September 1, 2024 – Cubs 14, Nats 1

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/WAS/WAS202409010.shtml

 

Time: 2:42

Attendance: 31,086

Start Time Weather: 81° F, Wind 5mph out to Leftfield, Cloudy, No Precipitation.

 

Ineffective pitching + porous defense (Manager Dave Martinez after the game: “It was awful”) + anemic offense = this afternoon’s debacle.

 

The carnage started in the top of the 3rd, when defensively-challenged Washington starting pitcher Mitchell Parker committed his 5th error of the season by sailing an attempted pick-off throw well past its target, sending speedy Cubs CF Pete Crow-Armstrong all the way to third base. After he scored on Ian Happ’s single, a double and a walk loaded the bases, and a two-out hit by Isaac Paredes plated the second and third runs of the frame. An inning later, Nico Hoerner reached base on a grounder to CJ Abrams that was charitably scored as a base hit, then scored all the way from first when third baseman José Tena airmailed a throw on Crow-Armstrong’s bunt. Parker managed to finish six innings without further damage, but the visitors added another three-spot in the 7th off Jacob Barnes, aided in no small part by a ground ball that second baseman Luis García Jr. failed to come up with.

 

Meanwhile, Washington’s batters were extremely effective at making quick outs, as Chicago starter Jordan Wicks breezed through five innings without a single walk or strikeout. Even the Nats’ lone run was a mixed blessing, as it scored on a bases-loaded double play in the 2nd inning.

 

With the game pretty much out of hand, the only suspense was whether and when the team’s two brand-new members would make their major league debuts. Pitcher Zach Brzykcy (BRICK-see) was first, entering the game to pitch the 9th inning. He started out reasonably well, allowing hits to two of the first three batters he faced but then fanning Cody Bellinger for the second out of the inning. Unfortunately, things went downhill from there, as he walked the next two batters to force in one run before allowing a two-run single that ended his outing. Fellow rookie Orlando Ribalta poured kerosene on the fire, as the next five Chicago batters reached base before he could record the final out.

 

The pinch-hitting debut of Darren Baker went better, as he lined a single up the middle on the first pitch he saw in the bottom of the inning. His father (former Nats manager Dusty) and mother were both there to witness the event.

 

We somehow managed to make our usual one-hour trip down on Metro in a mere 45 minutes, with so little company that we were completely alone when we started our escalator ascent to ground level. With plenty of time after lunching at SeoulSpice, we decided to hike across the three-year-old Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge, which spans the Anacostia River. With another large crowd, the concession lines at the park were almost unbelievably long, but the afternoon once again was rain-free.

August 31, 2024 – Cubs 5, Nats 3

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/WAS/WAS202408310.shtml

 

Time: 2:38

Attendance: 32,995

Start time: 4:05

Start Time Weather: 83° F, Wind 5mph out to Centerfield, Cloudy, No Precipitation.

Seats: 314 E1-2 – Just one section away from our usual location

 

For the second game in a row, one big inning by the red-hot Chicago Cubs was enough to doom the Nationals. DJ Herz, pitching for the first time against the team that drafted him and then traded him away, dominated for the first four innings, allowing only one runner (on a walk). Things fell apart in the top of the 5th, however, as the Cubs began by loading the bases on two singles and a walk. The first run scored on a sacrifice fly, while the next two came across on another base hit and an infield grounder, with an error by normally-reliable CF Jacob Young thrown in. Jacob Barnes promptly served up a double to the first batter he faced, allowing another run to score. The visitors added an insurance run in the 7th when a throwing error by Washington catcher Drew Millas allowed Nico Hoerner to score from second base.

 

The Nats’ offense was not completely AWOL, managing 10 hits, but it was not particularly efficient either. The home team notched single runs in the 2nd (two-out RBI single by Joey Gallo), 4th (Andrés Chaparro homer), and 5th (Young doubled, advanced on an infield grounder, and scored on a wild pitch). They started the next inning with consecutive singles, but José Tena was thrown out trying to stretch his into a double, while CJ Abrams was caught attempting to steal second. They had one last chance when Millas and Young reached base with one out in the bottom of the 9th, but Dylan Crews and James Wood each fanned to seal the defeat.

 

With the Cubs always a big draw, and others attracted by the CJ Abrams bobblehead giveaway, the crowd was large and effectively bipartisan. We picked up subs before the game, then waited at least 20 minutes in line – it seemed much longer – until the gates opened and we could collect our promotional items. It was quite humid and stuffy in our seats, although there was a nice breeze going in the concourse. At least the rain held off until later in the evening.

Indigo Girls / Melissa Etheridge – Wolf Trap, 8/24/2024

This was both an interesting and a satisfying evening, especially since it consisted of one act that I had seen on several previous occasions, paired with another that I was seeing for the first time. Each did a set that was precisely 90 minutes long.

 

The Indigo Girls opened – I suspect they switch off from night to night – with six other musicians accompanying them on stage (including Lucy Wainwright Roche, who contributed a lovely solo performance of “Soft Line” about halfway through). The classic “Shame On You” started things off, followed by “Power Of Two”, which is one of my personal favorites. I was familiar with most of the material, although I had forgotten “I’ll Change” and had never heard “Joy Train”, which is from one of Amy Ray’s solo albums. “Least Complicated” was a crowd favorite mid-set, but things peaked at the end, with the final threesome of “Galileo”, “Kid Fears”, and the obligatory “Closer To Fine”, with Etheridge joining them for the last two.

 

Melissa Etheridge featured only three other musicians (bass, drums, and keyboards/guitar), but they produced plenty of powerful (and loud) tunes, opening with “Must Be Crazy For Me”. Two songs later, Amy and Emily joined them on stage for the simmering “You Can Sleep While I Drive”. One of the highlights for me came when she sat down at the piano for the great slow ballad “Nowhere To Go”. Although both of tonight’s acts like to mix up their setlists from show to show, the final four in Melissa’s recent shows have been almost completely consistent, alternating mid-tempo songs with extended rockers, ending with “Like The Way I Do” from her debut album, which included her spending a little time on the drums.

 

The weather was absolutely perfect. The pre-show traffic was not – very slow from halfway up the I-270 spur well into Virginia. Oddly enough, given that the show was sold out, I got out of the (no longer full) parking lot much quicker than usual about 15 minutes after Melissa Etheridge finished her set. Did some folks come just for the Indigo Girls and leave early?

 

Indigo Girls setlist

Melissa Etheridge setlist