Astros Lose To Pirates On Error

Since nobody else seems to be doing this well, here's the Astros colliding on an easy popup, dropping the ball, and losing the game:

Bryce Harper Tries To Throw Behind A Runner On First From Left Field

Bryce Harper has been known to make some pretty crazy throws trying to get runners out.  This throw that took place on Thursday afternoon in a Spring Training game against the Houston Astros was one of them.

The Astros Brandon Laird led off the 5th inning with a ground ball single off the glove of the Nats shortshop Ian Desmond which took a weird angle on the ricochet into left field.  Because of the misdirection, Laird rounded first base thinking about getting to second.  Bryce Harper saw the lead and was disrespected by the lead, so he did what any of us would have done.  He threw the ball to Tyler Moore at first base to get the guy out.

Moore wasn't really paying attention and couldn't handle the one hop throw which got past him.  The runner did not advance.

The Astros announcer didn't seem too impressed with Harper's craziness:

"A little overaggressive by Bryce Harper trying to make the throw...he caught the firstbaseman a little off guard, its uncharacteristic play for a left fielder to be FIRING across the diamond back to first base, but he felt he had an opportunity.  A quicker runner may have taken advantage of that"

But wait, there is more:

"Sometimes you don't want to see that in a big league ballpark [due to larger foul territory or something]" 

JELLY!

The runner probably would have been safe at first if Harper's throw was on target (which it was not, getting past the Nats first baseman), but Laird had to slide head first to try to beat the throw.  It was close.

In my opinion, Harper kind of jogged to the ball trying to bait the runner to try to take second, so he could throw him out at 2nd.  When the runner didn't bite, he tried to get him the long way.  Love it.  BASEBALL!

Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post has your quotes on the matter here!

Nats Third Base Coach Bo Porter Takes Head Coaching Job Of Astros...Yikes

The Washington Nationals 3rd Base Coach and former Iowa free safety Bo Porter showed his toughness during a brawl with the Chicago Cubs (See GIF) earlier this season.  Next year Porter will have to show his toughness dealing with the worst team in baseball.

According to the Houston Chronicle, the Houston Astros have offered Bo Porter their head coaching job for 2013, and Porter has accepted.  Porter will finish the season with the Nats.

I wonder what Maniac Mike thinks about this move...

PTI Files: Bernadina's Catch & Stros vs Nats

On Wednesday's episode of PTI the guys discussed Roger Bernadina's catch in a game called What's the word, where the guys come up with words, real or fake, to describe certain plays.

Tony Kornheiser: "Copperfieldian" (the magician)

"because he disappeared when he was making this catch

Mike Wilbon: "Non-Existent" (because there is no baseball talk in England) and "Party-Pooping"

===================================================

On Thursday's episode of PTI the guys played a game called Oddsmakers where they put a percentage on certain situations.  This time it was the following:

Chances the Astros Beat The Nationals On Thursday Night?

Mike Wilbon 60%

Dan LeBetard 55%

Just in case you didn't see the result of the game, the Nats won the game 100% 5-0.

Michael Morse, Big Man Waiting To Hit Homers, & Drew Storen's Twitter Glove

Nationals 5, Astros 0

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Nationals	0	0	0	2	0	1	0	1	1		5	12	1
Astros	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0		0	5	0

Read the full box score at MLB

Michael Morse went Beast mode on Thursday night, jacking two homers including a blast that smashed into some billboards ABOVE the crowd (see where it landed here) to help the Nationals complete the sweep on the Astros in Houston.  The hit continued Morse's hitting streak at 18 games and the 5-0 victory helped the Nats gain a half game on the idle Braves and are now 4 1/2 games up.

Jordan Zimmermann threw less than 90 pitches and was removed after 6 shutout innings.  Zimmermann allowed only 3 hits, struck out 11 guys (tying a career high) and lowered his ERA to 2 in his 9th win of the season.  The Nats used 4 pitchers on the night and all have ERAs below 2.50.

Zimmermann is making a case to be called the best pitcher in the majors at this time.

Offensively aside from Morse's 2 jacks (Click here to watch the Bob Carpenter Morse Rally Song) Roger Bernadina went 3 for 4 on the night and Espinosa also picked up 2 hits on the night.  The 3-4-5 guys continue to drive in runners, all 5 RBIs tonight came from those three.

The Nationals head to Arizona to finish out the week...

Related Stories:

• Bob Carpenter's Big Man Waiting Michael Morse Song
• Davey Johnson Living At The Zoo

Game Preview: Nats @ Astros (8/9)

Story Lines

• Jordan Zimmermann will be going for the Astros' throats tonight, for his ninth win and the sixth consecutive win for the Nationals.
• Lucas Harrell is attempting to stop a nine-game slide and avoid another sweep.

Pitching Matchup

Jordan Zimmerman

• 8-6 with an awe-striking 2.45 ERA.
• Pitcher of the month in July.
• Gave up five runs (four earned) in his last start vs. the Marlins

Lucas Harrell

• 9-7, ERA of 3.98
• 6-1 with a 2.02 ERA in nine home starts.
• On a Strasburgian Innings Limit

Who To Watch

Michael Morse

• Seventeen game hit streak on the line
• Batting .298 with 8 home runs and 34 RBIs.

Angel Hernandez Vs Bryce Harper, A Gio Gem, And A Nats Win

Nationals 4, Astros 3

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Nationals	1	2	0	0	0	0	1	0	0		4	7	0
Astros	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1		3	9	1

Read the full box score at MLB

Gio Gonzalez pitched a complete game and tacked on a 2-run homerun to help lift the Nationals over the Astros 4-3 in 9 Innings (117 pitches) on Wednesday night in Houston.  Gio gave up 7 hits and allowed just 3 runs in the gem, striking out 6 and picking up his 14th win.

The story of the night was the Bryce Harper vs Angel Hernandez saga.  Hernandez, the home plate umpire, squeezed Bryce Harper on 3 different pitches garnering 2 temper tantrum reactions from the rookie.

The offense hasn't been driving guys in as of late and the story was the same on Wednesday.  The Nats left 11 runners stranded on base and were only 1 for 12 with runners in scoring position.  That number included an inning where the bases were loaded with 0 out and the Nats failed to plate a single run.  The Nats were outhit by the Astros 9 to 7.

The thing ESPN will be talking about happened in the 4th inning Harper took ball 4 low and outside, but Angel Hernandez punched him out to end the inning.  Harper responded by getting in Angel's face to complain until the Nationals coaching staff came out to get him away.

Hernandez remained calm during the Harper yellfest but he did not let it slide.  On Harper's next at bat in the 6th inning, a low and outside pitch had Harper headed towards first base.  However, the umpire actually called it a strike and Harper, frustrated, took his time walking back to the batters box.

The next pitch was the same one, low and outside, and Hernandez punched Harper out again to end the inning.  Harper almost smashed his bat into the ground again but held back and instead opted to gave Hernandez some grief as he walked back towards the dugout screaming "NO WAY!"

The incidents ended there but Harper was clearly distraught.  Harper is in the midst of a slump and he is not just getting mad at umpires.  Every time Harper misses on a pitch and pops it up you can see the frustration in Harper's reaction.  The rookie has a hot temper and it will be interesting to see what happens if all the anger is released during a game.

The game almost ended on another Roger Bernadina diving catch but the Shark came up a bit short and couldn't make the catch, allowing a run to score.  Gio finished out the game for a Nats W despite allowing (really a bad Bryce Harper throw allowed it) the game-winning run to reach 2nd base.

The Nationals go for the sweep on Thursady night...

Related Stories:

• The Nats New Celebration: Bubble Gum Showers
• Annoying Video Of Maniac Mike, Astros Yelling Guy

Nationals @ Astros - Game Preview (8/8)

Story Lines:

• Gio Gonzalez and Kurt Suzuki will be reunited since their days in Oakland.
• Armando Galarraga might sound familiar, and this is why.
• Series victory can be clinched tonight with a Nats win.

Pitching Match Up:

• Gio Gonzalez
• 13-6 with a 3.34 ERA.
• Has given up 4 runs in each of his last two starts.
• Has had a winning record in each month this season.

• Armando Galarraga
• 0-1 with a 5.23 ERA.
• Hasn't pitched more than 5.1 innings in either of his starts this season.
• He gave up 7 walks, 5 hits, and 4 runs in 5.1 innings his last start.

 Who to Watch:

• Jayson Werth
• Recorded a hit in a pinch hit appearance last night.
• Hitting .471 since returning from injury.
• Has not homered since returning.

Keys to the Game:

1. G-G-Gio Time. Look for Gio to pitch lights out with his old team mate behind the plate. 
2. Work the Count.  Galarraga has struggled with control in his first two starts of his season.
3. Harper Homer.  If Harper knocks one out of the park, the Nats are going to win tonight.

Maniac Mike, The Astros Screaming Fan (With Video)

On Monday & Tuesday at Minute-Maid Park in games between the Houston Astros and the Washington Nationals, there was a guy screaming like a maniac the entire game.  There was no method to his madness.  His mission, to scream and scream and scream some more.

Because the Astros stadium was almost empty (listed just above 14,000 on Tuesday) the screaming echoed throughout the massive empty stadium.  At some points it was so bad that the guy was interrupting the TV and radio coverage by taking over the audio with his screechy voice.

The guy went Twitter viral in DC with fans complaining about how annoying he was and he was the main topic of discussion between Nats fans on the social media front.

YouTube (and @RecordsAndRadio) have uncovered this guy as "Maniac Mike" who's buddies were egging him on to be loud and annoying.  Here are some up close & personal, and ANNOYING AS HELL videos:

Sportsmanship Baby!

In the video he discusses his strategy of waiting for the most quiet moment in the ballpark and then just screaming like a maniac "so everyone can hear me"

This is how Maniac Mike sounded during the game broadcast on TV:


Later in the ballgame, Maniac Mike caught a foul ball and he really went crazy.  The Nationals TV broadcast which somehow pretended he was not there the whole night finally gave the guy some camera time, and he didn't disappoint.  View the awesome GIF after the jump:

Bernadina Disappears, Reappears With A Victory

Nationals 3, Astros 2 (12 Innings)

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12		R	H	E
Nationals	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1		3	6	0
Astros	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0		2	5	0

Read the full box score at MLB

Roger Bernadina chased down a deep fly ball in centerfield.  Just when it looked like the ball would land on the ground and the Nats would lose, Bernadina leaped into the air and disappeared in a little cubby in the outfield fence.  When he finally emerged he had the ball in his glove and the Nationals had the victory.

Bernadina Makes The Game Saving Amazing Catch

In a game where offense was almost non-existent, Danny Espinosa drove in all 3 Nats runs including the game-winner in the 12th inning as the Nationals defeated the Astros 3-2 in 12 innings on Tuesday night.  With a Braves loss the Nats are now up 4 games in the division.

Ross Detwiler pitched 7 innings giving up just 3 hits and 2 runs, and the bullpen pitched 4 innings of 1 hit shutout baseball to keep the Astros quiet while the Nats waited for the offense to arrive.

The Astros scored 2 in the first inning but Danny Espinosa stepped up in the 2nd and jacked a 3 run shot.  After that...silence.  Well let me rephrase that.  Offensive silence.

Because the game was far from quiet.  There was one annoying fan who screamed like a maniac the entire length of the game.  With the stadium empty, his voice was louder and more annoying than you can imagine.  But don't worry, you don't have to imagine, read all about it and listen to it here.

Drew Storen ended up with the win and Bernadina's catch saved Tyler Clippard from blowing his 2nd save in a row.  Instead Clip notches his 23rd save.  Nats win.

The Nationals go for the series win in game 3 of 4 against the Astros on Wednesday night...

Related Stories:

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• Two Interesting Fans At The Ballpark

Maniac Astros Fan Ruins Entire Game By Screaming The Whole Time

On Tuesday night in Houston during the game between the Nationals and Astros, a crazy fan decided that he was going to scream for the entire game.  The stadium was so empty that the screaming rose above all other sound in the game including the commentary by FP Santangelo and Bob Carpenter.

Here is the bro who was the cause.  Tweeted by @PatrickBoyland

I'm not sure what someone at a stadium can do, but I'm pretty sure they can tell people to stop screaming or ask them to leave.  The Astros did not, and the screaming at points was so loud and screeching that I'm certain some viewers just put the TV on mute or turned off the game all together.

If you weren't watching the game, here are just a few seconds of what you missed:  Now imagine that for 9 innings.

Continue reading after the jump for the greatest GIF ever made!

Mini Tyler Clippard At The Nats Game & The Mustachioed Man

Here are two different fans that were watching the Nationals take on the Astros on Tuesday night in Houston.

Fan #1 Is the Mini-Clip.  Somehow, Tyler Clippard hass shrunk.  Either Rick Moranis was involved or he was eating Frosted Mini-Wheats.

And Fan #2 has the greatest mustache in the history of the world.  This guy is 100% Texas baby!

Game Preview: Nationals @ Astros (8/7)

Clippard Blows Save, Astros Blow Game

Nationals 5, Astros 4 (11 innings)

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11		R	H	E
Nationals	0	0	0	1	3	0	0	0	0	0	1		5	14	0
Astros	1	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	1	0	0		4	6	3

Read the full box score at MLB

Tyler Clippard blew a save but the Astros literally "threw" the game away in the 11th inning, giving the Nats a 5-4 win in front of an empty stadium in Houston on Monday night.  The Nats struggled against the worst team in baseball to remain 3 games up on the Braves who won earlier in the day.

The Astros went Keystone Cops in the 11th inning.  Suzuki popped up a sacrifice bunt with a runner on 1st and two Astros ran into each other and players were flying through the air.  When an Astro finally picked the ball up he fired it past first base and into right field foul territory.

Bo Porter held Roger Bernadina at 3rd base but the Shark ran right through the sign.  Luckily for the Nats the Astros threw over the catchers head and the Nats ended up with a run and a runner on 3rd on the bunt with 2 errors.  Astros mess up, Nats win.

The End Of The Astros Chances

Edwin Jackson pitched well, but his pitch count was high and he only lasted 5 1/3 innings, striking out 8 in a 2 hit 2 run performance.  Gorzelanny gave up another run and then after Drew Storen escaped a 3-0 count with the bases loaded in the 8th, Clippard blew the save in the 9th.  It was Clippard's 4th blown save but he struck out the side to give the Nats the chance to win the game in the 11th.

Play/Errors Of The Game

Offensively Espinosa, Zimmerman, Werth, and Morse each had two hits on the night and the 3, 4, 5 slots were responsible for all 4 runs.  Morse hit safely in his 15th straight game.

Despite getting more than double the number of hits as the Astros, the Nats still found themselves one ball away from losing the game.

The Nats continue the series tomorrow night in Houston...

Related Stories:

• Meet the Nat Pack, The Washington Nationals Starting Rotation
• Bryce Harper's Camouflage Cleats
• Here Is Rally Kid Version 2

Series Preview: Nationals @ Astros

It seems like 4 game series are becoming the norm for the Nats as they hit the road for 4 games against the Astros.  Here is how the series stacks up:

• Monday: 8:05 PM, Jackson (6-7) vs Keuchel (1-4).
• Tuesday: 8:05 PM, Detwiler (6-4) vs Lyles (2-8).
• Wednesday: 8:05 PM, Gonzalez (13-6) vs Galarraga (0-1).
• Thursday: 8:05 PM, Zimmermann (8-6) vs  Harrell (9-7).

Game of the Series: Thursday.  Zimmermann vs Harrell is a showdown between the best pitchers each team has to offer.  Should be a good one.

Sound of the Series: Run To The Hills.  This song gets me pumped up, so why not? 

Prediction Time:
My baseball knowledge is put to the test as I predict how the series is going to go.  Tell me how wrong you think I am in the comments or on Twitter @dru90.

• Nationals WIN Monday.
• Nationals WIN Tuesday.
• Nationals WIN Wednesday.
• Nationals LOSE Thursday.

Nationals WIN the series 3-1.

Nats Win Another Series

The Washington Nationals defeated the Houston Astros after another late game 7th & 8th inning comeback by a score of 3-2.  Another great performance by a starter, another no decision for a starter.

Zimmermann pitched 7 innings of 4 hit baseball with only 1 earned run, 3 strikeouts, and lots of ground balls.  Unfortunately for the Nationals they struggle against starters and don't score many runs until they face bullpens so the pitchers don't really get rewarded.

The Nationals once AGAIN scored the tying run on a bases loaded walk.  I've never seen so many HUGE runs on wild pitches and bases loaded walks.

In the 7th inning Rick Ankiel hit a double and after a balk by the Houston pitcher, Jaws Bernadina knocked in the game tying run.  The Nats and Mattheus gave up the lead again in the 8th, but in the bottom of the 8th after a bunch of walks including a bases loaded game-tying walk, Wilson Ramos hit a game winning sacrifice fly to take the lead.

H-Rod came into the game and finished off the Astros for his 3rd save of the game.  No vertigo for Rodriguez.

The Nats are now 10-3...it is early but life is good right now.

Gio Gio Gio

Titanic, Lord of the Rings, Benjamin Button...

What are three things that were much longer than the Nationals 1-0 victory over the Houston Astros on Tuesday night at Nats Park?  (a brisk 2 hour and 12 minute ballgame)

Gio, Gio, Gio...Gio Gonzalez pitched 7 innings of shutout baseball with 8 strikeouts and 2 walks while only allowing 2 hits to pick up his first win of the season.  That makes 2 gems in a row by Nat-Gio.  He has now pitched 14 innings of shutout baseball, giving up only 4 hits, walking only 2 batters, and striking out 15 batters.  (Look's good!  Conan voice)

The Nats offense wasn't around again, scoring only on a play with 2 outs where the Astros made a fielding mistake.  (didn't count as an error, but it was a terrible and costly mistake).  Thanks to a scoreless 8th by Clippard and a nerve-wrecking 9th by Lidge, the Nats got the win.  Lidge earned his 2nd save of the season.

Guess who had the RBI ... Adam LaRoche (tied for 3rd in the MLB)

Harrell vs Zimmermann tomorrow 7pm...

Ankiel's Throw Makes PTI

This was on the What's The Word segment of Pardon The Interruption on Tuesday (Listen to the podcast here).

Rick Ankiel's throw last night was __________.

Tony:  NUCLEAR-DETERRENT

Wilbon:  JUNIORIFIC

Tony called Ankiel's throw "the bomb" and said that is why he started as a pitcher.  I dunno about TK sometimes.

Wilbon went straight to name dropping with Ken Griffey Junior and didn't talk about Ankiel much. He mentioned Willie Mays & Clemente.

Tony admits he was wrong when he said Ankiel couldn't be an everyday player years ago.

See what the PTI guys had to say about the Caps fans taunting Tim Thomas at Caps Basketball

The Lombard Yard & The Z-Man Help Strasburg Get The W

On a DC baseball holiday (a day when Strasburg has a home start), the Washington Nationals defeated the Houston Astros 6-3 giving Strassy his 2nd win of the season.  Strasburg pitched 6 innings, gave up 6 hits, struck out 5, and only gave up 2 runs.

This season that 2 runs given up could have been a dagger for the Nats and Strasburg, but the offense stepped up and scored some runs to back him up.  Every single starter (including Strasburg) picked up at least 1 hit on the day.

Davy J gave Espinosa the day off and Steve Lombardozzi (The Lombard Yard) had a surprising 4 hit day.  Lombo drove in 2 huge runs that put the Nats up and ended up giving Strasburg a W when it looked like he would get a 2nd no decision on the year.  Zimmerman also picked up a couple hits and a couple RBIs.

The bullpen gave up one run (Mattheus) but the Nats picked up the W when H-Rod closed the game to pick up his 2nd save of the season.

The Nats are now 8-3 and sit alone atop the NL east.  Why do I care after 10 games what place they are in?  I don't...but it could be the only time I type that line all season, so I'm gonna use it!

Series Preview: Astros @ Nationals

The Nationals continue their lengthy homestand with a four game series against the Astros.  Better known as the "Lastros".  Needless to say this is a fantastic opportunity for the Nat's to extend their lead over the rest of the NL East.

• Monday: 7:05pm, Strasburg (1-0) vs Weiland (0-1).

• Tuesday: 7:05pm, Gonzalez (0-0) vs Rodriguez (0-1).

• Wednesday: 7:05pm, Zimmermann (0-1) vs Harrell (1-0). 

• Thursday: 7:05pm, Jackson (1-0) vs Norris (0-0).   

My pick for the game of the series...Is Wednesday.  Zimmermann has pitched great, but is still looking for his first win.  Likewise Harrell, who pitched great his first game before a not so great performance in his second start, will be focused in on trying to get back on track.