Sunday afternoon was a little less stressful for fans at Nationals Park. The past three games the Nationals have lost the game by one run and have had trouble holding off teams and scoring themselves. Leading 1-0 in the eighth-inning pinch hitter Rick Ankiel put a ball over the right field wall in the front row to give the Nats the insurance they needed in shutting out the Colorado Rockies 2-0. The Nationals avoid the sweep at the hands of the Rockies and will officially finish the first half of the 2011 with a .500 record.
Washington fans will party well tonight.
They will also be toasting starting pitcher Jordan Zimmermann who put on a superb performance. He went six-innings giving up only four hits and no runs. He gave no free passes to any Rockies player Sunday and struck out six. Zimmermann's first half ERA will be at a nice 2.66 ERA with a 6-7 record. The Nationals are watching a potential star bloom and Sunday's game only adds to the excitement in the future.
The other Nationals run came off the bat of Roger Bernadina who singled in Ian Desmond in the sixth-inning. The Nationals were only able to put together five hits all game and right fielder Jayson Werth's troubles continued going 0-for-3 and lowering his average to .215. Werth should take the upcoming All-Star Break and relax and refocus as much as possible.
The 2011 Washington Nationals finish off the first-half of the season 46-46 (.500!) and in fourth place in the NL East.