Wilmer Flores Walk-Off Lifts Mets To Win

48 hours ago, Wilmer Flores was on an emotional roller coaster.  Thanks to social media there was rumors circulating that him and Zack Wheeler would be getting traded to the Brewers for Carlos Gomez.  Fans were giving Flores a standing ovation and once he found out those rumors, he started crying in the middle of the game.  Then when the game ended, Mets GM Sandy Alderson said that trade was NOT confirmed so Flores ended up staying with the Mets after all.  

After dropping the last two games, the Mets hosted the Nationals in a critical NL East battle in front of a packed Citi Field.  Matt Harvey took the mound for New York while Washington countered with Gio Gonzalez.  It was a pitchers duel throughout as Harvey looked like his old self.  He retired 30 straight Nats dating back to his last start against them and didn't allow a hit till the fifth inning.  

Wilmer Flores night started while he was at second base.  On the second out of the game he made a diving stop on a grounder, fired it to first and got a standing ovation.  In the fourth he hit an RBI single that was deflected by Nats shortstop Ian Desmond into the outfield that scored Juan Uribe.  

Matt Harvey struck out nine and didn't allow a run until the eighth inning before he exited the game.  The Nats tied the game on a Yunel Escobar single to centerfield that scored Danny Espinosa.  With the game tied at 1 the Mets brought in Tyler Clippard in relief to face his former team.  Clippard got out of the jam and it went to the ninth inning tied.  

Nobody was able to score so the game went to extra innings.  In the 11th inning Bryce Harper came up to the plate.  He struck out looking and he lost his temper.  Harper turned to the umpire and argued and got tossed from the game.  

The game would remain tied until the bottom of the 12th as new fan-favorite Wilmer Flores hit a walk off home run!  48 hours ago he was crying because he thought he was about to leave a team that he had been with his whole life.  In fact, he got drafted by the Mets at age 16.  48 hours later, he would be the one who came through in a critical game as he hit a shot into the left-centerfield stands to send Mets fans home happy.  

The Mets have shrunk their deficit to two games behind the Nationals for the top spot in the NL East.  For the Nats it doesn't get any easier as they will face Jacob deGrom on Saturday night.  It also marks the debut of new Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes who they acquired at the trade deadline.  The best part of that deal is that the Mets didn't lose anybody and still have Zack Wheeler.  Also, after tonight the Mets are certainly glad they didn't trade Wilmer Flores after all.  

Nationals vs. Mets: A Clash of the Titans

This will be a series for the ages.  I know the pennant races haven't completely heated up yet and will not heat up until September but this weekend series between the New York Mets and Washington Nationals is a huge one.

For the Nats, they look to remain the team to beat in the NL.  Washington currently holds a three game lead over the NYM but the Mets have been a roll lately.  Despite dropping their last two games and having a dramatic two days, with one of their players crying thinking they got traded on Wednesday night to blowing a six run lead yesterday, the Mets are still in it and have a legitimate chance to de-throne the Nats.

The Nats entered the season as a World Series favorite after signing Max Scherzer and boasting one the best rotations in baseball.  The Mets starting rotation isn't too shabby either as they have a lot of young guns and a strong hair game.  New York is sending their big three arms into this weekends series with Matt Harvey tonight,  Jacob deGrom tomorrow, and Noah Syndergaard on Sunday night.

This weekend at Citi Field is the Mets biggest series in years as they look to gain some ground and show the rest of league that this team is much different than they were in years past.  The Nats have to win to remain at the top in the standings.  It is a division rivalry that only got fueled this past week when the Mets added former National Tyler Clippard to their bullpen.  Clippard told reporters that the Nats are "beatable."

Tonight at 7:10 Matt Harvey and Gio Gonzalez will go head to head.

Get your popcorn ready.

That Week I Ran 100 Miles...

About a year ago to the day, I was training for my first half marathon and it was grueling.  Running tons of miles in the middle of the summer heat, it was a test on my body that I was willing to endure.  A few months later was my race which was the Navy-Air Force half marathon in DC.  When I crossed that finish line, it was one of the best feelings I felt in a long time, all those months of hard work and training paid off.  

After taking some time off I was trying to figure out what I could do the following year that could top that.  That's when I came across Eastern Trek for Cancer.  It was a program through the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults where the participants could either run 40 or 100 miles and help raise money for cancer.  I knew I wanted to do that and to challenge myself I picked the 100 miles.  

My run would go from South Orange to Long Beach Island, New Jersey with a team of other dedicated runners.  100 miles sounded intimidating but doing over the course of a week wasn't that bad.  The first day was by far the hottest as we were running 22 miles in 100 degree heat.  The next day we had our first hospital visit, where we handed out support bags and interacted with cancer patients.  

The next two days were filled with more miles with 17 and 24 respectively.  Then that Thursday was our second and final rest day and we visited the same hospital.  Only this time there were different patients and it was packed.  The doctor was there too and she appreciated our efforts.  

The best part about this hospital visit was that it was a lot more eye opening to me.  Over the last couple years I went through a lot but after talking with the patients I realized that I needed to appreciate the things I had going for me.  I met an older patient named Mike and he reminded me a lot about myself.  I wasn't quite sure what he was diagnosed with but one thing for sure was that he had such a positive attitude and like me, is a big baseball fan.  His favorite team was the Yankees (which is also my favorite team over on the American League side) and he told me many stories from watching Babe Ruth as a kid, to Joe Dimaggio's 56 game hitting streak (which likely will never happen again), to Mickey Mantle, and Reggie Jackson.  Of course we also talked about recent Yankees stuff too from Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter retiring and even how Alex Rodriguez is still doing damage at age 40.  He said he had treatment for a long time and he was ready to just go home and watch the Yankees game which reminded me of how when I work or study I always look forward to getting back to watch a game. 

 

The patients also loved my magic tricks and I even did some new jaw-dropping ones that I never showed anybody else before.  Anytime I have a chance to put a smile on someone's face and give back, I always want to take advantage of.  This honestly is the first time I've given back since high school.  During those days it was mostly giving back to kids with disabilities, so this was my first time doing something for the cancer community and I would definitely love to do something like that again.  

On the second to last day we ran to Seaside Heights to Forked River.  For any of you MTV fans, yes Seaside Heights is where they filmed the "hit" show Jersey Shore.  In the middle of the run we ran through the town Ortley which was familiar territory for me because my Uncle Mike had a beach house there.  I called him and he told me to come by so the rest of the team and I got to spend time at his house for a nice break from running.  It was nice seeing how his house was still standing despite Hurricane Sandy wrecking many houses in the Jersey Shore a few years ago.  It was only his basement that was wrecked badly but everything else was good.  

Saturday was the last day and we ran all the way up LBI with the course ending at the Barnegat Lighthouse.  When it ended I was pretty sad the week was over but mostly excited that I completed another big running challenge.  It wasn't even the fact that I ran 100 miles that I found the most impressive it was the fact that I raised $1,875 towards the Ulman Cancer Fund, a number I never thought I could reach.  

I would just like to thank all of you who donated to me and even if you didn't, I still appreciated the support.  All the phone calls and texts wishing me luck and checking in to see how I was doing really meant  a lot to me and helped push me through each mile.  Now that I finished that big endeavor I still feel like it's just the beginning of my distance running career.  Now it's time to start, or should I say continue, training for a fall race as well as work on other projects I got coming up in the near future…

Eastern Trek for Cancer. Lets do this.

I can't believe how far I've come since running my first half marathon.  A few months after I did it I found a program that had the potential to change and impact lives, Eastern Trek for Cancer.  I thought about it and ultimately made the decision to run 100 miles for a week.

When I started all I wanted to do was raise at least $500.  What I was surprised to find out that I got more donations than I thought so I had to keep increasing my goal by $500.  Now I've raised the third most on the team and over $1,000.

Training for this race has been tough but it was the toughest this month.  I was hurt for a few days to start and I had to run 20 miles one day.  I did it and I felt incredible.  I know it's gonna be nothing compared to completing 100 miles.

Last year was hard for me and I wasn't enjoying life so much.  Now I realize I have a lot to live for and be excited about because yesterday is over.  I'm looking forward to looking back on my life to appreciate what I've done to help others out and on my rest days I will visit cancer patients and help them out.  That's what I'm really looking forward to the most.  Running is one of my three passions in life and to take that passion and use it to bring positivity to those that need it is what it's truly all about.

There is a ton of people I need to thank.  My best friend Adam Forester is first.  As I am writing this he is probably in Chicago.  Where did he start?  San Francisco.  He is running across the country!  I thank Adam for the encouragement he provided me to sign up for the run.  When you told me there were still spots left I knew this was exactly what I wanted to do.  Bros forever.

I also want to thank Matt Dexter.  I am meeting him for the first time tomorrow but I can already tell how amazing of a person he is.  Founding this program, while attending college can be a tough task but you did it!  I know your mom is smiling down from heaven.

My other best friend and day one homie Danny Marks is another important friend in my life.  He's had to put up with my crazy ass for 22 years.  He always supports me and I'll never forget him being the first person I saw crossing the finish line at my first half marathon.  That and the watching the Giants win two Super Bowls with you have been my favorite moments.

I also need to thank Mrs. Damaty.  If it really wasn't for you I would have never done this and I'm not even talking about the run.  You helped me reach my full potential in high school.  You taught me public speaking matters if I want to get a career in the sportscasting industry.  You taught me to be a good writer you have to put your heart into everything I write and I do that on everything now.

Mom, Dad, and Megan: Thank you for putting up with me and ultimately supporting no matter what I do even if you think I'm crazy.  Yes I am crazy for doing this but know that it's who I am and I can't help it.  I am who I am.

A lot of people told me that I'm crazy for doing this.  Yes I'm absolutely gonna run 100 miles and I'm gonna have a great time doing it.  It's gonna really help me ultimately train for a marathon in the future…

So this is Michael Marzzacco about to sign off.  Next time I'm online I am looking forward to sharing with you my experience from this adventure.

AL Gets Homefield, Wins ASG

Last night the MLB took place at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati.  For the second straight All Star Game, Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels took home the MVP Award with a great performance.

Trout wasted no time in his first at bat as he launched a home run to start the game off of NL Starting pitcher Zack Greinke of the Los Angeles Dodgers.  The National League would tie it in the bottom of the second as Jhonny Peralta of the St. Louis Cardinals singled on a line drive to right field to score Paul Goldschmidt of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The American League got back on top in the fifth as Prince Fielder of the Texas Rangers singled to left field to score Trout, 2-1.  Lorenzo Cain of the Kansas City Royals followed with a double to score Albert Pujols and move Fielder to third.  It was a 3-1 game.

The NL tried to mount a comeback when Andrew McCutchen of the Pittsburgh Pirates homered into the left field stands in the sixth, making it a 3-2 game.  That would be the closest they would get.  In the 7th inning, Manny Machado of the Baltimore Orioles doubled to score Brock Holt of the Boston Red Sox.  Prince Fielder followed with a sac fly to score Machado making it a 5-2 game.

In the 8th Brian Dozier of the Minnesota Twins homered to left-center.  The NL would score in the bottom of the ninth but it wasn't enough as the AL won 6-3 securing home field advantage in the World Series.  That means that the American League champion this October would get to host games 1, 2, and the always critical games 6 and 7 of the Fall Classic.

One of the highlights of the NL was New York Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom.  He came into the game in the top of the sixth and struck out the side on just 10 pitches, 9 of them strikes.  He is the first pitcher in ASG history with three strikeouts in an inning using 10 pitches or fewer.

Todd Frazier, Hometown Hero, Wins HR Derby

The Home Run Derby is an exciting event that happens on the eve of the All Star Game.  It showcases the best hitters in the game of baseball against each other to see who can hit the most home runs.  This year was especially different because the formatting had changed.

This year it was decided that there would be brackets for the players as well as a clock.  Basically each player had four minutes to hit as many home runs as they can.  When I first heard this rule, I didn't like it but after watching the derby last night I take back everything I said.  I've seen every Home Run Derby since I've become a baseball fan but that was by far THE BEST one I've ever watched.

Here's what happened:

Round 1:

Anthony Rizzo #6 vs. Josh Donaldson #3

Anthony Rizzo, a slugger for the Chicago Cubs, got off to a rough start but heated up as time expired finishing with 8 homers.  His longest was 452 feet.  Josh Donaldson of the Toronto Blue Jays also got off to a slow start but heated up and hit the decisive home run with just over 10 seconds remaining.  Donaldson advanced to the next round with 9 home runs with his longest 465 feet.

Prince Fielder #7 vs. Todd Frazier #2

Prince Fielder of the Teas Rangers was consistent as he belted 13 home runs with his longest 474 feet.  Todd Frazier of the Cincinnati Reds had the home field advantage throughout the night as the sellout crowd at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati, Ohio was behind him right from the start.  After hitting five home runs, he called a timeout.  Then he got hot, tying Fielder before time expired.  In bonus time, Frazier advanced to the next round on his first swing which sent the home crowd into a frenzy.  Frazier finished with 14 home runs with his longest 474 feet.

Manny Machado #5 vs. Joc Pederson #4

Manny Machado, infielder for the Baltimore Orioles, smacked 12 home runs with his longest 469 feet.  He took his timeout after five homers and with just under two minutes remaining and then added five more before bonus time.  During bonus time, he hit two.  Joc Pederson, rookie for the Los Angeles Dodgers, got off to a blazing start and didn't let up.  He took his timeout when he trailed Machado by one.  He only needed three swings to advance.  Pederson finished with 13 home runs with his longest 487 feet.

Kris Bryant #8 vs. Albert Pujols #1

Kris Bryant, a rookie for the Cubs, hit his first home run 30 seconds in and called time after four homers and two minutes.  He added one in bonus time, finishing with 9 home runs with his longest 462 feet.  Alber Pujols of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, was the top seeded player.  He got off to a slow start, calling time after three homers and 90 seconds.  He came on strong at the end of the round to advance knocking the decisive shot as his pre-bonus time expired.  He finished with 10 and his longest was 446 feet.

Round 2:

Donaldson #3 vs. Frazier #2

Donaldson hit 9 home runs with his longest being 450 feet.  Frazier got off to a slow start and the hometown crowd got worried.  He hit three straight grounders to begin the round but came back by hitting six homers before taking a timeout with 1:49 left.  He pulled within one but went nine straight pitches without a homer in the final minute.  With the fans on the edge of their seat, Frazier tied it with under 10 seconds left, then advanced to the finals with a 444 foot shot, his longest of the round, just as time expired.  His total that round was 10.

Pderson #4 vs. Pujols #1

After a slow start, Pederson finished with 12 homers.  He hit only three home runs before taking his time out with 2:20 to go.  He got hot late, hitting six more in regulation, including four shots that exceeded 440 feet.  Pederson took advantage of his 30 second bonus, connecting on each of his first three swings.  He finished with 12 and his longest was 448 feet.  Pujols struggled after a quick start but still managed to take the matchup down to the wire.  He didn't just homer on his first three swings, but sent all three at least 440 feet.  After eight consecutive homerless swings, he hit one more homer before taking a timeout with 2:13 remaining.  Pujols, perhaps tired, hit a couple of grounders in the final minutes but hit a pair of homers just before the buzzer to pull within two entering bonus time.  He hit his longest homer of the round, 452 feet, during the extra time but couldn't come up with the tying homer, finishing with 11.

Final Round Pederson #4 vs. Frazier #2

Pederson started cold, with no homers on his first seven swings, before things started clicking.  He went deep on each of his next six cuts.  After calling a timeout with 2:15 left, Pederson put together another four swing streak which included a 461 foot bomb.  He closed out his night with one last home run during bonus time, putting pressure on Frazier.  He finished with 14 homers with his longest 461 feet.

Frazier, the hometown hero, needed to have the best individual round of any player in order to take home the trophy.  Challenge accepted.  Even though there was a stretch of 10 consecutive homeless swings, Frazier put together a rally to pull off the victory.  Frazier had just five homers when he took his timeout but he crushed nine home runs over his final 22 swings to tie Pederson entering bonus time. He needed nowhere near the extra 30 seconds, blasting the Derby winning homer on the first pitch to win 15-14.  His longest in the championship round was 449 feet.

I just want to say that I've been a baseball fan for about 12 years and have seen just about every Home Run Derby.  I wasn't sure whether or not I would like the new format but after watching it, I think the idea is genius.  For the casual fan, even they would be entertained by what unfolded last night.  A lot of people find the HR Derby boring, which I never understood but this format made it even more intense. I'm excited for the future of this event and look forward to 2018 when the All Star Game and all the festivities that surround it come to Washington, D.C.

Thank you Major League Baseball for changing the Derby and for an incredible night last night.  Bravo.  Sincerely, baseball fans everywhere.

Scherzer Leads Nats To Beltway Series Win

After a thrilling win on Saturday night, the Nationals wrapped up their first half of the season with one more game in Baltimore against the Orioles.  In front of another sellout crowd, with great crowds all weekend, at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Max Scherzer would take the mound for Washington.  Like has been all season long, Scherzer was brilliant this afternoon.

The O's got on the scoreboard first as Adam Jones hit a home run, the only early miscue Scherzer made all afternoon.  In the top of the fourth the Nats bats woke up.  Yunel Escobar and Clint Robinson got on base and Dan Uggla singled on a line drive to centerfield to score Escobar.  Then Tyler Moore smacked a double to right-center field to score Robinson and Uggla to take the lead 3-1.  That would be all the Nats needed as they won 3-2.

The birds got that second run on another home run by Adam Jones with two outs in the ninth inning off of Scherzer that ultimately took him out of the game.  Other than that, Scherzer pitched another great game going 8.2 innings and seven strikeouts.

Bryce Harper will represent the Nats on Tuesday night in the All Star Game at Cincinnati.  Scherzer would have joined him but due to his start this afternoon he couldn't pitch in the ASG.  After the All Star break the Nats will return to DC with a weekend series beginning Friday night against the Dodgers.

Harper, Espi Power Nats Win Over O's

Falling the previous night on a walk-off home run, the Nats were looking to rebound in the Beltway Series against their crosstown rival Orioles.  Entering the game, Washington had lost three straight and the bats have struggled.

Trailing 1-0, the Nats grabbed a 2-1 lead on RBI's by Ian Desmond and Michael Taylor in the top of the second.  The birds regained the lead with home runs from Caleb Joseph and Steve Pearce, 4-2.  The Nats would rally in the top of the sixth.  Bryce Harper had never hit a home run against the Orioles but that all changed when he led off the sixth with a home run into the right-center field seats.  Three batters later and two men on, Danny Espinosa smacked a three run homer over the right field wall.  The Nats added an insurance run in the ninth thanks to an RBI single by Taylor to win the game 7-4.

Jordan Zimmermann got the win and Drew Storen finished the game with a save.  With the curly W the Nats remain two games in front of the Mets in the NL East standings.  The first half of the season wraps up today with game three of the Battle of the Beltway.  First pitch is at 1:35 p.m.

USA Gets Revenge, Win World Cup

In a very exiting game with plenty of scoring the United States defeated Japan to win their first World Cup since 1999.  It was payback indeed for the USWNT after losing to Japan in the World Cup final in 2011 on penalty kicks.  Playing in her last game yesterday, veteran Abby Wambach was able to end her career the right way, with a title.

When the game started the U.S. wasted no time as Carli Lloyd got it started with a goal in the first three minutes of the game.  Two minutes later, she scored again.  Being up 2-0, Team USA sent a message to Japan.  In the 14th minute Lauren Holiday scored and then two minutes later Carli Lloyd notched a hat trick with an amazing strike from midfield.  The U.S. went up 4-0.

Japan got on the board to make it a 4-1 game going into halftime and then scored another in the beginning of the second half to cut the deficit in half 4-2 but that was as close as they could get.  Tobin Heath scored immediately after that and Team USA got redemption, winning 5-2 for their third World Cup title.

The USWNT became the first team to win three women's World Cups.  Goalkeeper Hope Solo won the tournament's Golden Glove award and Carli Lloyd won the Golden Ball award, very fitting for their impressive performances throughout the tournament.  This title certainly made our country proud and youth soccer players everywhere now have a new set of role models to look up to.

Nats Sweep The Champs

In October of 2014, the San Francisco Giants came into Washington and took the first two games of the NLDS en route to an eventual upset over the Nationals and would later go on to win the World Series.  The Nats were slumping then at the worst possible time but this year they were out to prove things were  different.  When the defending champs came into the District for the 4th of July festivities the Nats said, "Not in OUR house!" 

The game was broadcast on ESPN as part of Sunday Night baseball and as you can see below, during an in-game interview with Max Scherzer some teammates were having a little fun messing around.  

Michael Taylor got the home team on the board with a single in the second inning on a sharp line drive to left field to score Wilson Ramos.  The Giants would tie the game in the top of the fourth on a Brandon Crawford homer off of starter Jordan Zimmermann.  Despite giving up the long ball, Zimmermann threw seven innings and struck out eight.  The Nats retook the lead in the bottom of the sixth with a home run by Ramos over the right centerfield wall.  In the eighth, Ramos added another RBI with a single to score Bryce Harper.  Drew Storen got the save and the Nats got the curly W and the sweep.

The Nats will welcome the Reds to Nationals Park tonight for a three game set with tonight's game beginning at 7:05 p.m.  Doug Fister gets the start for DC.

Nats First Inning Fireworks Key In 4th Of July W

There is no sport no American than baseball so it's only fitting that baseball in Washington D.C. has become a tradition.  Go to a game, eat hot dogs, drink beer and watch the fireworks in the Nation's Capital, now that's a tradition.

The game started at 11 a.m. and fireworks were scheduled for the evening but those fireworks came much earlier than expected.  The fireworks arrived in the bottom of the first inning.  With last year's World Series MVP Madison Bumgarner on the hill, the fireworks started on the very first pitch he threw as Michael Taylor homered to left field.  Two batters later, Bryce Harper hits a two run shot to make it 3-0.

By the time Bumgarner left the game, he allowed six runs over five innings.  Besides all the offense that Taylor and Harper provided, Tyler Moore had four RBI's with his biggest ones coming in the sixth inning with a double down the left field line to score Yunel Escobar and Ian Desmond.  The only thing that wasn't good for the Nats was when starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg left the game in the fourth inning because of left-side tightness.  Tanner Roark filled in and got his fifth win of the season.

Clint Robinson Homer Powers Nats Win Over Giants

The Nationals returned home last night to a sellout crowd at Nationals Park.  They welcomed the San Francisco Giants for the weekend festivities surrounding Independence Day.  This weekend series is a rematch of last year's NLDS.

Gio Gonzalez took the ball for Washington while Jake Peavy pitched for the Giants.  It was a pitcher's duel.  Gio pitched seven solid innings and only allowed one run on five hits.  He even retired 11 of 12 batters at one point.

Buster Posey got the Giants on the board in the top of the seventh, the only run that Gio surrendered, on a home run over the centerfield wall.  The Nats struggled at the plate prior to the bottom of the seventh inning.  Their only base hit up to that point was a Yunel Escobar double in the first inning.  After Bryce Harper led off the bottom of the seventh with a walk, Clint Robinson took a 1-1 pitch into the right-centerfield wall for a two-run homer to send the crowd into a frenzy.  It was Robinson's first home run at Nats Park and his fourth on the season.  Drew Storen picked up the save to give the Nats the first game of the series, a 2-1 final.

The Nats and Giants continue their series today on the fourth of July with first pitch set for 11:05 a.m.

More images from the game:

 

Nats Add New Racing President

The presidents race in the middle of the fourth inning has been a tradition at Nationals games for the past nine years.  For several years, these included the presidents of Mount Rushmore (Thomas Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln, and George Washington).  In 2013, William Howard Taft was added with the Rushmore Four.  This year, Calvin Coolidge is added making six presidents racing starting with tonight's home game against the San Francisco Giants.  

The following is via fellow blog letteddywin.com:

The Washington Nationals will introduce a sixth racing president Friday night at Nationals Park.

In an exclusive granted to Dan Steinberg of The Washington Post, the team announced Wednesday that the nation’s 30th president would join George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, and William Howard Taft in an increasingly crowded field during the fourth inning race.

Coolidge was a proponent of the national pastime. Despite being just a one-term president, he holds the presidential record for World Series games attended, and threw out six first pitches for the Washington Senators.

With the move, the Nationals are following a recent trend in the world of racing mascots, in which teams such as the Milwaukee Brewers and Pittsburgh Pirates have continued to add “flavors” to their racing sausages, pierogies, etc.

Of course, the Nationals marketing team is hoping that the addition of “Silent Cal” to the home game ritual creates more interest than would a Jalapeno-flavored dumpling.

“We love the fact that you can come to a Nationals game and walk out smarter,” Valerie Camillo, the team’s Chief Revenue and Marketing Officer told the Post. “Look, if we have a handful of kids in that crowd that say ‘who’s Calvin Coolidge?’ and go open their encyclopedias and learn a little bit more about Silent Cal, that’s a win for us.”

Scherzer, Nats Fall In Ninth

The Braves finally figured out Max Scherzer, well… sort of.  After entering the ninth inning retiring 10 consecutive batters, Cameron Maybin hit a walk-off single that bounced off the third base bag into foul territory to give Atlanta the 2-1 win at Turner Field.

The Braves got on the board in the fifth inning.  The Nationals would tie it in the top of the seventh on a Wilson Ramos single into right field that scored Bryce Harper from second base.  Max Sherzer would go the distance striking out nine batters and lowering his ERA to an impressive 1.82 before allowing the bloop "base hit."  This is probably one of the rare times a team has walked-off off of Scherzer.

The ball hit by Maybin looked like a foul ball but the umpire called it fair.  Despite Washington manager Matt Williams arguing the call, they wouldn't review the play.  Now the Nats return to Nationals Park for a 2014 ALDS rematch against the San Francisco Giants.  First pitch from DC is at 6:05.

More images from this game: