Washington has its chances against Arizona

By Joe Conroy

Published: July 10, 2008

WASHINGTON — The Nationals just wouldn’t go away Thursday night against the Diamondbacks.
Arizona threw one of its best starting pitchers at Washington in Dan Haren and the right-hander shut the Nationals down for more than eight innings.
Fortunately for the Nationals, baseball games last nine innings. And, in last night’s case, sometimes more.
Austin Kearns came through for Washington twice when they needed runs in both the ninth and 10th, driving in three and tying the game twice before the Nationals finally succumbed in the 11th, falling 7-5.
In the last three contests no starter has allowed more than three earned runs and both teams recorded a shutout in the series before Arizona nearly added a second in the finale.
Entering the ninth down 2-0, the Nationals scored two runs when Kearns’ bases loaded fielder’s choice squirted through third baseman Mark Reynolds and into left field. Despite Washington putting Arizona on the ropes with runners on first and second with no outs, the Nationals would not push anymore across in the inning.
After closer Jon Rauch surrendered three runs on four hits in the 10th the Nationals stormed back once more with a run on Willie Harris’ RBI-single to right. Kearns then delivered a two-run double to tie the game.
Starter Jason Bergmann matched Arizona’s Dan Haren zero-for-zero on the scoreboard through the first five innings before surrendering a run in the sixth with two out and a second in the seventh. It was the Nationals’ 40th quality start of the season, exceeding the franchise’s mark at the same point last year.
The 6-foot-4 hurler induced fly ball after fly ball from the Diamondbacks last night, recording just one ground out and three strikeouts in seven innings of work, a stretch of 21 total outs.
Bergmann just happened to face a dominating Haren as the Arizona right-hander held the Washington lineup to just three hits over eight-plus innings (Haren faced two hitters in the ninth, walking leadoff man Felipe Lopez and allowing a hit to Kory Casto).
Haren, who played for the Potomac Cannons in 2002 when the club was affiliated with St. Louis, struck out nine in the game and left with a no-decision.
The Nationals welcome the Houston Astros to town tonight for the first game of a three-game series.
It will be the final series for Washington before the All-Star break.
Roy Oswalt (7-8) goes for Houston, while Tim Redding goes for the Nationals (6-3).