AP Photo
Their game plan against the volatile Burnett seemed obvious. Take a pitch or two and see if they could get ahead in the count and force Burnett to make a mistake. During Burnett's seven innings, 17 Phillies hitters took the first pitch they saw. Trouble was, 12 of those pitches were called strikes. That meant 12 hitters in 0-1 counts. Four of those were among the nine hitters that Burnett struck out.
"Usually," designated hitter Matt Stairs said, "you try to be patient [facing Burnett], but he was pounding the strike zone tonight. I've seen some games where he's had trouble with his control, and I've seen some games like tonight."
Now we’re talking. Now the Washington Nationals have a rival. A real rival, not an interleague, MLB-arranged, bi-annual blind date with the Baltimore Orioles, which despite their proximity was actually more of a long-distance ... more »
I don’t care what Philadelphia Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. says — I’ll believe his team is a seller when I see it. But know this: According to major league sources, at least one club — the... more »
The Nationals never had any doubt, from the moment Cole Hamels’s 93-mph fastball bored into Bryce Harper’s backside, that Hamels had done it on purpose. Afterward, in a statement that may earn him a fine and suspension,... more »
Alex Rodriguez has played in every game this season. Sometime this summer, maybe on an extra-humid afternoon or during the 20-games-in-20-days stretch the New York Yankees face in August, manager Joe Girardi will sit him.... more »
Email
Print
Share