An event planned in the 2011 schedule since its disclosure could not have been better timed coming the day after the capture and killing of Osama bin Laden. The Nationals look to close out the series against the Giants with a win on a night in which members of the military receive free tickets.
I have not been writing much about the Nationals lately despite their good start. They’re a game under .500 at 13-14, and can take three of four tonight from the Giants while fashioning their patriotic uniforms.
Madison Bumgarner squares off against Tom Gorzelanny, a lefty-on-lefty matchup featuring two starters with a combined 0-6 record. The defending World Series champions are 13-14 as well, which is much worse than expected. The only winning record in the NL West belongs to Colorado, who are 17-9 and the MLB’s second best.
The Nationals are currently playing without their star third baseman, Ryan Zimmerman, who is out with an abdominal tear on which he is about to undergo surgery. They are 10-9 in the stretch without him, but are about to face a test.
Bob Carpenter stated during the broadcast that he is worried about not having Zimmerman for the Nats’ next road trip. Washington will go to Philadelphia, Florida, and Atlanta in the next week and a half. No one plays well in Philadelphia, and Sun Life Stadium has been a pit of despair for the Nationals in recent history. Carpenter said that the Nats play well in Atlanta though, so we will see what the young club can do in the coming stretch.
So far the game has been relatively uneventful with the exception of the GEICO Presidents’ Race. George Washington emerged first from the centerfield fence bearing an American flag; followed by the other three presidents in their chronological succession: Tom (3), Abe (16), and the winless Teddy (26).
…And Madison Bumgarner has thrown four perfect innings
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Nats score twice in the 7th, lead 2-0 in the 8th.