Lyric Of The Day #26 (June 18, 2021)

Oh, no, no, no, no, NOOO!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfxw1uALKgk

 

From a recent tweet by golfer Ian Poulter, conveyed by Tom Boswell.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2021/06/18/us-open-hardest-major/

June 16, 2021 – Nats 3, Giants 1

https://www.mlb.com/gameday/pirates-vs- nationals/2021/06/16/633628#game_state=final,lock_state=final,game_tab=wrap,game=633628

 

Weather: 77 degrees, Sunny.

Wind: 9 mph, Out To RF.

Umpires: HP--De Jesus, 1B--Wegner, 2B--Porter, 3B--Tosi.

Time: 2:59

Attendance - 16,781

Seats: Section 205, Row B, Seats 8-9. Second level, down the left field line, just beyond 3^rd base. In the shade for the entire game, so I didn’t need my cap except for Woo’s.

 

Trois étoiles:

#3 – Yan Gomes, who homered in the bottom of the 2^nd to get the Nats on the board first

#2 – Josh Bell, who provided critical insurance after the stretch with a two-run blast against his former team

#1 – 34-year-old journeyman Paolo Espino, who got his first major-league win in his 29^th major league appearance, 15 years after being drafted in 2006. Getting the start in place of the injured Max Scherzer, Espino was efficient (53 pitches in his 5 innings), effective (allowing no runs or walks, and only 3 hits), and clutch (escaping a 2^nd-and-3^rd one-out jam in the fourth via a strikeout and a ground ball). Despite pitching mostly in low-leverage mop-up situations, Espino has been quietly excellent for the Nats so far this year, with a 2.28 ERA, only 19 hits allowed in 27.2 innings, and a superlative 21-3 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

 

While Washington’s recent uptick in hitting the ball out of the park has been encouraging, for the most part the offense continues to produce only enough runs to win (assuming excellent pitching). They loaded the bases twice with only one out and failed to score both times, an outcome that will be no surprise to even casual observers. A rested bullpen did enough to clinch the win, giving up 4 of Pittsburgh’s 9 hits in the last two innings to make things interesting, but ultimately yielding only one run.

 

We took Metro (me for the first time in at least 15 months), and it worked out well. We had plenty of company, but were able to easily find seats both coming and going, although some of the cars we passed while “moving down” were definitely SRO. It was also another surprisingly good day on the concessions front. For some reason, none of the (admittedly few) stands in our area of the park were on the mobile ordering list, so I decided to just go out and order/pay the old-fashioned way. There was no line, and our beer, water, and hot dogs arrived quickly. And the weather was perfect, with low humidity and not even a hint of rain.

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.