The “Queen of Christmas”???

No single person should have the sole right to the title Queen (or King) of Christmas!

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/08/17/mariah-carey-queen-christmas-trademark/

 

August 15, 2022 – Nats 5, Cubs 4

https://www.mlb.com/gameday/cubs-vs-nationals/2022/08/15/662471#game_state=final,lock_state=final,game_tab=wrap,game=662471

 

Time: 2:59

Attendance: 25,467

Section 315, Row H, Seats 18-19 (slightly on the 1B side of home plate, a couple of rows farther back than usual. Effectively on the aisle, since H20 remained unoccupied the entire game)

 

A curly W, finally! And also some runs, as the Nats had been blanked in our previous two outings, and failed to dent the scoreboard until the 5^th inning tonight.

 

Things did not start out well. Ian Happ hit a 2-out first inning homer off Josiah Gray – unfortunately, neither one of us had picked Happ in our who’ll-hit-the-first-dinger-off-Gray pool – and two subsequent hits doubled the lead. Happ went deep again four innings later for a 3-0 Cubs lead. Meanwhile, Washington had runners in scoring position in three of the first four frames, but couldn’t get any of them home.

 

The Nats offense finally exploded in the bottom of the 5^th, loading the bases with none out on an error (originally scored as a hit) and two singles. Joey Meneses struck out, but a force out at second scored one run, and a Yadiel Hernandez single plated a second. David Ross’s decision at that point to lift Marcus Stroman in favor of Mark Leiter Jr. backfired spectacularly, as Nelson Cruz promptly greeted him with a two-run double to give the Nats the lead. Despite Gray’s mounting pitch count, Davey Martinez decided to stick with him for another inning, even after a one-out double, and his faith was rewarded when Gray notched his 10^th K to pitch out of the jam.

 

Further proof that nothing comes easy for the Nats this year followed quickly. Reliever Hunter Harvey pitched around Happ with two outs and a runner on second in the top of the 7^th, but Seiya Suzuki singled to tie the game. Happily, Cruz hit one out an inning later to regain the lead, and Kyle Finnegan efficiently disposed of the visitors in the 9^th to nail down the win.

 

The rush-hour drive down wasn’t as bad as it might have been, and we got home much quicker than on a typical Sunday afternoon. We had no trouble at all grabbing a picnic table, the e-cash at the concessions stands was working (as were the escalators), and lines were generally short. It was a little cooler and breezier than I had expected, but after a number of hot afternoon games it felt pleasant, even with short sleeves.

 

August 14, 2022 – Padres 6, Nats 0

https://www.mlb.com/gameday/padres-vs-nationals/2022/08/14/662472#game_state=final,lock_state=final,game_tab=wrap,game=662472

 

Time: 3:18

Attendance: 27,498

 

Well, at least we could cheer for ex-Nats Juan Soto and Josh Bell on their first trips to the plate. (Soto had a single and two walks in his 5 plate appearances, while Bell managed just a walk, going hitless for the series.)

 

Washington starter Pablo Espino almost got through 6 innings for his longest outing of the season, but after he retired the first two batters, Victor Robles lost a Trent Grisham fly ball for a double, and Espino’s afternoon ended when Wil Myers followed with a run-scoring single. The Nats defense also had trouble all afternoon completing double plays. Both of the walks Espino issued wound up scoring, as all of the Padres runs off him except one came with two outs. Victor Arano and Jake McGee kept the visitors off the scoreboard in the next two innings, but Tyler Clippard continued his post-IL struggles in the 9^th, hitting a batter and issuing two walks as San Diego notched two additional runs.

 

Southpaw Blake Snell totally dominated what remains of the Washington offense for the first six innings, walking none and allowing only 3 singles (two of which were by 30-year-old rookie phenom Joey Meneses). He fanned 10 of the first 19 batters he faced, and at one point retired 13 consecutive Nats. Washington actually managed multiple baserunners in the 7^th and 8^th against Nick Martinez, but grounded into a double play each time – extending their MLB lead in that category – to douse any hopes of a rally.

 

These 12:05 starts (so that “Peacock” can stream the games) do mess with our normal routine. Rather than eat a leisurely lunch prior to going into the park, we stopped at the Subway on M Street for footlongs and ate them (in a leisurely fashion) at one of the picnic tables on the upper-level concourse. And, even on a day that was cooler than usual for August, we were reminded that our seats get quite hot when the sun is shining directly on them. Fortunately, we were back in the shade a couple innings into the game.