Miami Marlins face 0-2 defeat against Washington Nationals - MLB Update
Starter Carlos Zambrano gave up the only home-run of the game as Miami Marlins lost to the Washington Nationals 0-2 at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. on April 20, 2012.
Nationals played their first game with the Marlins in the season. The fact Nationals won at a ballpark where Marlins have an impressive past record will mean more than just another victory to them.
Due to the same reason Nationals' manager Davey Johnson sparkled in confidence after the game.
"This is a big series. We've had a history of not playing good against Florida -- or Miami. Not that we thrashed them, but we beat them first time out of the chute," Johnson said.
Nationals' pitching strength was amply visible in the game with hitters on the plate their relievers did an excellent job down the innings. Henry Rodriguez recorded his fourth save of the season in the ninth.
Reliever Tyler Clippard went scoreless in one inning. Out of the four hits Nationals gave up, three were conceded by their starter Ross Detwiler.
However, this never means Detwiler was rough on the mound, in-fact he spent lengthy six innings and struck-out seven and in turn set the stage for the victory.
Even Marlins’ manager Ozzie Guillen will not stop admitting the impact of precise pitches his hitters had to work with.
"They pitched well," Guillen said. "We fight. We wanted the matchup. We get to the point, that's the matchup we want with Hanley hitting. We couldn't get the big hit today."
Marlins are 7-7 so far, a kind of performance one will argue does hardly justify the expectations they drew before the season start. Jose Reyes, the star shortstop has been far from his best, currently hitting .214. He was 0-for-3 in today’s game.
For Nationals, centre-fielder Rick Ankiel homered in the third, taking the side to a lead that remained un-challenged until the last inning.
Ian Desmond has been terrific thus far and as he currently boasts a .297 batting average and continues his consistent show on the plate in every game. He can easily be one of the leading hitters for the Nationals by the end of the season.
If the Marlins are to live up to the expectations, their hitters will be looking to take responsibility in the games ahead.
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