September 13, 2021 – Marlins 3, Nats 0

https://www.mlb.com/gameday/marlins-vs- nationals/2021/09/13/632518#game_state=final,lock_state=final,game_tab=wrap,game=632518

 

Weather: 86 degrees, clear

Wind: 3 mph, out to RF

Umpires: HP--O'Nora, 1B--Blakney, 2B--Culbreth, 3B--Merzel.

Time: 2:36

Attendance - 19,759

Seats: Section 127, Row U, Seats 6-7.  Narrow pie-shaped section on the first-base side of the lower level, just above and to the right of some of the prime (meaning really expensive) seats. Great view, only 7 seats in our row, although unfortunately there was no aisle on our side.

 

Trois étoiles:

#3 – Marlins RF Jesus Sanchez, who singled in the top of the first after Jazz Chisholm had walked and stolen second, driving in the only run Miami would wind up needing.

#2 – Light-hitting (.133 BA, .479 OPS) catcher Alex Jackson, whose two-run double in the top of the ninth provided the visitors with some welcome insurance.

#1 – Sandy Alcantara, who shut out the Nats for 8 innings after carrying a perfect game into the 6^th and a no-hitter into the 7^th.

 

Alcantara really was the story of this game. His toughest moment came on the final pitch of the 4^th, when Juan Soto took a full-count slider and lined it off Alcantara’s left knee at 111.5 mph. The Marlins’ manager, pitching coach, and trainer joined him on the mound when he came back to warm up for the next inning, but he continued to pitch with no apparent loss of effectiveness. Washington finally got a baserunner leading off the 6^th when Chisholm booted a Keibert Ruiz grounder, and Josh Bell broke up the no-hitter with two outs an inning later when he lined a single off the right-field wall. Still unfazed, Alcantara fanned Yadiel Hernandez to end the frame, and then retired the Nats on 6 pitches in the 8^th, with his final effort a 99.6 mph four-seamer.

 

Somewhat lost in Alcantara’s dominance was a solid if hectic pitching performance by Paolo Espino, who gave up at least one hit in each of the first five innings, but no runs after the first. Helping him out was Alcantara’s ineptness with the bat: he fanned in all three of his plate appearances, stranding the bases loaded in the top of the 4^th. Espino retired the side in the order in the 6^th, marking his longest major-league start. Sam Clay and Austin Voth also turned in 1-2-3 innings, but Patrick Murphy allowed hits to the first three batters he faced in the 9^th, sending many of the fans heading for the exits. Zim provided a bit of hope when he led off the bottom of the inning with a pinch-single off Dylan Floro, but Lane Thomas grounded into a DP and Alcides Escobar grounded out to end the game, leaving Soto waiting on deck and the home team deeper in the NL East basement.

 

Attendance-wise, the evening was somewhat of a success for the Nats, as many of the 19000+ (including a surprising number of kids on a school night) were presumably lured by the PenFed jacket giveaway. Since there were 25,000 jackets available, everyone presumably went home happy with the promotion, if not with the outcome of the game. At a brisk 2:36 – Alcantara likes to work fast – at least it wasn’t a particularly late evening.

 

Shuffle #149 (September 11, 2021)

Voodoo Child (Slight Return) – Jimi Hendrix

Surface of The Moon – Del Amitri

Domino – Jessie J

Baby Did A Bad Bad Thing – Chris Isaak

John Barleycorn – Traffic

He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother – The Hollies

50 Ways To Leave Your Lover – Paul Simon

 

Lake Street Dive w/ Valerie June, Wolf Trap, 9/9/2021

Prime Orchestra, Row C, Seat 21 (left half of the center section, 2 rows in back of the orchestra pit)

 

It’s difficult to pick a favorite among the four times I’ve seen this band perform live (previously 2014, 2016, and 2019). Tonight, their only song not written by a member of the band was the second and final encore, a spirited rendition of the Beatles’ “Don’t Let Me Down”. Tracks from Obviously, their latest (and, for me, greatest) album, made up approximately half of the setlist, with the remainder consisting of mostly familiar songs from their previous efforts. (Interestingly enough, their final pre-encore threesome exactly matched that from two years ago.) Highlights included the two best tracks from their new album, the infectious “Hypotheticals” and a killer, throwback-style soulful duet between Rachael Price and keyboardist Akie Bermiss (“Same Old News”). Also impressive was a three-song acoustic mini-set in the middle of the show – one of several occasions when Bridget Kearney proved adapt at swiftly relocating her upright bass from one part of the stage to another – followed by a solo vocal turn by Bermiss on “Alone Again”. As usual, the musicianship and pacing of the show were impeccable, despite the recent departure of trumpeter and guitarist Mike "McDuck" Olson (the new guy on guitar did just fine, although I didn’t quite catch his name), and Price continues to be one of the most charismatic frontwomen (frontpeople?) around today. There were several points where the intensity of the elaborate LED lighting was quite annoying, althought the pink Victoria’s Secret type effect on “Red Light Kisses” was quite appropriate. However, the attempted audience singalong on that number didn’t work quite as well as it might have, given the (mostly) masked crowd.

 

Setlist

 

This is the second time I saw Valerie June as an opening act; I still have to agree with her description of her sound (“Organic Moonshine Roots Music”). I particularly enjoyed the second half of her 40-minute set, which started with “Smile” and “Call Me A Fool” from her most recent album, continued with the intense classic “Workin’ Woman Blues”, and concluded with the joyously energetic “Got Soul”. The bluesy “Fool”, which she recorded as a duet with Carla Thomas, is certain to rank high on the upcoming “Rambling Rhoads Best Songs Of 2021” list.

 

Setlist

 

Unlike the “podded” shows in the first half of the summer, the Filene Center (which has a high roof but is mostly open at the sides and back) has been at full capacity since early July. Given the recently-worsening coronavirus situation, however, Wolf Trap announced a couple of weeks back that masks would be required indoors (including within the Filene Center), and that all attendees must show proof of either vaccination or a negative covid test. (They checked before attendees got close to the gates, attaching a wristband after verifying their status.)