Marlins 4 Nationals 2
Revenge could not be sweeter for three Marlin pitchers. Ricky Nolasco, Taylor Tankersley, and Joe Borowski combined two blown saves, three losses and a 14.50 ERA during their last trip to the nation's capital. Monday night's 4-2 victory over the same Nationals played like a movie.
Nolasco pitched seven innings scattering five hits and allowing one run. The
Nolasco must have wanted to beat the Nationals so bad, that he decided to do it himself offensively. After an RBI single by Jeremy Hermida in the fourth, the .190 hitting pitcher slugged a single that brought two runs in that would eventually be the difference in the game.
Hermida finished the night with three hits and an RBI. However, he dropped a routine fly ball in the seventh hit by Nick Johnson, who eventually scored. Hermida paid his debt back to Nolasco the next play by legging out a bullpen bound foul ball.
Tankersley pitched a perfect eighth against a team that gave the
Borowski got his revenge as well in the name of Ryan Zimmerman. The rookie third baseman hit a slider for a walk off homer on Independence Day off Borowski. In Monday night's game, Zimmerman represented the tying run with a runner on first. Borowski faced his demons and got the Virginia Cavalier to fly out on a 3-2 pitch to left.
According to the Sun-Sentinel, Borowski said, "I always remember what guys have done to me before. I went with a fastball (on a 3-2 count) because I figured he was looking slider and got him to pop up."
Guess Zimmerman was thinking slider.
Wacky Stat of the Night:
Hanley Ramirez's leadoff homer (8) tied his career high that he hit while a member of the 2003 Augusta Greenjackets
