Finally, Darren and I had baseball weather for one of our games.  We headed out to the Pirates game on Sunday under sunny skies and with temperatures in the 70s.  What a great day to be at the ballpark and since the Nats had won 2 of the last 3 games against the Pirates, we were feeling pretty confident that it was going to be a good game!

The Nats did not disappoint us.  Tim Redding had a great outing, giving up just one run and not allowing any walks.  Then reliever Saul Rivera came in for the seventh inning and kept us ahead.  There were two guys in scoring position, but Rivera was able to get the next batters to hit right back to him, and just like that we were out of the jam!  

The Nationals went on to defeat the Pirates, 5-2, mostly because of our pitching, but there were also some great hits in the game!  We scored two runs in the first inning off Pittsburgh starter Ian Snell.  Both Nick Johnson and Austin Kearns had RBI singles.  Then Aaron Boone, who was filling in for Zim, scored his first home run of the season in the fourth inning, and Felipe Lopez had a nice RBI single in the seventh, driving Willie Harris home.  To top off the game, Wily Mo came in with a RBI double in the eighth inning.  An inch higher and it would have been a home run, but what a great end to the game!

 

 

Since it was such a nice day, Darren and I  walked around the ballpark during the game and caught the views of the field from other areas.  We decided to check out the Red Porch and got some nice pictures from up there.

 

Now, we hit the road again, so it is off to Houston.  And then back home next weekend to face the Marlins.  I hope we can keep this winning streak going…Let’s Go Nats! 

Well, April turned out to be a tough month for the Nationals, but by the time Darren and I headed to our next game against the Cubs, things were starting to look a little better.  It is always fun to see the Cubs play and of course there were plenty of Chicago fans in attendance.  The weather was still rainy and cold, but we were ready for a good game and it sure turned out to be one!

 

I didn’t get many good pictures this time.  I was too focused on staying warm and of course watching the game.  But I did get one of Teddy taking the lead during the Presidents’ Race.  I really thought this was going to be his night, but somehow there was a banana in his way and he slipped before he could cross the finish line.  You’ll get them next time Teddy!

So, back to the game…John Lannan did a great job on the mound.  He threw seven shutout innings and was able to get himself out of some jams when the Cubs did have men on base.  Since Paul Lo Duca was still on the disabled list, Wil Nieves was behind the plate as catcher.  He and Lannan seemed to make a great team, plus he was batting .500 when he entered the game.  I really like this guy!  I don’t know what is going to happen when Lo Duca comes off the DL, but I sure hope Manny Acta keeps him around!  Jon Rauch came in and got his fourth save of the season, and the Nats were able to beat the Cubs, 2-0. 

Winning the game meant we got our second series win of the season, but more importantly I think it was a big boost to the players.  Zimmerman ended up coming out of his slump at the next game against the Braves.  He went 3-for-4 and helped the Nats win that game.  Now that is the Zim we know and love!  Felipe Lopez ended up saving the day with his RBI single on Wednesday against the Braves.  Then, Austin Kearns had a big night last night against the Pirates.  He had two hits and his single in the bottom of the eighth inning helped the Nationals win the game.  So, we have a nice little winning streak going on right now.  Darren and I are heading to the Pirates game on Sunday, and I hope we get to see another win then.  Let’s go Nats!

So, the road trip to St. Louis did not go too well for the Nats and we found ourselves below .500 when they returned to DC for the series with the Marlins.  Darren and I were excited for another night game, even though we knew it was going to still be cold.  Something is not right about watching a baseball game with hats, gloves and multiple layers on!  This was also the first game with our season tickets.  Our seats are not as good as last year, since everyone ended up getting moved over, thanks to the new Presidential seats.  But, we are closer to the field which is nice, and we are definitely in foul ball range!

  

The story of the night was two errors (both by the Nats), poor pitching (for both the Nats and the Marlins) and three home runs (unfortunately all by the Marlins).  So, the Nats ended up losing their fifth consecutive game.  This loss is especially hard to take since we had the bases loaded in both the seventh and eighth innings, and we were unable to score either time.  But, it is a long season.  There is still a lot of baseball left to play.  Hopefully, the guys enjoyed their day off yesterday and are back with a vengeance tonight.  Plus, the weather is beautiful today.  Spring is in the air and baseball is in full swing, Let’s go Nats!  

Opening Day is always exciting, but this year we got to celebrate in our new ballpark!  Darren and I left the house about four hours early, which was a good idea because traffic was still really light.  We ended up parking at RFK and taking the Nats Express shuttle bus to the new stadium.  They drop you off about four blocks away.  I highly recommend this form of transportation.  It was free and easy, and they did a good job of keeping things running smoothly (even after the game when people were rushing to get home).  Once we got there, the line was pretty long to get through security since President Bush was planning to attend.  The atmosphere was so festive and exciting once we were in the stadium!  Every fan received a rally towel and lanyard.  There were bands playing music and plenty of photo opportunities.  The fans were so excited to have baseball back and to be in our new stadium!

 



     

We missed seeing the Braves’ batting practice, but we were able to watch all of the Nationals’ batting practice.  And we walked around the entire stadium, so we could check out all of the different views!

After batting practice, we decided to grab some food and head to our seats.  It was great to have so many more concession stands to choose from for food.  The lines were pretty long, but not too bad.  My only complaint is that I desperately wanted hot chocolate since it was so cold, but there was only one concession stand in the whole stadium that had it, so you can imagine how long that line was!    

Then, it was time for the opening festivities to begin.  Don Sutton was the Master of Ceremonies and did a great job!  He introduced every player for both teams and they entered the field on a red carpet.  The National Anthem was done beautifully, with plenty of pomp and circumstance.  President Bush came out to throw the first pitch and unfortunately was met with a lot of booing.  I understand that there are a lot of people that disapprove of him right now, but I still think it is disrespectful to boo him at a venue like this.  That is just my opinion though!  Anyways, it was time to play ball and everyone was ready!

It turned out to be an incredible game with the Nats scoring two runs in the first inning!  Odalis Perez limited the Braves to one run over five innings.  With a 2-1 lead going to the ninth and Jon Rauch pitching, the Braves tied the game at 2.   But Nats fans did get a happy ending at the bottom of the ninth when third baseman Ryan Zimmerman hit a two-out walk-off home run!  It doesn’t get any better than that!  Since Opening Day, the Nats have gone on to win their first series with the Phillies.  Although, our first loss last night was heartbreaking, when Jesus Colome walked in the winning run in the 10th inning.  But a 3-1 start to the season, I will definitely take that!  Now, it is off to St. Louis to face the Cardinals.  In other sports news, the Capitals are still in contention for the playoffs.  The games this week have been some of the best that I have ever seen.  It is a great week to be a Washington sports fan!    

Well, this is my first post.  I have always wanted to do a blog on the Nationals, and so I decided now was the perfect time since I am anxiously waiting for baseball season to start.  I can’t believe it is a little over a month away!  My husband Darren and I really wanted to make it down to Florida for spring training this year but it just did not work out with our schedules.  That work thing always gets in the way!

So, we decided to head downtown this past weekend.  The National Portrait Gallery was having a series of President’s Day events, one of which was getting your picture taken with the Washington Nationals Racing Presidents.  I am very big on scrap-booking, so I take any chance I can to get more pictures for my albums.  Even if it means I may be one of the oldest people at the event!  What can I say…I am a kid at heart.  Of course, we walked around the gallery to enjoy the different exhibits as well.  This is one of my favorite museums in Washington, DC.  I highly recommend it to anyone who has not been there before!

Since we were downtown, we decided to take the metro over to The Navy Yard to check out the new Nationals stadium.  Unfortunately we could not get very close, because we were turned away by a police officer.  But we were able to get a few pictures and from what we could see, it looks fantastic.  I am counting down the days to Opening Day next month!