Pitching matchup – game 152

Apparently, revenge is a dish best served on a warm 78-degree afternoon. And yesterday, the Washington Nationals (92-59), led by left-hander Gio Gonzalez, got their revenge on a Milwaukee Brewers (78-73) team that usurped a win in the ninth inning of Friday night’s four-game series opener.

For Gonzalez, the outing was a perfect response to an earlier July 29 outing in which the Brewers handled his repertoire by belting five runs on five hits and earned seven free passes on five walks and two hit batsmen. The fact that yesterday’s win marked number 20 for Gonzalez, who is the only pitcher to have reached that mark this year, was icing on the cake.

“This is like a dream,” Gonzalez said, “and I feel like I’m still sleeping in it.”

This afternoon, the Nationals will look to ensure, at least, a series split as they take on red-hot right-hander Yovani Gallardo. On the mound for Washington, making just his fifth start of the year is sinkerballer Chien-Ming Wang. Continue reading

20 wins and 200 strikeouts

With a 10-4 win over the Milwaukee Brewers this afternoon, the Washington Nationals pushed their record to 92-59, lowering their magic number for clinching the National League East to six.

In the process, left-hander Gio Gonzalez reached a few personal milestones, joining some elite company in doing so.

Gio Gonzalez notches win no. 20

Gio Gonzalez delivers a pitch just prior to his 20th win of the season — ESPN

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Pitching matchup – game 151

Though the Washington Nationals (91-59) suffered a disappointing 4-2 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers (78-72) last night after a blown save from Tyler Clippard, the team actually managed to move a step closer towards clinching the National League East. With the Atlanta Braves’ loss to the Philadelphia Phillies, the Nationals’ lead stood pat at 5 1/2 games while their magic number dropped to seven. And despite a recent string of less-than-stellar performances from Clippard, manager Davey Johnson has no plans to reduce the co-closer’s role in the bullpen.

“He’ll be fine,” Johnson said. “That one just got away. One battle. He’s been pretty awfully good.”

This afternoon, all eyes will be on another Nationals pitcher as left-hander and sole 19-game winner Gio Gonzalez heads to the mound in search of his 20th win. To earn it, he will need to out-pitch Brewers right-hander Wily Peralta, who started his first major league game earlier this month. Continue reading