Just when it looked like the Washington Nationals were headed for another loss in which they could not put runs on the board, the team rallied in the bottom of the seventh inning, scoring six runs to beat the St. Louis Cardinals 8-6 June 14.
The first runs of the seventh came off the bat of star third baseman Ryan Zimmerman, who was activated from the disabled list Tuesday.
“It’s just great to have him back,” Manager Jim Riggleman said before Tuesday’s game. “Ryan is so much a part of the past here, the future here, and we need him here now for the present. He’s one of the best players in the league, and obviously we’re glad to have him back.”
The Cardinals got on the board in the very first inning when first baseman and future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols took Nats’ starter Yunesky Maya deep to make it a 0-2 contest.
The Cards increased their lead to 0-3 in the top of the fourth inning as left fielder Lance Berkman hit a solo home run, his 17th of the season.
The Nats cut the lead to 1-3 in the bottom of the fourth when center fielder Roger Bernadina came through with a two-out single to score first baseman Michael Morse from second. Morse is essentially the starting first baseman for the remainder of the season as the team announced Tuesday that regular starting first baseman Adam Laroche will need season-ending shoulder surgery.
St. Louis opened things up in the top of the fifth inning, scoring three more runs to make it a 1-6 game.
The Nationals made it a 2-6 score in the bottom of the sixth inning when Bernadina hit into a double play that allowed Morse to score his second run of the game.
The Nationals came all the way back to take the lead in the bottom of the seventh, scoring six runs off of three different relievers. After a bases-loaded wild pitch by lefty Trevor Miller tied the game, pinch hitter Laynce Nix worked a bases-loaded walk to put the Nats up by one. Right fielder Jayson Werth added on with a line drive single to make it 8-6.
Offensive outbursts like this one have not come often for the Nats this season, but Riggleman said he believes players are swinging the bats well right now, even if the results might say otherwise.
“In San Diego, we had some great at bats, hit balls right at people,” he said. “And in those situations tonight we got a couple breaks.”
It is games like Tuesday’s that build confidence that the team can come back, no matter the deficit.
“It speaks to just keep playing,” Riggleman said. “You’re down by several runs, you keep playing. You never know what happens, and everybody kept playing, and it fell through for us.”
blasky@theeaglineonline.com
