Maicer Izturis’ hit helps Los Angeles Angels defeat Washington Nationals 4-3 – MLB Update
Maicer Izturis smashed a single in the tenth inning as the Los Angeles Angels romped to a 4-3 victory in the opener against the Washington Nationals, at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, on Monday, June 27 to take a 1-0 lead in the three-game interleague series.
The Nationals tied the game to 3-all with the help of Danny Espinosa’s dazzling one run in the top of the ninth inning after they had gone under 3-2 deficit in the bottom of the sixth inning. Espinosa’s striking homer helped the Nationals to take the game
into extra inning but they failed to make any run in the top of this inning.
The Angels’ Maicer, however succeed in touching a game winning RBI single off the Nationals’ closer Sean Burnett. Burnett held the Angels’ batting line-up to no-score in the start of the inning. Later, he allowed a hit to Peter Bourjos and intentionally
walked Bobby Wilson before Izturis entered for his fifth at-bat and blistered a hard hit in the centre of the field.
The Nationals were leading the game in the first as they had achieved an early 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning when their first baseman Michael Morse hammered a stunning one-run homer off the Angels’ starter Ervin Santana. The Nationals increased
the lead to 2-0 with a one-run homer by Ryan Zimmerman in the top of the fourth inning.
Their starter failed to defend this strong lead and gave away two RBI singles, one each to Alberto Callaspo and Bourjos, in the bottom of this inning. Angels then took the game to 3-2 with an RBI single by Wilson.
Angels’ ace Santana after conceding two runs struck back and held the opposing batters to no-score in his later innings. Overall, he tossed eight innings, consumed two runs each on home-runs, walked one and made five strike-outs.
Jordan Walden gave away one run in the ninth inning and sent his team under extreme pressure which then eased by closer Scott Downs, who held the Nationals bat to no-score to provide his bull-pen a chance to snatch a victory.
The Nationals’ starter John Lannan tossed wobbly pitches conceded 11 hits for three runs and walked two in just over five innings. Closer Sean Burnett consumed the fourth run in the tenth inning. Relievers’ Ryan Mattheus and Henry Rodriguez remained scoreless.
It was the Angels third victory in four meetings over the Nationals dating back to June 23 in 2008 at the Nationals stadium.
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