October 12, 2017 – Cubs 9, Nats 8 (NLDS Game 3) – Nationals Park

http://m.nationals.mlb.com/news/article/258393242/cubs-outlast-nationals-advance-to-nlcs/

 

Attendance: 43,849

Duration: 4:37

Weather: 62 degrees, Cloudy

Wind: 13 MPH In From Right

Umpires: HP: Jerry Layne. 1B: Will Little. 2B: Cory Blaser. 3B: Ron Kulpa. LF: Fieldin Culbreth. RF: Laz Díaz.

 

Game notes – Nats’ 4-1 lead after 2^nd-inning homers by Murphy and Taylor didn’t last, as Gio gave up 2 more runs in his third and final inning, and Cubs scored 4 off Scherzer in the unbelievable 5^th frame … Cubs scored 1 more run each off Kintzler and Solis, giving them just enough to hold off the Nats’ 4 in innings 6-8, including another RBI hit by Taylor … game ended as Werth and Harper fanned against Chicago closer Wade Davis, running on fumes in his third inning of relief … longest 9-inning post-season game ever

 

Other – traffic on the way down was not as bad as it could have been (although slow on the GW Parkway), and we had no trouble getting into our parking lot, although getting out of SW onto M Street after the game was over was unbelievably slow … chilly and breezy on the concourse before the game with a little rain, but rain-free and reasonably comfortable once the game actually started … concessions stands were out of pretzels (both levels) and pizza (upper level at least) by the top of the seventh … Metro wound up letting people in until 1am, thanks to them and to Exelon (but no thanks to the Nats)

 

October 7, 2017 – Nats 6, Cubs 3 (NLDS Game 2) – Nationals Park

http://m.nationals.mlb.com/news/article/257843238/nationals-homer-rally-to-beat-cubs-in-game-2/?topicId=27118414

 

Attendance: 43,860

Duration: 3:06

Weather: 82 degrees, Partly Cloudy

Wind: 8 MPH Out to Left

Umpires: HP: Ron Kulpa. 1B: Fieldin Culbreth. 2B: Laz Díaz. 3B: Jerry Layne. LF: Will Little. RF: Cory Blaser.

 

Game notes – Rendon broke the Nats’ scoring drought with a first-inning homer, but Willson Contreras answered for Chicago in the top of the second … visitors took the lead in the fourth on a Bryant double and Rizzo HR off Gio, who wound up with a kept-them-in-the-game 5-inning outing, giving up only those 3 hits and runs … Nats didn’t get another baserunner off Jon Lester until the 5^th, when they loaded the bases on a leadoff single by Zim and 2-out walks to Taylor and pinch-hitter Howie Kendrick, before Turner fanned to end the frame … Washington finally broke out in the bottom of the 8^th, when pinch-hitter Adam Lind singled, Harper hit a 2-run HR to tie things up, and Zim hit a 3-run shot after a walk to Rendon and a Murphy single … Doolittle got the save, finishing up 4 innings of scoreless ball by the Nats’ bullpen

October 6, 2017 – Cubs 3, Nats 0 (NLDS Game 1) – Nationals Park

http://m.nationals.mlb.com/news/article/257722064/nationals-stephen-strasburg-fans-10-in-seven/?topicId=27118414

 

Attendance: 43,898

Duration: 3:02

Weather: 77 degrees, Partly Cloudy

Wind: 5 MPH Out to Left

Umpires: HP: Cory Blaser. 1B: Ron Kulpa. 2B: Fieldin Culbreth. 3B: Laz Díaz. LF: Jerry Layne. RF: Will Little.

 

Section 306, Row D, Seats 19-21 – our home for the NL playoffs, a few sections beyond our usual location behind 3B, but certainly not bad

 

Game notes – Strasburg was dominant through the first 5 innings, allowing only one baserunner (on a walk) while breaking the franchise record for strikeouts in a postseason game (finishing with 10) and keeping his pitch count down … with 2 outs in the 6^th, the no-hitter and shutout ended when Kris Bryant singled on an 0-2 pitch, scoring Javier Baez from second, which he had reached on a Rendon error and a sac bunt … Bryant got to second when Harper missed the cutoff man, and scored on Anthony Rizzo’s single … Cubs added what proved to be a completely unnecessary insurance run in the 8^th off Ryan Madson … Nats “offense” didn’t get a hit after the second inning off Kyle Hendricks and 2 relievers, and only 2 for the game (Harper and Taylor)

 

Other – perfect weather for short sleeves … Metro worked well in both directions … took longer than I expected, but I did get back the remote for my Prius that I lost on Sunday

October 1, 2017 – Pirates 11, Nats 8 – Nationals Park

http://m.nationals.mlb.com/news/article/256998120/pirates-win-finale-as-nationals-enjoy-moment/?topicId=27118414

 

Attendance: 35,652

Duration: 4:22

Weather: 67 degrees, Clear

Wind: 2 MPH In From Right

Umpires: HP: Chris Guccione. 1B: Dana DeMuth. 2B: Paul Nauert. 3B: Carlos Torres.

 

Section 125, Row S, Seats 3-5 (PNC Diamond Club)

 

Game notes -- longest regular-season nine-inning game in both Pirates and Nationals history … Nats never led, as Gio (apparently under the weather) gave up 5 runs in the top of the 1^st, which featured 2 walks, a hit batter, and a 3-run double by Bucs shortshop Max Moroff … Nats battled back in the bottom of the frame, as Rendon reached 25 HR and 100 RBI following a Turner double and a walk to Harper … Nats continued to battle back throughout the game, but also missed several opportunities as they left 16 men on base (Pittsburgh stranded 10) … Pirates extended their lead with 1 more off Gio in the 5^th, 2 off Roark in the 6^th, and 3 off Oliver Perez in the 8^th … Bryce looked better than at any time after his return from the DL, with 2 singles and a walk

 

Other – “fan appreciation” worked both ways, as the crowd gave standing ovations to Zim, Rendon, Gio, Bryce, and (especially) Jayson Werth, as Dusty removed them one-by-one over the course of the game … as is the final-game custom, the Racing Presidents threw numerous pieces of swag into the stands after the game … we also appreciated the free food, beer, and ambiance of the PNC Diamond Club … personally sampled the braised pork roast, slow-roasted strip loin, roasted root veggies, rice pilaf, tomato salad, hot dogs, cupcakes, dessert shots, and Goose Island IPA

September 29, 2017 – Nats 6, Pirates 1 – Nationals Park

http://m.nationals.mlb.com/news/article/256740958/stephen-strasburg-nationals-defeat-pirates/

 

Attendance: 36,339

Duration: 3:06

Weather: 72 degrees, Clear

Wind: 5 MPH Out to Center

Umpires: HP: Paul Nauert. 1B: Carlos Torres. 2B: Chris Guccione. 3B: Dana DeMuth.

 

Section 312, Row D, Seats 11-13 – great seats, two sections closer to home plate than our regular location

 

Notes – almost a replay of our last game: dominant performance by Strasburg, 2 homers by Zim, close game early until the Nats’ offense finally arrived … but cooler and earlier-ending, with a lot more people, presumably due largely to the beer stein giveaway (which we arrived too late to get) … Stras only allowed 2 hits in 7⅔ innings, retiring the first 14 batters and not allowing a runner past second base … Nats scored a run in the first on singles by Rendon and Murphy and Zim’s double … added 3 in the 6^th, capped by Zim’s 2-run HR, and 2 in the 8^th on back-to-back solo shots by Zimmerman (who had 2 doubles in addition to his 2 round-trippers) and Werth

September 17, 2017 – Nats 7, Dodgers 1 – Nationals Park

http://m.nationals.mlb.com/news/article/254756660/ryan-zimmerman-stephen-strasburg-spark-nats/?topicId=27118414

 

Attendance: 29,155

Game Time: 3:22

Weather: 78 degrees, clear

Wind: 4 mph

Umpires: Home Plate - Hunter Wendelstedt, First Base - Adrian Johnson, Second Base - Gabe Morales, Third Base - Gary Cederstrom

 

Notes – ESPN Sunday night game, so first for us in a while to start well after sundown … Strasburg finally gave up a run in the top of the 2^nd, ending his 35-inning streak of scoreless innings, but otherwise blanked the Dodgers through 6, despite allowing 3 stolen bases … he also contributed at the plate, running up Hyun-Jin Ryu’s pitch count with 2 outs in the 5^th with a 9-pitch at-bat ending in a walk, forcing LA manager Dave Roberts to lift his starter after he then walked Trea Turner … Nats offense, quiet while losing 4 out of 5 games since last Sunday’s clincher, finally woke up the next inning, when Zim hit a 3-run homer after a Rendon walk and a Murphy single … added one insurance run in the 7^th, and 3 more the next inning on a solo HR by Zim and a 2-run shot by Adam Lind, who set the Nats career record for pinch-hit homers with his 4^th

September 10, 2017 – Nats 3, Phillies 2 – Nationals Park

http://m.mlb.com/news/article/253530188/nationals-clinch-national-league-east/

 

Attendance: 32,627

Game Time: 2:16

Weather: 69 degrees, partly cloudy

Wind: 5 mph

Umpires: Home Plate - Sean Barber, First Base - Tripp Gibson, Second Base - Jeff Kellogg, Third Base - Will Little

 

Nationals notes – Stephen Strasburg extended his scoreless streak to 34 innings, allowing only 3 baserunners through 8 innings, none of whom reached second … offense broke through in the sixth, on a leadoff triple by Turner and doubles by Adrian Sanchez and Victor Robles … Turner homered in the eighth for the final run

 

Phillies notes – Maikel Franco’s singles in the fifth and eighth were the only hits off Strasburg … Ben Lively pitched the entire game, matching goose eggs with Strasburg through the first 5 … Phils rallied for 2 runs in the ninth off Ryan Madson, on singles by Crawford, Herrera, and Nick Williams

 

Other – shortest game of the year in Nats Park brought the team to the brink of clinching the NL East, pending the outcome of Miami’s game in Atlanta, which was tied 5-5 as the Nats completed their victory … Marlins took the lead on Dee Gordon’s second HR of the year and later added 2 more, but the Braves rallied for 3 in the bottom of the 9^th to send the game into extra innings … finally, almost 90 minutes after the game ended in Washington, Lane Adams hit a 2-run walkoff homer for Atlanta in the bottom of the 11^th to clinch the division for the Nats … we were among the hundreds of fans who stayed around to watch the Miami-Atlanta game on the big video screen and join in the celebration

September 9, 2017 – Phillies 5, Nats 4 – Nationals Park

http://m.phillies.mlb.com/news/article/253374882/phils-beat-nats-behind-hoskins-franco-homers/

 

Attendance: 35,694

Game Time: 3:23

Weather: 69 degrees, clear

Wind: 6 mph

Umpires: Home Plate - Will Little, First Base - Sean Barber, Second Base - Tripp Gibson, Third Base - Jeff Kellogg

 

Nationals notes – Edwin Jackson struggled, giving up two solo homers in the second, then allowing three singles and two walks in the fourth while recording only one out before being lifted … after coming in and retiring Nick Williams for the second out, Solis walked Rhys Hoskins with the bases loaded to force in the fifth and final run for the visitors … Nats cut their 5-1 deficit to 5-4 on Michael A. Taylor’s 2-run HR in the fourth and RBI single in the sixth

 

Phillies notes – Hoskins and Maikel Franco answered Howie Kendrick’s first-inning homer for the Nats with solo shots of their own in the top of the second … Mark Leiter Jr. pitched well enough to get the win, allowing 4 runs in 6 innings … bullpen kept the Nats off the board for the final 3 innings, with Garcia fanning Murphy, Zimmerman, and Rendon in a 1-2-3 eighth

 

Other – sunny but not especially warm day, which got quite chilly as the evening progressed … went to the Season Plan Holder Appreciation Party at the park Saturday afternoon, a well-organized event featuring question-and-answer sessions (general and kids-only), games, autograph stations, and free snacks

August 29, 2017 – Nats 8, Marlins 3 – Nationals Park

http://m.mlb.com/news/article/251332552/nationals-anthony-rendon-beat-miami-win-80th/

 

Attendance: 25,924

Game Time: 3:11

Weather: 66 degrees, rain

Wind: 14 mph

Umpires: Home Plate - Greg Gibson, First Base - Sam Holbrook, Second Base - D.J. Reyburn, Third Base - Jim Wolf

Seventh-inning stretch song: Moves Like Jagger – Maroon 5

 

Game notes – Edwin Jackson had a tough and lengthy first inning, giving up a long tater to Giancarlo Stanton and subsequently walking the bases loaded … managed to escape that jam and only gave up one more run through the 6^th … Nats finally got to nemesis Vance Worley (who had beaten them twice earlier in the month while allowing only one run), scoring in the 3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th to take a 5-2 lead into the 7^th … biggest blow in the rally was a clutch two-out, two-run single by Murph in the bottom of the 3^rd … Jackson lasted 4 batters into the 7^th, leaving with one run in and the bases loaded, but Perez and Albers combined to retire Yelich, Ozuna, and Realmuto without allowing any further damage … Nats took full advantage of their similar opportunity in the bottom of the inning on a 2-out, 3-run double by Rendon

 

Other – it was raining both when we got on Metro (around 4:00) and when we arrived several minutes before the gates opened just after 5 … the new Skittles tarp was on, and it kept raining while we waited for a seat at the facility formerly known as the Red Porch Restaurant, as well as when we were dining … they announced a delayed start (7:30) while we were eating, and it had pretty much stopped raining when we went back outside shortly before 7 … did get some light-to-moderate rain in the first inning, but nothing after that … actual attendance was significantly under the number of tickets sold, given the weather, so plenty of Harper Starting Lineup Action Figures remain available

August 27, 2017 – Mets 6, Nats 5 (Game 1 of split double-header) – Nationals Park

http://m.nationals.mlb.com/news/article/250898896/mets-hit-3-homers-in-game-1-win-vs-nationals/  

Attendance: 31,904

Game Time: 3:34

Weather: 75 degrees, partly cloudy

Wind: 6 mph

Umpires: Home Plate - Andy Fletcher, First Base - Ramon DeJesus, Second Base - Nic Lentz, Third Base - Bill Welke

Seventh-inning stretch song:  The Twist – Chubby Checker 

Game notes – Nats fell into an early hole when emergency starter Erick Fedde yielded an infield single, hit batter and 3-run homer (by Asdrubal Cabrera) before retiring a batter in the first … a 2-run shot by Wilmer Flores made it 5-0 in the third … Nats fought back in the middle innings and finally tied the game in the bottom of the seventh, but Amed Rosario homered off Joe Blanton in the 8^th for what turned out to be the winning run … Nats provided some excitement with two outs in the 9^th, when Lind got a pinch single and Murphy doubled, but pinch-runner Edwin Jackson was thrown out at the plate to end the game … Fedde did manage to get through 6 innings for Washington … Terry Collins managed like it was Game 7 of the World Series, lifting starter Tommy Milone in the 5^th after 82 pitches, then using 5 relievers to get through the 7^th before turning to closer A.J. Ramos for a 6-out save

August 22, 2017 – Dodgers 6, Pirates 5 (12 innings) – PNC Park (Pittsburgh)

http://m.pirates.mlb.com/news/article/249807418/yasiel-puigs-home-run-lifts-dodgers-in-12th/?topicId=27118398

 

Attendance: 19,094

Game Time: 4:35

Weather: 83 degrees, partly cloudy

Wind: 9 mph

Umpires: Home Plate - Scott Barry, First Base - Quinn Wolcott, Second Base - Brian O'Nora, Third Base - Paul Emmel

Seventh-inning stretch song:  Build Me Up Buttercup – The Foundations

 

Section 119, Row H, Seats 11-13 – great lower-level location, looking down the first-base line

 

Home-team highlights – Pirates took an early 3-0 lead on back-to-back homers by Jose Osuna and Sean Rodriguez off Alex Wood in the second, and a solo shot by Sean Rodriguez an inning later … Pittsburgh starter Gerrit Cole held LA scoreless over the first 6 innings … after giving up the lead, the Bucs tied it up at 5 in the bottom of the 8^th off former Pirate Tony Watson and the wild Pedro Baez … former Phil Joaquin Benoit bent but did not break in the 9^th and 10^th, giving up 4 walks among his 38 pitches but keeping the Dodgers off the scoreboard

 

Other – Cole had a tense 6^th inning (stranding the bases loaded after a HBP, single, and error) and struggled in the 7^th, remaining in the game with 1 run in and the bases loaded to face Curtis Granderson, whose grand slam put the Dodgers on top by 2 … as Pittsburgh was short on available relief pitchers (scheduled Tuesday starter Jameson Taillon was warming up in the final inning), Dovydas Neverauskas made his third appearance in 3 days in the 12^th, giving up the deciding HR to Yasiel Puig on his second pitch

 

Ballpark notes – the city skyline views were every bit as outstanding as advertised … traditional walk across the river on the Clemente Bridge was fun, although it wasn’t pedestrian-only due to the temporary closure of the nearby Warhol Bridge … free program as in Nats Park … didn’t do Primanti Bros. as we ate at their Market Square location the previous evening, but black bean quesadilla wasn’t bad (although the hot dogs were reportedly not that impressive) … somewhat surprised by the relatively small crowd (maybe everyone went to the previous afternoon’s Steelers game)

August 20, 2017 – Dodgers 3, Tigers 0 – Comerica Park (Detroit)

http://m.tigers.mlb.com/news/article/249431532/dodgers-win-sixth-in-a-row-vs-tigers/

 

Attendance: 37,182

Game Time: 2:57

Weather: 80 degrees, sunny

Wind: 10 mph

Umpires: Home Plate - Adam Hamari, First Base - Chris Segal, Second Base - Bill Miller, Third Base - Todd Tichenor

 

Section 219, Row 5, Seats 3-5 – front row of upper section, just outside first base, good view, easy access to aisle

 

Home-team highlights – after walking the first batter of the game on 4 pitches, Tigers starter Michael Fulmer pitched effectively and well, blanking LA for 6 before giving up an unearned run in the seventh

 

Other – Dodgers scored single runs in each of the last 3 innings … Tigers managed only 4 hits, although they did load the bases with 2 outs in the bottom of the 3^rd before Cabrera struck out

 

Ballpark notes – the lines for the Alan Trammell bobblehead giveaway weren’t as long as I expected … impressive cat sculptures at the main entrance and elsewhere, and a “Big Cat” food court with a carousel and several food stands … the “Detroit Coney Deep Dish Pizza” from Little Caesar’s was rated the weirdest food item in the park in a Sports Illustrated article, but it was actually quite good … didn’t seem to be as many people in the stands as the attendance figure suggested, although the lower concourse was quite crowded during the game

August 13, 2017 – Giants 4, Nats 2 (Game 1 of split double-header) – Nationals Park

http://m.nationals.mlb.com/news/article/248184780/giants-chris-stratton-strikes-out-10-vs-nats/?topicId=27118414

 

Attendance: 30,866

Game Time: 3:09

Weather: 82 degrees, sunny

Wind: 9 mph

Umpires: Home Plate - Ryan Blakney, First Base - Ryan Additon, Second Base - Jerry Meals, Third Base - Chris Guccione

Seventh-inning stretch song: Can’t Stop The Feeling – Justin Timberlake

 

Highlights – fill-in starter AJ Cole did all right, going 6 innings with the only hiccup being a 3-run second inning … Nats Park Public Enemy #1 Hunter Strickland was booed early and often (as he walked in from the bullpen, when he was announced, when the inning ended) before, during and after he pitched the 8^th inning … Rendon exacted a measure of revenge for Harper’s beaning with a 2-run tater … new bullpen stalwarts Sean Doolittle and Ryan Madson did the honors for the pre-game autograph signing

 

Other – Nats weren’t able to do anything against SF starter Chris Stratton, who began the game with an ERA above 6 but pitched shutout ball into the 7^th, fanning 10 in the process … traffic was relatively light coming down, although there was quite a backup on the GW Parkway on the way back

August 9, 2017 – Nats 10, Marlins 1 – Nationals Park

http://m.nationals.mlb.com/news/article/247486288/nationals-rout-marlins-for-sharp-gio-gonzalez/

 

Attendance: 25,951

Game Time: 3:02

Weather: 82 degrees, partly cloudy

Wind: 7 mph

Umpires: Home Plate - Ryan Additon, First Base - CB Bucknor, Second Base - Fieldin Culbreth, Third Base - Manny Gonzalez

 

Highlights – perfect night for baseball weather-wise … Gio gave up some hits, but only one run in his 7 innings, with no walks and an economical 103 pitches … Nats chipped away at Miami starter Adam Conley and the Marlins’ bullpen, scoring in 5 of the first 7 innings … Zim started things off in the 2^nd with a solo HR, setting the all-time franchise record for RBI in the process … not satisfied with that achievement, he added 3 more hits (plus a walk) and 4 more RBI, missing the cycle only because he homered again rather than hitting a triple in his final plate appearance

 

Other – drive down was not quite as bad as our previous weeknight treks … yes, you can buy a plain half-smoke at Ben’s, but it still costs $9.25

July 26, 2017 – Nats 8, Brewers 5 – Nationals Park

http://m.mlb.com/news/article/244657254/nats-rally-past-brewers-with-seven-run-eighth/

 

Attendance: 35,296

Game Time: 2:58

Weather: 84 degrees, partly cloudy

Wind: 8 mph

Umpires: Home Plate - Chris Segal, First Base - Mike Everitt, Second Base - Jordan Baker, Third Base - Bruce Dreckman

 

Notes – Brewers jumped on top in the first on a monster HR by Domingo Santana and a second run when Travis Shaw doubled, stole third with no resistance and scored when Wieters couldn’t corral a third strike … Gio blanked Milwaukee for the next 6 innings, fanning 8 and allowing only 3 more hits and 1 walk … after being shut out Tuesday night, the Nats continued their offensive futility for most of the game against Jimmy Nelson, who fanned 10 … Murphy finally broke the spell with a seventh-inning homer … Nelson was pulled after walking Wieters to lead off the 8^th, and the Nats tied things up on a Goodwin double and Difo single … with 2 outs, Zimmerman gave the Nats the lead on a 2-run double, although Difo fell on the way home and barely managed to get there safely … after an intentional walk to Murphy, Nats extended their lead on run-scoring hits by Rendon, Lind, and Pedro Severino … in the middle of everything, Harper struck out, threw a temper tantrum and was ejected for the 10^th time in his career and the 4^th in the past two seasons … Brewers made things a little interesting in the 9^th, as Doolittle yielded a walk, homer, single, and double before finally getting the final two outs

 

Other – another long, slow drive to the park (about an hour and three-quarters), with a circuitous route to our usual parking area as the southern section of Half Street SW is now closed due to construction work on the new stadium for DC United

July 9, 2017 – Nats 10, Braves 5 – Nationals Park

http://m.nationals.mlb.com/news/article/241232082/nationals-beat-braves-in-first-half-finale/?topicId=27118414

 

Attendance: 35,030

Game Time: 3:32

Weather: 80 degrees, sunny

Wind: 9 mph

Umpires: Home Plate - Bruce Dreckman, First Base - Mike Everitt, Second Base - Chad Whitson, Third Base - Jordan Baker

Seventh-inning stretch song: Build Me Up Buttercup – The Foundations

 

Highlights – Nats jumped out in front with 3 in the first, keyed by a 2-out, 2-run double by should-have-been-All-Star Anthony Rendon, who reached base 4 times … after the Braves tied it in the third, Washington outscored them 7-2 the rest of the way … top of the order (Goodwin/Difo/Harper) reached base 8 times and scored 6 of the 10 runs … Murphy put things out of reach with a 2-out, 2-run double in the bottom of the 8^th

 

Other – Nats starter Joe Ross gave up a 3-run homer to Nats-killer Freddie Freeman in the 3^rd, then left an inning later with triceps tenderness (and sub-par fastball velocity)

July 4, 2017 – Nats 11, Mets 4 – Nationals Park

http://m.nationals.mlb.com/news/article/240394836/daniel-murphy-nationals-beat-mets/?topicId=27118414

 

Attendance: 37,120

Game Time: 3:17

Weather: 84 degrees, cloudy

Wind: 3 mph

Umpires: Home Plate - Carlos Torres, First Base - John Libka, Second Base - Dana DeMuth, Third Base - Paul Nauert

Seventh-inning stretch song: Living In America – James Brown

 

Section 220, Row H, Seat 17 – club level (a long story) behind first base, in the shade

 

Highlights – after giving up a homer to the first batter he faced and allowing multiple baserunners in each of the first 4 innings, Joe Ross completed 7 innings, allowing only 2 runs … Nats started scoring in the third on 2-out RBI singles by Harper and Murphy … also put up curly numbers in the 5^th, 6^th, and 8^th, notching double-digit runs for the 14^th time this season … Met-killer Murphy wound up with 4 hits and 5 RBI … Rockettes put on a short performance before the game, and another one between innings

 

Other – “be sure to drive over the white box on the way out of the parking lot”

June 27, 2017 – Nats 6, Cubs 1 – Nationals Park

http://m.nationals.mlb.com/news/article/239081014/max-scherzer-7-steals-lead-nationals-vs-cubs/

 

Attendance: 31,202 (below the team’s season average)

Game Time: 3:09

Weather: 79 degrees, partly cloudy

Wind: 3 mph

Umpires: Home Plate - Larry Vanover, First Base - Tim Timmons, Second Base - Chad Fairchild, Third Base - David Rackley

 

Highlights – Nats scored in 4 of the first 5 innings, chasing Jake Arrieta in the fifth … Trea Turner tied his career best with 4 steals, and the Nats set a team record with 7 stolen bases off Arrieta and soon-to-be-ex-Cub Miguel Montero … Taylor finished off the scoring with a 2-run double … after giving up a first-inning run, Scherzer blanked the Cubs through the end of the 6^th, allowing only one more baserunner … Nats bullpen held the visitors scoreless over the final 3 innings

 

Other – left Rockville around 4:45 and didn’t get into the park until shortly after 7:00, as traffic crawled both on Falls Road and much of the way down the GW Parkway

June 25, 2017 – Reds 6, Nats 2 – Nationals Park

http://m.nationals.mlb.com/news/article/238706816/scott-feldman-leads-reds-vs-nationals/

 

Attendance: 35,387

Game Time: 3:07

Weather: 84 degrees, partly cloudy

Wind: 13 mph

Umpires: Home Plate - Brian O'Nora, First Base - Quinn Wolcott, Second Base - Ramon DeJesus, Third Base - Paul Emmel

Seventh-inning stretch song: I Can’t Help Myself – The Four Tops

 

Highlights – Michael A. Taylor hit a 2-run homer in the 4^th, his third tater in two days … Roark held the Reds to one run in his final 5 innings of work … Nats bullpen held Cincinnati scoreless over the final 3 innings … great James Brown medley during the Reds’ 8^th-inning pitching change … a little hot in the sun for the first hour or so, but perfect weather otherwise

 

Other – Reds got more runs than they needed in a 5-run top of the first … Bryce contributed to the damage by misplaying a ball to deep right that allowed the final 2 runs to score … Nats offense blew some opportunities, going 0-5 with runners in scoring position … in the bottom of the 5^th, Henley unwisely tried to score Brian Goodwin from first with no one out on Harper’s double … ice cream stand had no chocolate

June 14, 2017 – Braves 13, Nats 2 – Nationals Park

http://m.nationals.mlb.com/news/article/236475908/phillips-and-teheran-lead-braves-vs-nationals/

 

Attendance: 36,227

Game Time: 3:17

Weather: 86 degrees, overcast

Wind: 4 mph

Umpires: Home Plate - Andy Fletcher, First Base - Alan Porter, Second Base - Joe West, Third Base - Hunter Wendelstedt

 

Section 118, Row V, Seat 1 – mirror image on the third-base side of Section 127, where we sat Saturday. Great view, but unfortunately Seat 1 in this section does NOT have an aisle next to it.

 

Highlights – Brian Goodwin got the Nats on the board with a 2-run homer in the bottom of the second … weather was much better than expected, as there was no rain or storms during the game (just a bit shortly after I arrived around 3:00), and it wasn’t uncomfortably hot where I was sitting (the breeze helped), although they did open up a cooling center … patriotic tank-tops were obviously a popular giveaway item

 

Other – Tanner Roark was even worse than on his bobblehead day Friday, giving up 3 in the top of first and 3 more in the third (punctuated by a 2-run HR by light-hitting former Nat Kurt Suzuki), failing to shut down the Braves after Goodwin’s blast … Trevor Gott (taking one for the team) and Blake Treinen combined to give up 6 more Atlanta runs in the seventh … Nats offense offered little against Julio Teheran and 2 Braves relievers over the final 7 innings … Nats have now lost the past 4 games I’ve attended, 3 of which came on this home stand