THE RESULT: The less said about this one the better.
The Atlanta Braves beat up on four Washington Nationals pitchers en route to a 10-2 victory over their division "rival" and the Nats could not muster an attack against a rookie pitcher and a trio of relievers. Just 16,911 saw the fiasco in Atlanta's Turner Field.
The game started out ok enough for the Nats, as starter Scott Olsen (L, 3-5, 5.14) cruised through the first five innings scoreless. But in the sixth, things unraveled quickly. Hitting for starting pitcher Mike Minor (W, 1-0, 3.75), rookie Diory Hernandez got his first major league hit, a solo home run to left field. All-Star utilityman Omar Infante then ripped a triple to right and All-Star rookie OF Jason Heyward walked on five pitches.
And that was it for Olsen.
Manager Jim Riggleman wanted right-hander Joel Peralta to face righty Martin Prado (3-for-5, 3 runs, 2 RBIs), and the move backfired. Prado slammed a double off Peralta, and the competitve portion of the game was over.
Olsen appeared agitated when he was lifted. He casually flipped the ball to Riggleman stomping off the mound and screamed so loudly into his glove as he walked to the dugout was audible on the broadcast. Olsen's five-plus inning start earned him a $250,000 bonus, and each start he makes the rest of the season is another $100,000 per the incentive clause in his contract.
Olsen left the clubhouse before reporters arrived and reportedly declined comment through the team after the game.
After two bad starts, maybe the episode and the bonus money is enough incentive for the Nats to remove him from the rotation, as RHP Jordan Zimmermann is scheduled for just one more Triple-A start before being reactivated to the Major League roster.
A trio of relievers could not stop the bleeding, as Peralta, Doug Slaten and Craig Stammen all gave up runs of their own.
The Nats added to their own misfortune, committing two more errors to add to their legue-leading total. Both Alberto Gonzalez and Adam Dunn had throwing errors, leading to more unearned runs.
THE GOOD: Wil Nieves. Inserted for Ivan Rodriguez, ejected for arguing a strange foul tip strikeout call after batting in the first inning, Nieves went 3-for-3 with an RBI double.
THE BAD: Doug Slaten. The little-used lefty was terrible, allowing four of the five batters he faced to score. Also, Ryan Zimmerman and Adam Dunn both struck out three times in the game.
THE UGLY: The Washington Post's Adam Kilgore reported yesterday that OF Josh Willingham "likely" will have season-ending knee surgery as soon as next week. Willingham reportedly has tearing in his meniscus, the sponge-like cartilage in the knee. He's had problem with the knee since sliding awkwardly into second base in a game in late July.
The Hammer is hitting .268/.389/.459 with 16 homers and 546 RBIs, but has struggled mightily since the All-Star break, going .225/.314/.26 over his last 102 plate appearances.
THE STATS: 9 Ks, 2 BBs, 2-for-9 with RISP, 7 LOB
NEXT GAME: Tonight at 7:10 pm against the Braves. Livan Hernandez (8-7) takes on Tim Hudson (14-5).
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