June 13, 2021 – Nats 5, Giants 0

https://www.mlb.com/gameday/giants-vs- nationals/2021/06/13/633710#game_state=final,lock_state=final,game_tab=wrap,game=633710

 

Weather: 80 degrees, Partly Cloudy

Wind: 6 mph, Out To LF.

Umpires: HP--Carlson, 1B--Riggs, 2B--Baker, 3B--Segal.

Time: 2:49

Attendance - 21,569

 

In ice hockey, they recognize the three best players of the game (trois étoiles), not just one. The victorious Nationals could have used that for this game:

 

#3 – Josh Harrison, who went 4-for-4, including a double and a run scored

#2 – Kyle Schwarber, who led off the bottom of the first with a home run and outdid himself with a three-run shot an inning later

#1 – Joe Ross, who pitched one of the best games of the season for the Nats, and almost certainly the best of his career. He never allowed more than one base runner in an inning, with only two Giants reaching second base. He fanned 9 in his 8 innings of work, allowing just 5 hits and no walks. As a bonus, he laid down a successful sacrifice bunt in each of his three plate appearances. (Had they chosen to have him swing away, however, his batting average remained a robust .333, higher than any of his teammates who are primarily paid to hit.)

 

Sunday’s game concluded a four-game weekend series featuring dominant pitching (or impotent hitting, if you prefer). The two teams started by trading shutouts – 1-0 Giants Friday, 2-0 Nats in the opener of Saturday’s 7+7 split doubleheader. The offensive futility peaked in the nightcap, when neither team was able to score in regulation, before San Francisco outpointed the locals 2-1 in the 8^th.

 

Once again we had a little rain in the second half of the contest, although not nearly enough to cause a delay. The concession lines were MUCH shorter than two weeks ago. Our limited interactions were mostly uneventful, although to be on the safe side we had lunch before going in. Kudos to the Nats, although the smallish (although enthusiastic) crowd probably helped in that regard. (After having a quick look around in the middle innings, I estimated 31,000, demonstrating how rusty my skills in that area have become.)

 

Traffic was not too bad on the way down. The return trip was a different story, as there was some sort of delay on I-395, which then metastasized onto Maine Avenue. Fortunately, the Google Maps navigation system was more than up to the challenge, coming up with a novel but logical detour that managed to bypass both obstacles. Even with that, traffic on the 14^th Street Bridge, GW Parkway, and the Beltway crossing the river were heavier than I had expected.