NATS SLIP PAST ROX ON SPAN'S WALK-OFF BLAST
Zimmermann K's 11 in CG Effort
WASHINGTON, June 30 (AP) - Denard Span led off the bottom of the ninth inning with his third home run of the season, snapping a scoreless tie and giving the Washington Nationals a 1-0 victory over the Colorado Rockies at Nationals Park. The home run--just the fourth hit of the contest for the Nationals--made a winner of Jordan Zimmermann (10-2), who fanned 11--one shy of his season-high opening day strikeout tally against the Braves--as part of his first complete game effort of the season. It was, in fact, the first time any Washington starter has thrown a complete game this year. It comes in the club's 82nd contest.
Zimmermann and Rockies starter Yohan Flande--making just the second start of his career--were terrific. Flande was arguably even better than his Nationals counterpart, holding Washington to three hits and a walk while striking out five over seven innings. The Rockies touched Zimmermann for eight hits--all but one singles--over nine full frames.
Zimmermann scattered those eight safeties, and the Rockies didn't get a runner past second base with less than two outs until they posted their most serious scoring threat in the top of the seventh. Zimmermann yielded back-to-back base hits to Ryan Wheeler and Brandon Barnes leading off the inning. D.J. LeMahieu then hit into a fielder's choice, forcing Barnes at second, but leaving runners on the corners with one out. Flande was due and Colorado manager Walt Weiss had a decision to make: pinch hit for Flande, who had thrown six shutout innings and retired 10 consecutive batters and subsequently turn the game over to a depleted, bullpen that has posted the worst relief corps ERA in the National League to date; or let him bat. Weiss chose the latter option and Zimmermann fanned Flande. He then retired Charlie Blackmon on a fly ball to left to avoid any damage.
Weiss' decision didn't look all that bad in retrospect as Flande went out for the bottom of the seventh inning and retired the Nationals in order, increasing his consecutive batters retired streak to 13. When Flande was replaced in the bottom of the eighth by Nick Masset, there was no immediate drop off; Masset stymied Washington on three consecutive routine grounders, stretching Colorado's collective streak of hitters set down to 16.With two outs in the top of the eighth inning, Zimmermann had surrendered a triple to left-center to Justin Morneau, but retired Wilin Rosario on an infield pop to keep the game scoreless. In the top of the ninth, Zimmermann set the Rockies down in order, including a pair of strikeouts.
With the lefty Span due up to lead off the bottom of the ninth, Weiss turned to southpaw Franklin Morales to replace Masset. It didn't go well. On the very first pitch he saw--a fastball--Span turned on it and drove it into the right field seats for the walk-off game-winner.
6/30/2014, Col14-Was14, Nationals Park
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E LOB DP
2014 Rockies 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 0 8 0
2014 Nationals 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 4 0 3 0
Rockies AB R H BI AVG Nationals AB R H BI AVG
Blackmon lf 4 0 1 0 .259 Span cf 4 1 1 1 .303
Stubbs cf 4 0 1 0 .279 Rendon 2b 3 0 1 0 .289
Tulowitzki ss 4 0 0 0 .331 Werth rf 2 0 0 0 .306
Morneau 1b 4 0 2 0 .297 LaRoche 1b 3 0 1 0 .233
Rosario c 4 0 0 0 .220 Zimmerman,R 3b 3 0 0 0 .219
Wheeler,R 3b 4 0 1 0 .185 Harper lf 3 0 0 0 .228
Barnes,B rf 4 0 2 0 .255 Desmond ss 3 0 1 0 .248
Morales,F p 0 0 0 0 .071 Ramos,W c 3 0 0 0 .206
LeMahieu 2b 4 0 0 0 .217 Zimmermann,J p 3 0 0 0 .200
Flande p 3 0 1 0 .250 27 1 4 1
Masset p 0 0 0 0 .000
Dickerson,Co lf 0 0 0 0 .305
35 0 8 0
Rockies INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERA
Flande 7.0 3 0 0 1 5 99 63 2.77
Masset 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 10 7 4.37
Morales,F L 2-8 0.0 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 5.85
8.0 4 1 1 1 5 110 71
Nationals INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERA
Zimmermann,J W 10-2 9.0 8 0 0 0 11 104 75 2.33
9.0 8 0 0 0 11 104 75
Col: Blackmon moved to rf in the 9th
Dickerson,Co inserted at lf in the 9th
2B-Desmond(11). 3B-Morneau(2). HR-Span(3). RBI-Span(18). CS-Rendon.
K-Blackmon, Stubbs, Tulowitzki, Rosario 2, Wheeler,R 2, LeMahieu 2, Flande 2,
Werth, Harper 2, Ramos,W, Zimmermann,J. BB-Werth.
GWRBI: Span
Temperature: 80, Sky: partly cloudy, Wind: out to right at 12 MPH.
Attendance: 30,514
Game Time: 2:15