But Washington drops its seventh-straight game despite offensive outburst
The snowball keeps rolling downhill and taking the Nationals with it. But they are not worried — yet.
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A change of scenery did not mean a change of results during Washington’s home opener at Nationals Park on Monday. Instead, defensive miscues and poor relief pitching consigned the Nats to a wild 9-8 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies, their seventh in a row to start the season.
The game was overshadowed, of course, by the death of longtime Phillies broadcaster Harry Kalas, who was found unconscious in the visitor’s broadcast booth around 12:30 p.m. and rushed to George Washington University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
It was a devastating blow to a Philadelphia organization embodied by the popular Kalas’ baritone voice. He was also known for his work with the NFL and television commercials. But fans around the country will always identify him with his “Fightin’ Phils.”
The Nationals and Major League Baseball, according to team president Stan Kasten, left the final decision to play the game up to Philadelphia. Phillies outfielder Shane Victorino pointed up to the press box after his third-inning home run as a tribute to Kalas. The Nats also put together a pregame moment of silence in Kalas’ honor.
“That [home run] was for Harry out there — the remembrance and the impact that he had on everybody,” said Victorino, whose teammates kept a taped picture of Kalas in the dugout during the game. “Not just us as players, but on fans and on people. His voice. I remember hearing it — even as a little kid — while watching NFL football on HBO. It’s something I’ll always remember.”
Kalas’ passing muted the enthusiasm for a home opener. But a sellout crowd — with thousands of Phillies fans in attendance — was treated to an exciting game. Slugger Ryan Howard blasted a three-run homer off Nats reliever Saul Rivera to break a 4-4 tie in the seventh inning. The Nats fought back with two-run homers by Adam Dunn in the seventh and Ryan Zimmerman in the ninth, but fell one run short.
“A loss is a loss,” said first baseman Nick Johnson. “It doesn’t matter how or why. But you have to keep grinding away in this game.”
Elijah Dukes also homered for the Nats and shortstop Cristian Guzman posted his second career 5-for-5 day. He finished with two RBIs and two runs scored, but left the game with what appeared to be a lower left leg injury. Nats manager Manny Acta said Guzman was listed as day-to-day.
