What we're watching – Freeway Series

By Jun 19, 2009, 5:01 PM EDT
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– The first of two series between the Braves and Red Sox kicks off with
a battle of Japanese starters, as Kenshin Kawakami and Daisuke
Matsuzaka will take the mound at Fenway tonight. Kawakami is 3-5 with a
4.54 ERA, but he hasn’t allowed more than three earned runs in any of
this last eight starts and he’s 1-0 with a 1.38 ERA in his two
interleague starts to date. Dice-K, who had his last start interrupted
by a rain delay, is 1-4 with a 7.55 ERA. He could use a strong outing
to guarantee that he’s kept in the rotation following John Smoltz’s
return next week.

– A White Sox-Reds game doesn’t qualify as a banner matchup, but with Hawk Harrelson set to miss the game, at least one of the two teams could have a watchable broadcast for once.

That Jose Contreras was able to hold the Tigers and Brewers to three
hits over 16 scoreless innings in his last two starts suggests he’ll
have no problem tonight with a Reds team that has scored 35 runs in 13
games.

As expected,
Ryan Hanigan is back batting eighth tonight after raising his OBP to
.406 by reaching three times as a No. 5 hitter Thursday. Just what was
he thinking?

– After losing 3-2 on Wednesday and 3-0 on Thursday, the Yankees
will face a pitcher they’ve never seen before in a third straight game
as the Marlins thrown Sean West tonight. West, a 6-foot-8 left-hander,
will be making his sixth big-league start after going 2-1 with a 3.00
ERA in the first five. He is wild, but the league is hitting just .165
against him. Andy Pettitte will start for the Bombers.

Game of the Night

L.A. Dodgers and L.A. Angels – The Angels are taking a seven-game
winning streak into their series against the Dodgers, and they’ll have
the added boost of getting Torii Hunter and Vladimir Guerrero back in
the lineup tonight. Still, it’s not likely to be easy to beat Chad
Billingsley, who is 3-0 this month and 9-3 with a 2.72 ERA for the
season. He is 1-2 lifetime against the Angels, but that comes with a
2.45 ERA in 22 innings. Seven-game winner Joe Saunders will get the
ball for the Angels.

Nationals blow 6-run lead, rebound to beat Phillies 8-7

Associated PressJun 3, 2023, 12:55 AM EDT
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WASHINGTON (AP) Lane Thomas singled in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning and the Washington Nationals sent the Philadelphia Phillies to their fifth straight loss, winning 8-7 after blowing a six-run lead.

The defending NL champion Phillies have just five victories in their last 18 games and are tied with the Nationals at the bottom of the NL East at 25-32.

“We’ve got to overcome it,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “We’ve got to play better, get consistent in all phases and keep moving forward.”

Alex Call drew a two-out walk against Connor Brogdon (2-1) in the eighth, stole second on a low pitch that catcher JT Realmuto couldn’t make a throw on and scored on Thomas’ single to right center.

“The way Lane’s swinging the bat, if you can get on second base, we can win the game,” Call said. “I look over and the ball’s in the dirt, he doesn’t catch it. Now I’m saying: ‘All right, Lane. Come on!’”

Kyle Finnegan (3-2) pitched 1 2/3 innings for the victory, stranding the tying run on second in the ninth.

Nick Castellanos homered twice, singled, doubled and drove in five runs for Philadelphia, which had scored just three runs in its past three games.

“There’s definitely a lot of positives as a group,” Castellanos said. “Showing some fight. It would have been really, really easy to lay down and allow the way the game started to be the way that it finished.”

Down 7-1 after four innings, Philadelphia tied it at 7 in the eighth. Brandon Marsh worked a nine-pitch walk against Mason Thompson leading off, and Drew Ellis singled with one out. Finnegan came on to face Kyle Schwarber, who hit a ground ball up the middle. Shortstop CJ Abrams fielded it behind it behind second base, touched second for one out, but threw wildly to first and Marsh came home with the tying run.

Castellanos’s second homer, a two-run shot to center in the sixth, pulled the Phillies to 7-3 and Marsh added an RBI single in the inning.

In the seventh, Schwarber doubled with one out and Bryson Scott reached on an infield single. Hunter Harvey came on and walked Bryce Harper to load the bases. Castellanos singled to center scoring two runs to make it 7-6.

Luis Garcia homered and Jeimer Candelario doubled twice and drove in three runs for the Nationals, who have won seven of 12.

Philadelphia starter Zack Wheeler, coming off eight shutout innings against Atlanta, allowed seven runs on eight hits in 3 2/3 innings.

“This one’s on me really,” Wheeler said. “Guys battled back. Just couldn’t finish it out. We know who we have in this room and what we’ve got to do.”

Josiah Gray gave up four runs on six hits in 5 1/3 innings for Washington.

Candelario doubled just beyond the reach of left fielder Schwarber to drive in the first of Washington’s two runs in the first.

In the second, Abrams hit a one-out drive to deep center that Marsh misplayed into a double. With two outs and two on, Candelario doubled off the wall in right center to make it 5-0.

Garcia ended Wheeler’s night with a solo homer in the fourth.

“When you come out the way we did, you’ve got to tack on,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez said. “It didn’t happen tonight, but we got one more than the other guys.”

CANDY MAN

Candelario is 9 for 26 (.346) with four doubles, a home run, nine RBIs, five walks, and seven runs scored in his last seven games.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Phillies: Thomson said RHP Taijuan Walker played catch Friday and there are “no worries about his next start.” In a four-inning outing against the Mets on Thursday, Walker’s sinker velocity averaged 90.6 mph, down from 92.7 mph for the season. His fastball, splitter and curveball velocity also dropped.

Nationals: OF Victor Robles (back spasms) took batting practice on the field for the first time since going on the injured list. … LHP Sean Doolittle (elbow) gave up a run on two hits and struck out two batters in 2/3 of an inning working his second straight night for Class A Fredericksburg.

UP NEXT

Phillies: LHP Matt Strahm (4-3, 3.20) will start a bullpen game on Saturday.

Nationals: LHP MacKenzie Gore (3-3, 3.57) went seven innings and struck out a career-high 11 batters in his previous outing – a no decision against the Royals.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports