Not since that glorious stretch in June 2005, when the city of Washington fell in love with baseball again and rejoiced as its new hometown team catapulted itself into first place, have the Nationals enjoyed anything like this.
A seven-game winning streak? It has been more than three years, and it feels even longer than that for the select few who are still around from that inaugural season team that won 10 in a row.
The only player wearing a Nationals uniform during Monday’s 7-4 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies who was even on the roster in June 2005 was Cristian Guzman. For the 30 other guys in the home dugout at Nationals Park, this was a new experience - one certainly more enjoyable than what had preceded it.
“The team’s playing unbelievable right now,” right-hander Tim Redding said. “It’s fun coming to the field. We know we have a great chance of winning. We’ve got all three aspects of the game clicking right now.”
When’s the last time the Nationals could say that? Rarely during this trying season have they managed to hit, pitch and play solid defense all at once. Somehow, they have managed to do it all for the last week.
During the streak, Washington is hitting .321 and averaging seven runs a game. The pitching staff has posted a 3.52 ERA. And though they have been charged with seven errors during the perfect homestand, the Nationals also have thrown together a string of highlight-reel plays in the field that have helped make these wins possible.
“We’re just playing together as a team right now,” third baseman Ryan Zimmerman said. “If people make a mistake or have a rough time, we pick each other up. It’s fun to play when you’re doing that kind of stuff.”
Monday’s victory, an odd ballgame that saw Redding labor on the mound yet carry a no-hitter into the sixth inning, was above all else the latest example of Washington’s newfound offensive prowess.
The Nationals pounced on the Phillies for 12 hits, scoring six runs by the fourth inning to open up a huge lead. As has been the case throughout the winning streak, the big hits were spread across the lineup. Lastings Milledge kicked things off with a two-run single in the first. Willie Harris tripled home a run in the fourth, and Guzman drove him in with an RBI double.
Zimmerman then capped things off with a monstrous homer that landed perhaps 30 feet behind the center-field fence, the surest sign to date that he has come all the way back from his left shoulder injury.
“Now he’s driving the ball,” manager Manny Acta said. “We need him. Everybody knows that.”
The Nationals also need Elijah Dukes, as this past week has proved. The right fielder had only one hit Monday, but he reached base three times, scored a run and made a fine catch as he slammed into the outfield wall.
Since returning from the disabled list Wednesday, Dukes is hitting .333 with four extra-base hits, six RBI and eight runs scored. Is it any surprise Washington hasn’t lost during that time?
“Our lineup is so much better when he’s in it,” Acta said. “He’s our legit threat, with Zimmerman, to hit the ball out anytime he comes up to the plate.”
All the offensive support Monday came in handy for Redding, who for a while was authoring one of the most unlikely pitching performances of the season. When he took the mound for the sixth inning, he had surrendered two walks, hit two batters and thrown a whopping 88 pitches. Yet the Phillies still didn’t have a hit.
Any shot at a history-making outing was dashed when Shane Victorino beat out an infield grounder, but that wasn’t enough to deny Redding his 10th win of the season - the first time he has reached double digits since 2003 with the Astros.
“I’ve battled all year,” he said. “I believed I could get to this point.”
Redding certainly battled during that sixth inning. With two outs, he allowed an RBI double and then a walk, forcing Acta to summon a couple of rookie relievers to get out of the mess. Left-hander Charlie Manning only made matters worse, walking Pedro Feliz on four pitches, and right-hander Marco Estrada handed two more runs to the Phillies when he walked and plunked the first two batters he faced.
But Estrada got an inning-ending groundout, and fellow relievers Saul Rivera, Steven Shell and Jesus Colome managed to close out the ballgame without any more drama and prolong this most unlikely winning streak for at least one more day.
“The energy level is better,” Acta said. “Guys are coming in ready to work and wanting to work, win or lose. It’s a different atmosphere.”
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