Guest
Guest
 |  Subject: Orioles, Nationals Clinch AL/NL East Division Titles Tue Sep 16, 2014 10:37 pm | |
| http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2014_09_16_tormlb_balmlb_1&mode=recap_home&c_id=bal - Quote :
- BALTIMORE -- The Orioles waited 17 years for a moment to celebrate like this. Ubaldo Jimenez retired the final 10 he faced and Steve Pearce hit a key homer as the Orioles earned their first American League East crown since 1997 with an 8-2 win over the Blue Jays on Tuesday at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
After the final out, the O's bench streamed onto the field. In the center of the celebration were all the unlikely faces that had turned this O's team into a champion. With Matt Wieters done for the season with an elbow injury, Nick Hundley caught the entire game. With Chris Davis suspended, first baseman Pearce smashed a first-inning three-run shot. With Manny Machado finished with a knee injury, third baseman Jimmy Paredes belted a solo homer in the second.
Alejandro De Aza's bases-clearing triple in the seventh -- he was acquired in a late-August trade -- blew the game open.
Really, the only thing that did fit with the projections the Orioles hoped for back in March was that Jimenez was on the mound. Baltimore brought him in on a four-year, $50 million deal in hopes that he would pitch in an important game like this one.
Despite that, his role in the clincher is even more surprising. Jimenez (5-9) made his first start since Aug. 16 and limited the Blue Jays to two runs on two hits in five innings while walking four and striking out six.
Drew Hutchison had the potential to make this city wait another day for a champion. In six career starts against the O's before Tuesday, Hutchison (10-12) had been 3-0 with a 1.13 ERA.
There were 35,297 at Camden Yards to celebrate a division title, and they weren't going to let a middling starting pitcher who transforms into an All-Star when he faces the O's stop them. They relished every strike Jimenez threw and lamented each time he fell behind in counts.
Toronto scored twice against Jimenez in the first two innings, and then something clicked. Jimenez pitched a 1-2-3 third on nine pitches. Then another 1-2-3 inning in the fourth on 12. He set down the final 10 batters he faced in order and left to a standing ovation after five innings. In the biggest game of the season, Jimenez delivered a $50 million effort.
When he left the game, the preparations could begin. Bottles of champagne were moved to the Orioles' clubhouse. Soon there would be showers and a celebration for a historic moment achieved by this unlikely bunch. http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2014_09_16_wasmlb_atlmlb_1&mode=recap_away&c_id=was - Quote :
- ATLANTA -- The Nationals will be playing baseball in October. They won their second National League East title in three seasons by blanking the Braves, 3-0, at Turner Field on Tuesday night.
"We are so proud of this organization," said Ted Lerner, managing principal owner of the Nationals. "Watching them clinch their second NL East division championship in three years means so much to our fans, our city and our family. [General manager] Mike Rizzo and [manager] Matt Williams should be commended for building and leading a championship club.
"Tonight, we celebrate this milestone but realize that there is still work to do and goals to accomplish. We are looking forward to the possibilities that lie ahead."
To get to this point, the Nationals finally showed they can beat the Braves. After losing eight of the first nine games, Washington won seven out of the next 10 games. Clutch hitting was the reason for the turnaround for Washington, and it happened in the sixth inning.
Shortstop Ian Desmond, a player drafted by the franchise when it was still the Expos in 2004, helped put the champagne on ice in the sixth. Braves right-hander Aaron Harang was on the mound when Jayson Werth started the inning with a walk. After Adam LaRoche struck out looking, Desmond came to the plate and hit a 2-2 slider over the left-field wall to give Washington a two-run lead.
In the eighth inning, it was Desmond who scored the third run on a wild pitch by reliever David Carpenter.
Right-hander Tanner Roark (14-10) was outstanding. He pitched seven shutout innings, allowed five hits and struck out four batters. The Braves did not have a runner in scoring position against him.
The last two innings proved to be easy for Nationals' relievers Tyler Clippard and Drew Storen, who blanked the Braves the rest of the way, with Storen picking up his seventh save of the season. |
|
