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Washington Nationals snap nine-game losing skid

By KEVIN SLOAN For the News & Messenger
Published: April 13, 2008

WASHINGTON, DC — During Washington’s recent nine-game losing streak, manager Manny Acta has stressed to his team that they need to stay the course on each and every pitch. Just because someone might hit a hard, opposite field shot doesn’t mean they hit a good pitch, he told them.
So on Sunday, the players made a concerted effort to put together good at-bats. And right from the start, they showed patience, fortitude, and maturity at the plate. Add in two bases-loaded walks, a solid pitching performance from Tim Redding and a host of relievers, and some grittiness, and the Nationals ended the streak with a 5-4 victory over Atlanta at National’s Park, before 29,151 fans.
Redding scattered six hits in five innings and held the Braves scoreless till the sixth, when Chipper Jones hit a two-run home run and Jeff Francouer drove in Mark Teixeira with a sacrifice fly. Redding earned the win and upped his record to 2-1. Tom Glavine, who started for the Braves but strained his hamstring five batters into the game, dropped to 0-1. Jon Rauch earned his second save of the year with one pitch, getting Brian McCann to fly out to right field with the bases loaded.
“I was average at best,” said Redding. “I didn’t feel like I was real sharp today. There were a lot of 3-2 and 2-2 counts, things I didn’t do in my first two starts. I tricked them the first two times through the tineup. But the third time through, they’re going to get you. Chipper caught onto the game plan. When I went 1-0, I went off-speed. He was looking for a changeup and I threw him one. It wasn’t a great one and he beat me the other way.”
“Redding did a good job,” added catcher Paal Lo Duca. “The bullpen did a good job. Everyone did a good job. This was a big win. Anytime you win a one-run game is a big win. We know it’s not going to be easy so we have to keep plugging away.”
Washington took an early lead by scoring two runs in the first inning. Christian Guzman led off with a dou-ble, moved to second on a bunt single by Lastings Milledge and scored on a single by Ryan Zimmerman. Austin Kearns drew a walk off Glavine to load the bases. Wily Mo Pena (after Glavine left the game) grounded into a double play to score Milledge. An inning later, with Aaron Boone on first with two outs, Guzman, Milledge, Zimmerman, and Kearns walked in succession to score two more runs and take a four-run lead.
“Oh boy, was I happy,” said Acta of the patience shown at the plate. “We’ve been preaching quality at-bats. Today, a walk was as good as a hit. Would you like to see them hit a gapper right then? Yeah. But I don’t want them swinging at a bad pitch to get the gapper.”
Washington scored another run in the third after Lo Duca reached when hit with a pitch. He moved to sec-ond on a Ronnie Belliard groundout and scored when Boone got his second single of the game. After Atlanta scored its three runs off Redding, he gave way to Ray King, Saul Rivera, and Luis Ayala through the eighth inning. The Braves did score in the eighth off of a dropped flyball by Pena, which cut Washington’s lead to 5-4. Chad Cordero came in for the ninth — his first appearance since coming off the disabled list on Saturday. Cordero got the first two hitters easily, but walked Yunel Escobar and gave up a double to Jones. After walking Teixeira intentionally, Acta brought in Rauch to close the game. The 6-11 righty celebrated the birth of his new daughter, by earning the save with one pitch, which McCann hit to Kearns for the final out.
“It was a huge win,” said Rauch. “It is really good to get the win going into the road trip because it was a horrid homestand.”
NOTES: Pena was activated from the disabled list Sunday morning…to open a roster spot, catcher Jesus Flores was optioned to Triple-A Columbus…The Nationals had four batters come up with the bases loaded within the first two innings and went 0-for-2, but still scored two runs with Zimmerman and Kearns get-ting RBIs walks…Lo Duca was hit on the right hand by a Jeff Bennett pitch and suffered a contusion, but fin-ished the game…Jones’ home run was his second of the season — both against Washington at Nationals Park…the first was right-handed in the season opener; Sunday’s was left-handed.

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