Gorzelanny delivers gem, shuts down San Francisco

[madinmaryland]

In the tunnel that leads from the Washington Nationals’ dugout to their clubhouse, Michael Morse and Jerry Hairston ducked into the team video room. Side by side, each player watched a replay of himself striking out, consecutive plate appearances in the fifth inning that conspired to strand what could have been Washington’s first run at third base.

“Take this at-bat, get rid of it,” they told one another after watching the monitor. “Get it out of your mind. Our next at-bat, we’re going to do something special.”

In their next at-bats, Morse and Hairston delivered hits that lifted the Nationals to a 2-0 victory over the San Francisco Giants before an announced 15,342 at Nationals Park, a win that pushed them back to .500 on the season. They still had a chance to do something special because of Tom Gorzelanny, the latest Nationals starter to walk to the mound, defy baseball’s expectations and dominate an opposing lineup.

In his best start with the Nationals, Gorzelanny fired a three-hit masterpiece, pitching eight innings for the first time since Aug. 12, 2007 while walking none and striking out four. The first 12 Nationals batters recorded an out against Giants left-hander Madison Bumgarner, and they never worried. Only five major league teams have scored less than the Nationals, but they have grown accustomed to their offense going missing and staying in the game, anyway. Monday, Gorzelanny’s dominance ensured another chance to win.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/nationals/nationals-vs-giants-gorzelanny-delivers-gem-shuts-down-san-francisco/2011/05/02/AF5KZVcF_story.html

[Kingofalldems]

1. Both pitchers were dealing for sure

Until Tejada's little adventure.