With all eyes on D.C. for All Star weekend, Washington Nationals slugger Bryce Harper delivered the goods — winning the 2018 Home Run Derby in dramatic fashion.
Harper started slowly in the final round, before heating up with nine homers in his final 50 seconds to edge out Chicago Cubs outfielder Kyle Schwarber with his final swing of the bat.
Simply put, the Washington Nationals will take their chances against any opponent when Max Scherzer takes to the mound. And if that opponent happens to be the 21-51 Baltimore Orioles, so be it.
Scherzer allowed two solo homers while striking out nine batters in seven innings, which was more than enough to seal the deal against one of Major League Baseball’s biggest doormats.
Outfielder Juan Soto smashed a two-run double, newcomer Kelvin Herrera pitched a scoreless eighth inning and closer Sean Doolittle picked up his 20th save of the season in the 4-2 win.
Starting pitcher Steven Strasburg lasted just two innings before leaving the game due to tightness in his shoulder.
The Washington Nationals can only hold their breath now and hope for a speedy recover for their ace. In the meantime, they are going to need a better all-around performance than this from those players who are healthy and remain in the lineup.
It’s also worth noting that allowing the San Francisco Giants to rack up 15 hits and nine runs isn’t exactly the most productive way to improve the team’s mediocre 15-15 record at home.
The first time I saw Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats perform live was in a tiny venue in Philadelphia, back in 2015.
Their breakout single, “S.O.B.” had just begun to generate some attention on a nation stage, and the band showed their appreciation by pouring everything they had into their set that evening.
Whether you were on the stage with a musical instrument in hand or one of the fortunate souls who happened to purchase a ticket, you left that night drenched in sweat thrilled with what you had just experienced.
These days, National Rateliff and the Night Sweats are playing much larger venues, but their passion remains the same. And with several studio and live albums released since then, crowds are treated to a longer and even more enjoyable concert-going experience.
The Washington Nationals still look very much like a team trying to get going in the early stages of the 2018 season.
With the offense struggling out of the gate, the Nationals dropped their third-straight game, by a score of 2-1, to. fall to 6-8 on the season.
Tanner Roark pitched admirably on the day, allowing only three hits and one earned run over six innings, but the Nats’ bats failed to support their starting pitcher.
Just 24 hours after thumping the Islanders 7-3 in Brooklyn, the two teams squared off again as the Washington Capitals hosted New York at Capital One Arena, March 16. Franchise goalie Braden Holtby, coming off a rare rough patch in which he was pulled from net in three of six outings, got the start and did not disappoint — stopping 22 of 25 shots he faced to earn his first victory, a 6-3 rout, in nearly two full weeks. While Alex Ovechkin did not score any of Washington’s 13 goals during the home-and-home series against the Islanders, plenty of his teammates did. On this night, winger T.J. Oshie, center Nick Backstrom and defenseman Matt Niskanen helped the Caps to jump out early and never look back.
The only downside as Washington picked up a fourth-straight victory and regained sole possession of first place in the Metropolitan Division was the injury to center Evgeny Kuznetsov, who crashed hard into the boards during the second period and did not return. After the game, Caps coach Barry Trotz said Kuznetsov is now day-to-day with an upper body injury. To see more of my photos from this game, head over to The Sports Capitol.
Led by All Star shooting guard Brad Beal, the Washington Wizards jumped out to a huge first quarter lead over the Miami Heat at Capital One Arena, March 6. Unfortunately for the home team, by the time the opening quarter ended, Miami had already cut the deficit to just five points. At halftime, the Wizards led by nine. But once again, the Wiz were unable to close out the Heat. Thanks to 30 points from Beal, who made six of seven shots from three-point range, and 19 points and seven assists from point guard Tomas Satoransky, the Wizards were able to hold off and eventually spick up a 117-113 overtime victory.
With point guard John Wall still sidelined as he recovers from knee surgery, these are the types of gritty performances Washington needs more of if they’re going to make any noise come playoff time. To see more of my photos from this game, head over to The Sports Capitol.
