troy percival and then used the rest of their talent that they had mostly from trades and from within their own organization to win 97 games after winning 66 the year before. so it can be done. and it can happen that quickly. >> johnny: two balls and a strike to to ryan hanigan. >> just going over dusty baker's numbers as a manager. >> rob: amazing aren't they. >> johnny: the flip ball to second, gets him at second. a great play by the shortstop and the reds are out of the inning. so we go to the bottom of the sixth and the nats are trying to tie this up, they are down by two. pounds and a smidge. a smidge? y'know, there's really no need to weigh packages under 70 pounds. with priority mail flat rate boxes from the postal service, if it fits, it ships

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. >> deb: nats looking for runs as we look to the bottom of the seventh inning. another pick to tell you about. the 81st pick in the third round, trevor holder, a right- handed pitcher out of the university of georgia, 6'2", 205 pounds and the senior captain with the team so some leadership qualities goin' on there. johnny. >> johnny: debbie thank you very much. you can see the list of the major league. >> rob: going old. mike rizzo dana brown, i know they helped build up that

arizona razorback prospects, a lot of old guys in there, a lot of college guys. >> johnny: so they go to the bottom of the sixth at national agencies park. adam dunn trying to get the nationals back in this ball game trailing 3-1.  with only three base hits t far for washington tonight. . >> rob: the one thi just looked it up, i knew there was something professional about cueto, he has a change-up to go, he learned from mario soto and that's his equalizer, i knew he had great fastball, change-up, but he learned it from mario soto down in the dominican republican. >> johnny: a high fly down the left field line, going to drift up in the stands foul. nice run by jonny gomes the try to run it down.  so  soto some is th

taught him that. >> rob: yes. >> johnny: good guy to learn it from. rob ron and there's days you can go out and throw a change- up. you've got to sell it on the arm speed. right now i mean three hits off this kid through five innings, doing a great job changing speeds and keeping the hitters off balance. >> rob: they spent toe time in the reds minor league organization with sarasota and dayton, chattanooga and dayton before he finally got his shot. so he broke in, what, 18 years of age probably. >> yeah, free agent 2004. and to bring up jar adjuster against again he pitched 500 innings in the minor leagues with the tigers before he got traded. so he came out of high school from kyra tsao with a, his dad grew up a huge brace man, pitched 500 innings, then got called up to detroit for 31 and he is now in with the braves after that trade for rent a

rhea but 400 innings, well this kid is going to come right out of the big leagues, yeah but at what cost would you bring him up after pitching 110 innings in colleges right now. you talk about a guy like adjuster against, here is johnny cueto on the road this year, got four wins, tied for second, e.r.a. right there, he is 4, opposing batting average, that's the big one, .171 on the road. you come into somebody's house and pitch like that, not very nice. >> johnny: uh-huh. johnny cueto has just given up his fourth walk of the game. nick johnson. actually third walk of the game, it was the first, leading off the last of the sixth. >> rob: the third time through the batting order for this young man. here is the heart, three, four, five, zimmerman, dukes. >> johnny: johnson swung outlooking in the third.

going to be fouled. >> rob: that was the one. >> johnny: our fire stone leader board a result of innovation. there is ryan up there amongst the best, number 2, miguel tejada of houston, carlos beltran and hanley ramirez. >> rob: hanley ramirez scuffled in april, johnny, and he has come back in the last six weeks and has just been phenomenal. got to be one of the hottest hitters in baseball. >> johnny: yeah, in fact early games we were playing him the year before, last year in florida, you could see this guy, the tremendous potential he has. >> rob: no. and he is the type of player i now consider an all-star, a

perennial all-star. >> johnny: how long is he locked in for there now? >> rob: he just signed an extension so he in there for 6 years. >> johnny: good hustle by zimmerman. phillipss to to gonzalez. watch ryan hustle down that first base line. >> johnny: line.johnny. >> rob: let's see those 24-year- old legs run. good job by ryan zimmerman not being turned over in a double play.  . >> johnny: so zimmerman, johnson erased as a force at second and zimmerman on at first. there's one down in the bottom of the sixth. and a adam dunn with cincinnati, led in home runs in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007,

2008. in fact when ken griffey, jr. had 35 in '05 adam dunn had 40 with 101 runs driven in. for  and he can still get  done. cueto comes inside, two balls, no-strike count.  elijah dukes is on willie harris. zimmerman with a lead at first base. and it's 2-0. . >> rob: end of the nationals dugout. >> johnny: and tomorrow wired wednesday with manny acta. >> rob: he'll be on headset. we'll pepper him with questions

in the third inning, he always likes that. but he does a great job. >> johnny: he sure does. and then covering the bases with adam dunn. a high pop-up behind the plate, the catcher drifting back into the stands. and no play for ryan hanigan, the count is each with two balls and two strikes, 3-1 here in the bottom of the sixth. >> rob: ryan has made a lot of strides in one area where people say he struck out 200 times a year, he only struck out 164 times last year, 122 walks, he makes it very difficult on the pitchers, but he is kind of a throw-back. that's what you wanted your four-guy to be, a big power guy and now that he is that big power guy, that's when all these other guys now are saying "oh well he still strikes out," that's the evolution of this game. this isn't 50 years ago, there is a lot of guys in major

league baseball now that strike out 150 times. look at sammy sosa, mcguire. sosa would punch out 170 times a year. everybody was fine with that. but i don't know why they just get on adam dunn's case so hard. ryan howard does it in philadelphia, you don't hear the same thing. >> no. he has got a lifetime on bases of .382. >> rob: very impressive for a big man. >> johnny: the past five, when you talk about hitting, the past 5 only one other player has hit 223 home runs and that's albert pujols, that's pretty good company. >> rob: and only one other guy in the history of baseball that has put up 40 in five straight years. that's babe route. >> johnny: better company. >> rob: but he is a number 4 hitter, driving in runs, also make everybody in the lineup better around you. >> johnny: that's what he did. >> rob: i do know on paper they

finished 14th on offense, right now in the top 5. i think he has made a big difference in the offense this year. >> johnny: big difference. three balls and two strikes. ryan zimmerman at first base. one down here in the bottom of the sixth. the 3-2. fouled back into the dugout. wow. jim wriggleman, a good look at johnny cueto, 17 homers, 44 driven in, scored 30 runs, and hitting at a .263 clip. here is the 3-2, the pitch is high. reaching for a ball. as you were talking, rob. >> rob: looking for a walk. one out, you bring up elijah

dukes who already has a home run today. in the fourth inning, johnny, don't throw it. ooh, one handed that.  and i think so that was a change-up to a righty, if i'm not mistaken, might have been a curve ball, but tried to pitch him away down low, made a mistake. >> johnny: that accounts for the national's only run tonight. they have walked his fourth national with dunn and zimmerman now. >> rob: got to be patient patient if you are elijah. don't make mistakes, let it go by you and drive knit to the gap. >> johnny: a breaking ball catches the outside corner. elijah with his sixth home run, 24th r.b.i. back in the fourth inning. for  dunn at first and zim down at second, one away.

 and the 0-1 to duke. 92 on the gun. >> rob: got some good stuff and got a change-up to go with it. here the swing. 92 miles per hour heater inside after goin' outside.  tough to lay off that looks good coming in. >> johnny: to short, steps on second, on to first and the inning is over. so toques grounds into a double play. we go to the top of the seventh and cincinnati with a 3-1 lead over washington. - it's on. - ( music playing throughout ) - it's on. - oh, it's on, all right. - it's on. - totally on. jimmy, it's on. - it's on. - oh, yeah, it's on.

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. >> johnny: 3-1 cincinnati a go to the seventh inning. elijah dukes accounting for the only national run. phillips with a double for the reds and russ detwiler a pretty good performance for washington. >> rob: great velocity, great curve ball, 103 pitches and only three earned runs given up, 17 first-pitch strikes. really attacked the strike zone. made a couple of mistakes, that walk in the first inning came back to haunt him. the first one of the ball game. then the other two walks in the fifth inning came back to haunt him so if he could cut down on the walks he is all set. in his fifth major league start

very impressive. >> johnny: yes. jason bergmann now on, there is his numbers quickly, he will face to begin the seventh inning here for cincinnati, johnny cueto leads it off. >> rob: a big job to do, keep the score where it is, give your team an opportunity to win. 9 outs so work with. this lineup here, three outs, first pitch 92 miles per hour fastball just high. cueto showing he wants nothing to do with hitting.  this is a bad pitch right here johnny. '0-2 pitch. >> johnny: yeah, off the back foot leaning away. >> rob: leaner's hack. >> johnny: the back of the top of the order. brandon phillips if needed. reds 3-5-0, the nationals with only three base hits in this ball game. here is one, a home run by

elijah dukes. tavares grounded to third, struck out looking and swinging in his three trips against detwiler.  jason bergmann scoreless  at 9 of 11 games pitched this year. >> rob: that might have got will nieves, thought it got him maybe in the hand. but it got him high also. >> johnny: hopefully giving kneeev's little time to -- >> rob: a little foul tip. got the inner half of his knee. that's gonna leave a mark. i don't know johnny yup. >> rob: and catchers wear those bruises with pride. one that was just too deep is now the fractured shoulder bone. >> johnny: yeah.

an off-balance swing by tavares. >> rob: couple of punch-outs by bergmann. >> johnny: don't forget saturday, june 13th the rays will host the nationals. first pitch for 6:08 p.m. because of major league baseball's national black out on saturdays masn will join the game in progress with live coverage beginning at 7:05. so we hope you join us as the home team, tampa bay chooses the game start time and decides to start this game early to accommodate a concert after the game, and since that start time falls within major league baseball's black out window masn is prevented from showing the start of the game. so we hope you'll be with us to pick it up in progress and then after the game with nats extra postgame. jerry hairston jr. with two down here in the bottom of the seventh. >> rob: two quick outs. build middle of the lineup coming up, you want to end it right here, you don't want to see 3, 4, 5 guys.

 . >> johnny: jerry hairst- 2 with a walk. line drive to left field for a base hit. the reds sixth of the night. and hairston is on with a single. for  jason bergmann recalled aaa syracuse on may 20th. 2-1 out of the bullpen with a couple of holes holds, no blown saves, a 5.03 earned run average in 56 career big league relief appearances. brandon phillips one for three, a two-run double in the fifth inning. he is up for the fourth time. and takes a strike. the reds second baseman, 43 driven in this year. including a couple here in this

ball game. and to the 0-1. guzman phillips one to hernandez and that's it for cincinnati. so we go to the bottom of the seventh here at national's park. the nationals' bats been flat. they need a couple to tie this ball game. local traffic, weather, even your news up there. i've got a news flash you're out of mayo. how did you get in here? door was open. you'd have tons of ways for you to search for content: by actor, director, any word at all. what about chicken? chicken's fine. any word. no i mean do you have any chicken? i want to eat some chicken. one of the coolest things you can do with fios... ...is stream your music and your photos from your computer to your tv. slideshows look and sound better than ever.

and now is the best time to upgrade to fios all the time. want to tell them why? i do not. because you'll get up to $150 dollars back and over 100 hd channels when you upgrade to verizon fios. call the verizon center for customers with disabilities at 800.974.6006 tty/v i will now return you to your program and unfortunately for some of you, to cable. yeah! wait, what? . >> johnny: nats trying to win their 10th pawing of the season

at home, they are 9 of 20, 15- 40 over all, they have got some work to do. the nationals only run came on a homer from elijah dukes. tomorrow night the reds are back on with us again at masn2. thehe has dropped his last two starts. the nats will go for the sixth win of the year, 3.76 e.r.a. at home here at national's park. beginning at 6. 30 tomorrow night, byron kerr and ray knight.   be with us tomorrow night masn2. johnny holiday along with rob dibble. bob carpenter taking a couple days off and i'm glad to be working alongside the dib sister here in national's park in this 3-1 senate lead. and go to the bottom of the seventh. repair stop is retired in one pitch. >> rob: that good change-up you

saw, down on the ground, a little 4 to 3. here is the pitch location the this 0-1 pitch right there, 1-0, excuse me. it's all about selling it with the arm speed. so, you know, very difficult. that might have even been a fastball because that was a change-up and the guy is heating it up. >> johnny: did you take long to learn one. >> rob: i never had one. i never learned one. >> johnny: you'd be pitching today yet if you had one. >> rob: maybe. ron ba loan, 16 strikeouts, in a nine-inning game with the reds. >> johnny: yeah, loose helping up. johnny cueto facing, now, anderson hernandez. >> rob: that curve paul in there for strike one. >> johnny: will nieves will be

on deck. pitch just outside and it's one ball and one strike.  time becoming a facto the nats tonight in this ball game. hernandez topped to second back in the second, grounded out to second again in the fourth. ball club needs some base runners.  out of play and a bal strikes. >> rob: sometimes the rain delayed ball games comes out and throws your routine off, you go to work at 7:05, a rain delay of an hour and 15 minutes, all of a sudden you wake up and "oh my goodness, we're in the seventh inning, down 3-1, we have got three hits." get it goin' here. we have got to try to get on any way they can. get the tying run to the plate. >> johnny: two balls and two

strikes for the nats' second baseman. johnny cueto has worked his way out of trouble on more than one occasion. a couple of double plays to get him out of trouble. 41 balls, 59 strikes, 100 pitches thrown thus far. anderson fouls it off down to the left. for andnd if you look at his innings pitched this year, rob, unbelievable the entire month of april, he never went less than 7 innings.  and against the cardinals on  wednesday he went 6 1/3 and gave up seven hits. well, tonight he has given up three. zimmerman has got one, dukes has got that home run.

but the count is full to hernandez. fringes hernandez. if nats on your phone and i pod. bat 2009 featuring play-by- play, video highlights and live audio broadcast. visit national's.com on your eye phone or ipod, touch to purchase. so it's quickly two up and two down in the seventh. and will nieves looking for his first base hit of the night. we'll see what he can do gents johnny quelt oh. >> rob: josh going to be starting in right field tomorrow. >> johnny: you know how anxious he is to get back in this

lineup. >> rob: i think the lack of production from austin kearns, if josh willingham gets back to swinging the bat as hot as he was, that gives him the versatility to be in the lineup every day. >> johnny: will nieves the fourth hit of the night for washington. line drive to center field so the nats get a runner on with two down.  and willingham will hit >> rob: i like him. i talked to him a couple years ago. first time i had to go back to cincinnati since we won the world series. new owners, cas ski leany. arthur rose, having a fantastic year. >> and he'll be getting the call here too. >> got my glove.

>> rob: that's something to talk about. sometimes you know, obviously his change up is his out pitch. got to make it work. got to try to get through the lineup three, four times, that's what you're paid to do. >> johnny: so he'll pitch for jason bergmann, takes a breaking ball outside, willingham two homers, driven in 12 in the last 15 games he has played going back to may 16th he has been very productive, .448 on-base percentage. hardrd to be all of his home runs, rob, all home runs have

been solo jobs. >> rob: i know he is not getting a lot of r.b.i.s but look at this lineup. a lot of guys cleaning their plate in front of him. >> johnny: like to wipe that slate clean. >> rob: i talked about this. any way you can, get on by the walk, get on with a tying run at the plate. that's how you get some wins in these close ball games. >> johnny: the 1-2 from cueto. . >> rob: some people m detwiler's outing tonight wasn't that good. three runs in six innings, fifth major league start, i'll take it. this offense. start getting that every night we're gonna win a lot of ball games. >> johnny: i think you and bob have always preached this year patience over and over again. man ooh acta is the most patient of anybody down there in that national's dugout. >> rob: oh, man,