July 6, 2018 – Nats 3, Marlins 2 – Nationals Park

https://www.mlb.com/nationals/news/mark-reynolds-hits-pinch-hr-for-walk-off-win/c-284551684

 

Attendance: 32,652

Duration: 3:13

Weather: 85 degrees, Mostly Cloudy

Wind: 11 MPH In From Center

Umpires: HP: Mike DiMuro. 1B: Mark Wegner. 2B: Jim Reynolds. 3B: John Tumpane.

 

Section 318, Row C, Seats 3-5 (about halfway between home and first base)

 

Game notes – Gio struggled with his pitch count from the outset, finally giving up a run in the top of the 3^rd … Nats took the lead an inning later when Rendon and Harper drew walks to start the inning, followed by RBI singles from Eaton and Difo … Gonzalez issued a bases-loaded walk in the top of the 5^th to tie the score, but then finished his 114-pitch outing by fanning Justin Bour and Garrett Cooper … Rendon and Harper also led off the bottom of the 8^th with walks, followed by a Matt Adams infield single, but Washington stranded all 3 runners … Mark Reynolds pinch-hit for Doolittle to lead off the 9^th and hit a walk-off HR to left

 

Other – comfortable evening after several days of intense heat and humidity … long concession lines despite a less-than-sellout crowd for the Bryce Harper bobblehead

July 2, 2018 – Red Sox 4, Nats 3 – Nationals Park

https://www.mlb.com/nationals/news/max-scherzer-records-1000th-nats-strikeout/c-283970100

 

Attendance: 39,002

Duration: 3:15

Weather: 95 degrees, Clear

Wind: 10 MPH Out to Center

Umpires: HP: Jerry Layne. 1B: Vic Carapazza. 2B: Jordan Baker. 3B: Jeremie Rehak.

 

Game notes – after retiring the visitors 1-2-3 in the 1^st, Scherzer ran into trouble the next inning, when a single, hit batter, and a wild pitch gave Boston runners on 2^nd and 3^rd with 2 out … Nats elected to walk the light-hitting Jackie Bradley Jr., which backfired spectacularly when pitcher Rick Porcello doubled to clear the bases … Max ran into more trouble in the 3^rd, with his pitch count mounting, but recovered to last 6 innings and prevent further damage … Porcello limited Washington to solo homers by Rendon in the 4^th and Murphy in the 6^th, but Kintzler entered in the top of the 7^th and gave up a leadoff Mookie Betts shot to negate Murphy’s blast … Joe Kelly allowed a leadoff HR by Harper in the 8^th, but fanned the next 2 batters, and Boston closer Craig Kimbrel did the rest

 

Other – our drive down was relatively slow, meaning that our usual parking area was full, so we had to go back to The Lot Formerly Known As HH as a backup … despite the extreme heat, the Nats didn’t appear to open a cooling room, to my great surprise

June 25, 2018 – Bethesda Big Train 8, Silver Spring-Takoma Park Thunderbolts 4 – Shirley Povich Field

http://www.bigtrain.org/news/?article_id=606

 

Duration: 2:46

Plate Umpire: Eric Sloser    Field Umpire #1: Don O'Shea    Field Umpire #2: Simon Markovich

Attendance: 502

 

On the aisle, second row, halfway between home and first (general admission)

 

Game notes – Big Train scored without a hit in the bottom of the first, on 2 walks followed by a fielder’s choice and a sac fly … loaded the bases the next inning on 2 hit batters and a single, and took a 4-0 lead on a bases-clearing double by Alec Burleson … the T-Bolts notched 3 runs to tie things up in an ugly top of the 6^th, but Bethesda immediately regained the lead on an Andrew Shebloski homer and an RBI double by Burleson … added some insurance in the bottom of the 7^th on back-to-back-to-back doubles

 

Other – fundraiser for the Metropolitan Washington Ear

June 24, 2018 – Nats 8, Phillies 6 – Nationals Park

https://www.mlb.com/nationals/news/daniel-murphy-sparks-nationals-vs-phillies/c-282781362

 

Attendance: 29,314

Duration: 3:47

Weather: 83 degrees, Partly Cloudy

Wind: 4 MPH In From Left

Umpires: HP: David Rackley. 1B: Mark Wegner. 2B: Chris Guccione. 3B: Larry Vanover.

 

Game notes – Phils drew first blood in the top of the 3^rd, when Rhys Hoskins homered following a base hit by pitcher Nick Pivetta … Pivetta struggled in the bottom of the 4^th, yielding a leadoff HR by Rendon followed by 3 straight singles to tie the game … following a 38-minute rain delay, Pivetta returned to strike out the side and prevent further damage … Nats starter Jefry Rodriguez exited after giving up a walk and a HBP to start the 5^th, and the visitors took a 6-2 lead off Sammy Solis on a 2-run triple by Odubel Herrera followed by a Nick Williams homer … Nats staged a 2-out rally in the 6^th, on a pinch single by Eaton, followed by a Turner triple and back-to-back doubles by Harper and Rendon … Nats won it with another 3-run inning in the 8^th, on a 2-out bases-loaded single by Murphy, followed by Michael A. Taylor’s RBI single … Kelley, Grace, Madson, and Doolittle held Philadelphia scoreless over the final 4 innings

 

Other – early arrival led to some spirited table tennis and a stop at B-Dubs … courtesy of some friends, we got to spend the rain delay and the remainder of the game in one of the club-level suites

June 18, 2018 – Mahoning Valley Scrappers 4, State College Spikes 1 – Medlar Field at Lubrano Park (State College PA)

https://www.milb.com/state-college/news/spikes-late-rally-not-enough-in-loss-to-scrappers/c-281868164

 

Umpires: HP: Edwin Jimenez. 1B: David Cruz.

Weather: 81 degrees, partly cloudy.

Wind: 12 mph, Out to CF.

Time: 2:48.

Attendance: 2,005.

 

Section 202, Row 18, Seats 1-2 (main level, just beyond third base, aisle seats in the top row just below the concourse)

 

Game notes – very quiet game through 8 innings, as the Spikes managed only one hit, while the Scrappers scored their only run on a 2^nd inning homer by Elvis Perez … Mahoning Valley broke it open with 3 runs in the top of the 9^th, the big blow a 2-out, 2-run single by Gian Paul Gonzalez … State College did make things mildly interesting in the bottom of the frame, scoring one run and bringing the tying run to the plate before the Scrappers retired the final 2 batters

 

Other – actual attendance appeared to be maybe one-quarter of the announced figure … Monday night promotion featured one-dollar hot dogs and one-dollar small sodas (are you listening Nats?) … pleasant evening weather-wise, although it was a hot, humid afternoon

Beware the ‘mother of all credit bubbles’

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/beware-the-mother-of-all-credit-bubbles/2018/06/08/940f467c-69af-11e8-9e38-24e693b38637_story.html?utm_term=.ffcd12950298

 

Higher and higher levels of debt, this time mostly corporate (instead of home mortgages), packaged into “collateralized loan obligation” securities of decreasing quality. If this doesn’t bring back memories of the Crash of 2007, it should.

Did exactly 4,645 people die in Hurricane Maria? Nope.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2018/06/02/did-4645-people-die-in-hurricane-maria-nope/?utm_term=.37eff9e28059

 

That’s more like “4,645 ± 3,852”. Other attempts to ascertain the death toll come out around 1,000 – which is still much higher than the official figure of 64.

June 8, 2018 – Giants 9, Nats 5 – Nationals Park

https://www.mlb.com/nationals/news/stephen-strasburg-exits-with-injury-nats-fall/c-280420978

 

Attendance: 41,591

Duration: 3:04

Weather: 84 degrees, Cloudy

Wind: 5 MPH Out to Left

Umpires: HP: Kerwin Danley. 1B: Scott Barry. 2B: Carlos Torres. 3B: Paul Nauert.

 

Section 316, Row C, Seats 1-3

 

Game notes – Strasburg didn’t look like himself, yielding 3 runs and giving the visitors a lead they would never relinquish before leaving after the 2^nd inning with what turned out to be right shoulder inflammation … Giants padded their lead in the 4^th with a 2-run Gorkys Hernandez homer off Wander Suero, who gave up one more run in the 5^th … Nats fought back on a 2-run Soto HR in the 4^th, 2-run single by Harper in the 5^th, and a pinch-single by Matt Adams in the 6^th to pull within a run … rather than responding with a shutdown inning, the Nats bullpen (Kintzler/Grace) gave up 3 more runs in the top of the 7^th, and the Nats managed only one baserunner over their last 3 ABs 

 

Other – large crowd for the Zim bobble, resulting in crowded concourses and long concession lines

There are ‘nuggets of truth’ to what Trump says about trade

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2018/06/08/there-are-nuggets-of-truth-to-what-trump-says-about-trade/?utm_term=.65d7041315cb

 

Yes, there are instances in which countries use high tariffs, quotas and other barriers to protect some domestic industries and make it difficult or impossible to import certain goods.

 

Of course, the United States is one of those countries.

Can the Baltimore Ravens win back fans with cheaper stadium food?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2018/05/30/can-the-baltimore-ravens-win-back-fans-with-cheaper-stadium-food/?utm_term=.37fdfa0edf19

 

Ahem, Washington Nationals. Hot dogs at Citizens Bank Park are $4.00. The Ravens are lowering theirs to $3.00. You just raised your price to $7.00. Get with the program!