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