Final
Nats power past Brewers to end skid at 5
Aug 23, 2009 - 10:20 PM WASHINGTON(AP) -- Ryan Zimmerman and the Washington Nationals turned to the long ball to end a five-game skid.Zimmerman, Cristian Guzman and Adam Dunn homered, and the Nationals beat the Milwaukee Brewers 8-3 on Sunday.
"We can hit," Nationals interim manager Jim Riggleman said. "We're more surprised when we don't score some runs than when we do score them."
Rookie right-hander Craig Stammen (4-6) allowed three runs and five hits over 6 1-3 innings to win for the first time in six starts. Zimmerman drove in three runs and Ronnie Belliard had two RBIs.
"Anytime the starting pitcher gets into the seventh and we can score that many runs, I'll take our chances that we're going to have a pretty good day," Zimmerman said.
Alcides Escobar hit his first major league homer for the Brewers, who had won two straight, but his error helped Washington score three unearned runs off Manny Parra in the first. Nyjer Morgan reached on an infield single and was safe at second when the shortstop couldn't handle Parra's throw to second on Guzman's bouncer to the mound.
"The ball, when Manny throw, I'm waiting for it on my side," Escobar said. "He throw easy, and I see the runner very close to me. I try to jump and I drop the ball."
Zimmerman then delivered a run-scoring single to center and Ronnie Belliard later added a two-out, two-run bloop hit to right.
Morgan's successful suicide squeeze plated Mike Morse and Guzman's two-out solo shot to left made it 5-0 in the second.
"You're always trying not to give up any hits - that's the goal always - but it's a little bit of extra comfort in the back of your mind that if you do make a mistake, you're still right there," Stammen said. "You don't have to be picture perfect."
Parra, who had won four of his past five starts, allowed eight runs - five earned - and eight hits over 3 1-3 innings.
Dunn connected for his 33rd homer in the third, hitting a leadoff drive into the second deck in right. Guzman singled with one out in the fourth before Zimmerman launched his career-high 26th home run to center, knocking Parra (8-10) from the game.
Escobar lined Stammen's 2-1 pitch into the left-field stands in the fifth to cut the Nationals' lead to 8-2. But the slick-fielding rookie's miscue still stood out.
"That's nice that he hit a home run (but) I'm looking for him to be a Hoover out there in the field," Brewers manager Ken Macha said. "This guy's supposed to be an impact glove man."
Milwaukee's Ryan Braun was ejected for throwing his helmet in the sixth after shortstop Guzman ranged into short left field to snag his grounder and throw him out at first for the inning's first out. Braun used two hands to heave his headgear in disgust and got tossed by first base umpire Mike Muchlinksi.
NOTES: Nationals LHP Sean Burnett bruised his left thumb trying to field Mike Cameron's grounder in the seventh. Riggleman said he might be unavailable for a couple of days. ... For the fourth time this season, Macha batted his starting pitcher eighth, with Escobar hitting ninth. ... Washington OF Elijah Dukes was scratched with a sore, blistered left thumb. He was replaced by Morse in right field. ... The three homers allowed by Parra were a season high. ... Washington's Josh Willingham was hit by a Carlos Villanueva pitch in the sixth, the team-high 12th time this year he's been plunked.
- ** CONFIRMED **
NL
MILWAUKEE 3
WASHINGTON 8 FINAL
Aug 23 4:31 PM - NL
AT WASHINGTON - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY JODY GERUT SCORED HERNAN IRIBARREN
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, J GERUT ON FIRST, 1 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: MILWAUKEE 3
WASHINGTON 8 TOP,7TH
DUE UP FOR MILWAUKEE: A ESCOBAR (.333, 1-FOR-2, HR, RBI)
Brewers 3, Nationals 8 Top 7, 0 OutsAug 23 3:53 PM - NL
AT WASHINGTON - SCORING UPDATE
SOLO HOME RUN BY ALCIDES ESCOBAR (1) TO LEFT WITH 1 OUT IN
THE 5TH OFF CRAIG STAMMEN.
CURRENT SCORE: MILWAUKEE 2, WASHINGTON 8
DUE UP FOR MILWAUKEE: F LOPEZ (.316, 1-FOR-2, RBI)
Brewers 2, Nationals 8 Top 5, 0 OutsAug 23 3:07 PM - NL
AT WASHINGTON - SCORING UPDATE
TWO-RUN HOME RUN BY RYAN ZIMMERMAN (26) TO CENTER WITH 1 OUT
IN THE 4TH OFF MANNY PARRA SCORED CRISTIAN GUZMAN.
CURRENT SCORE: MILWAUKEE 1, WASHINGTON 8
DUE UP FOR WASHINGTON: A DUNN (.287, 1-FOR-2, HR, RBI)
Brewers 1, Nationals 8 Bot 4, 0 OutsAug 23 2:54 PM - NL
AT WASHINGTON - SCORING UPDATE
SOLO HOME RUN BY ADAM DUNN (33) TO RIGHT WITH 0 OUT IN THE
3RD OFF MANNY PARRA.
CURRENT SCORE: MILWAUKEE 1, WASHINGTON 6
DUE UP FOR WASHINGTON: J WILLINGHAM (.298, 0-FOR-1)
Brewers 1, Nationals 6 Bot 3, 0 OutsAug 23 2:27 PM - NL
AT WASHINGTON - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY FELIPE LOPEZ SCORED MANNY PARRA
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, F LOPEZ ON FIRST, 2 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: MILWAUKEE 1
WASHINGTON 5 TOP,3RD
DUE UP FOR MILWAUKEE: C COUNSELL (.284, 0-FOR-1)
Brewers 1, Nationals 5 Top 3, 0 OutsAug 23 2:20 PM - NL
AT WASHINGTON - SCORING UPDATE
SOLO HOME RUN BY CRISTIAN GUZMAN (6) TO LEFT CENTER WITH 2
OUT IN THE 2ND OFF MANNY PARRA.
CURRENT SCORE: MILWAUKEE 0, WASHINGTON 5
DUE UP FOR WASHINGTON: R ZIMMERMAN (.301, 1-FOR-1, RBI)
Brewers 0, Nationals 5 Bot 2, 0 OutsAug 23 2:11 PM - NL
AT WASHINGTON - SCORING UPDATE
SACRIFICE HIT BY NYJER MORGAN SCORED MIKE MORSE
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, NONE ON, 2 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: MILWAUKEE 0
WASHINGTON 4 BOTTOM,2ND
DUE UP FOR WASHINGTON: C GUZMAN (.305, 0-FOR-1)
Brewers 0, Nationals 4 Bot 2, 0 OutsAug 23 2:11 PM - NL
AT WASHINGTON - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY RONNIE BELLIARD SCORED RYAN ZIMMERMAN AND CRISTIAN
GUZMAN
SITUATION: 3 RUNS IN, R BELLIARD ON FIRST, 2 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: MILWAUKEE 0
WASHINGTON 3 BOTTOM,1ST
DUE UP FOR WASHINGTON: J BARD (.234, 3 HR, 23 RBI)
Brewers 0, Nationals 3 Bot 1, 0 OutsAug 23 1:56 PM - NL
AT WASHINGTON - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY RYAN ZIMMERMAN SCORED NYJER MORGAN
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, R ZIMMERMAN ON FIRST, C GUZMAN ON THIRD, 0 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: MILWAUKEE 0
WASHINGTON 1 BOTTOM,1ST
DUE UP FOR WASHINGTON: A DUNN (.286, 32 HR, 88 RBI)
Brewers 0, Nationals 1 Bot 1, 0 OutsAug 23 1:51 PM
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