Washington Nationals move past Arizona Diamondbacks 6-5 - MLB Update
The relief pitcher Tyler Clippard earns his 24th save of the season as the Washington Nationals defeat the Arizona Diamondbacks 6-5 at Chase Field, Phoenix, Arizona in the second game of the three match series on August 11, 2012.
Diamondbacks were unable to protect their lead. Despite maintaining three-run lead at one stage of the game, their starter Wade Miley failed to protect it against the fifth inning onslaught by the Nationals.
Winning games for the Nationals have become far easier now.
A kind of offence which can deliver as and when the need arises in the match has veiled some of the poor shows from their starters. At the start of the season, it was their pitchers that kept the struggling offence from resulting into the team’s defeats.
Right now, it appears to be the other way around.
By the time Washington’s starter Edwin Jackson allowed five runs in little more than five innings, their offence was called upon for the challenging task.
A run-rampage to an extent of taking the Nationals past the Diamondbacks was needed. The Nationals’ hitters obliged.
By scoring five runs in the fifth, they made sure the bad start by Jackson will not let the game slip from their hands.
The third baseman Ryan Zimmerman, the outfielder Jayson Werth and the right fielder Michael Morse combined to keep the Nationals afloat.
Zimmerman struck two hits in five at-bats and he contributed two RBIs on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Jackson enjoys the win despite realising that it was more the splendid show of offence than his throws that became the reason of it. He yielded eight hits in the game while striking-out six.
"The runs we scored definitely backed up a bad outing by me," he said. "I guess it was just good enough to keep us close. The bullpen came in and did a good job, as always. We were able to get a win. It wasn't necessarily the way that I planned for it to
go, but somehow it worked."
In almost every department of the game, the Nationals are looking nearly perfect.
Therefore, it will take something extra ordinary to happen for the Diamondbacks for winning the last game of the series. They will be looking to fix their loop-holes and reply with an improved performance in the next match.
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