder has been receiving treatment. Harper looked shaken after he dove for a bloop hit in right field in the ninth inning on Thursday and missed the ball. He scrambled back to recover and fired it into the infield on a David Wright triple. But he then spent a few moments hunched over in pain and received a visit from head trainer Lee Kuntz. Harper remained in the game. Johnson said afterwards he’d take a wait-and-see approach on if Harper would play Friday in Boston. No surprise – the 19-year-old scoffed at that notion and offered a Strasburgian response.
“Didn’t hurt. I’m good. Don’t worry about it. Feel great,” Harper said.
Okay then. He did admit he got the wind knocked out of him on the play and that’s really why he took a breather. Looked like he banged his knee pretty hard, too, on the dive. But, uh, I guess he’s playing in Fenway Park is non-negotiable.
Washington made some roster moves on Thursday. Relief pitcher Henry Rodriguez is headed to the 15-day disabled list. He slammed his right index finger in a door late last month and had been pitching with a splint at times. Didn’t fare that well in his last appearance on Tuesday against New York with his ninth wild pitch of the season. It doesn’t hurt that veteran reliever Brad Lidge is ready to pitch again after missing 38 games with an oblique injury.
Also can’t hurt to give Rodriguez a breather as his struggles have mounted in recent weeks. He’s looked brilliant at times this season with two holds and nine saves. Remember, he served as the closer initially when Lidge and Drew Storen (elbow) went down with their injuries before that situation became untenable after a few high-profile blown saves. The 25-year-old is 1-3 with a 5.14 ERA.
“If this was in July or August I wouldn’t even be considering it,” Johnson said of putting Rodriguez on the disabled list retroactive to June 6. “But in talking to [pitching coach Steve McCatty], any time you have a strained joint it’s going to nag you for a while. So the thought process was let’s nip it right in the bud and not have something lingering all year long with him. Certainly he’s too valuable an asset.”
Johnson still says Rodriguez is in a good frame of mind and didn’t really agree that a disabled list stint would be a good mental break. Rodriguez will rest for two or three days on doctors’ orders, Johnson said, and then get back on the mound.
The Nats are now back to two catchers as Carlos Maldonado went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to May 30 with a strained back. Outfielder Tyler Moore returned from Triple-A Syracuse to fill that roster spot. Moore, 25, has played in 12 games with Washington this season.
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