After enduring a season’s worth of frustrations it was exactly the kind of promising start Jason Marquis needed.
And yet it was fitting that even after 7 1/3 innings of one-run baseball on Wednesday night at Nationals Park it still ended badly for Marquis. It’s been that kind of year.
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Starlin Castro doubled home one run and Aramis Ramirez smacked a two-run home run off reliever Tyler Clippard in the eighth inning as the Chicago Cubs eventually took a 4-0 win and a series sweep of the Nationals.
Marquis entered with an 11.39 ERA. By game’s end that had dropped to 8.79. It was by far the best of the veteran right-hander’s seven starts in 2010. He had yet to make it past five innings in the previous six. Castro’s RBI hit drove home the only run charged to Marquis (0-7). Cubs starter Ryan Dempster (12-8, 3.42 ERA) was his equal, tossing seven shutout innings with two hits allowed, a walk and eight strikeouts.
“That’s Jason right there. Attacking the zone, aggressive, conviction,” Marquis said. “It started last game [against Philadelphia] and day-by-day it’s gotten more comfortable. So hopefully next time after all the work I put in between starts will bring the same results.”
Nats manager Jim Riggleman left Marquis in to start the eighth – though a couple hard-hit fly balls gave him pause. When Castro came up with a runner at first and one out he turned to Clippard, who blew two fastballs past the rookie. Unfortunately, they also helped speed up Castro’s bat. And when Clippard misfired on a change-up he was ready, ripping a double down the line in left field to score Tyler Colvin, who had stolen second base moments earlier.
“That was the most frustrating part of it,” Clippard said. “I could care less about giving up my own runs. [Marquis] pitched a hell of a game. That kind of took the wind out of our sails.”
Reliever Sean Burnett gave up a solo home run to Alfonso Soriano in the ninth inning to finish the scoring. The formers Nats outfielder finished the series 4-for-13 with two homers, a double, a triple, six RBI and four runs scored. In six career games at Nationals Park Soriano has four homers and 11 RBI. Seven of his eight hits here have gone for extra bases.
Washington (53-74) has lost 13 of its last 17 games. The Cubs improved to 54-74 after the sweep and dropped the Nats a ½ game behind them for the sixth-worst record in Major League Baseball. Only Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Arizona, Seattle and Cleveland have a lower winning percentage.
“I’m certainly disappointed in our record. I know our guys are playing hard, they’re giving effort. The intensity is there, the hurt is there,” Riggleman said. “We’re suffering. We’re getting beat. I don’t like getting beat. I’m sick of it and I know our players are.”
