. >> bob: yesterday ryan zimmerman received his first all star selection ask then went out in delivered in the first inning. the nats left home on a modest win streak. tonight the scene shifts to denver, the rockies in are are the thick of a wildcard chase. stammen faces all star marquis. the first of three on masn.

>> it's been a mixed bag of weather in denver today. beautiful all day, a big-time storm about an hour and a half ago, and now it's nice again for the nats and the rourkeys here just east of the foothills. bob carpenter and rob dibble, the nats beat the rockies three out of four in this ballpark last year. big gaps out here. it will be a lotth of fun watching nyjer morgan play center field. >> rob: yes, we do have a very good center fielder finally. a fee with a lot of speed. speed never goes out of style, and you can do an awful lot of things with it. and you better get the ball home in a hurry. and then on defin fence, me hand run it down. and then finally, got three knocks yesterday, including this wig double at the end this

much i ball game. so nyjer morgan is guy this team has been waiting for. >> like willie harris, brings a lot of energy to the ball club. john lannan has been great so far, as has scott olsen. i will visit with both southpaws. pep think you'll find it interesting. straight ahead. 

 welcome back. these two guys with me have made some recent nationals

history. first time two starters have gone 8 innings two games if a row. when scott came off and pitched so well in florida, what did that mean to you guys as you sat there and watched him. >> it was just great to see him come back. we both struggled a couple of games at the beginning of the season, and just great to see him come back and throw as well as he did. >> and scott, you've done that two games in a row now. tell us about the conversation you had with manny acta, because we all thought he was coming out there to take you out of the game. >> that's the same thing i thought. you know, i saw him come out, i thought for sure my day was done, but i didn't have to do any convincing or anything like that. he told me i was staying out there. so made me feel good that he had confidence in me. >> you told me you felt pretty good physically after you game on monday. how do you feel today after start number two? >> i feel fine. just got my lifting done today, and my running, so everything is feeling normal, and i think we should be okay.

>> now, you look at john, jordan, zimmerman, some of the younger guys, does this refind you a little of that florida staff three or four years ago, because you guys were all young at the same time. >> yeah, we were all around the same age, had our growing pains together, and it does have some resemblance to how we set things up in in florida. hopefully we can put together a nice little run here and keep our team in ball games and give them a chance to win. >> john, saw saturday, not everything went right for you. you had some base run ares, got the double-plays. is that encouraging to know that you can win on a day when you didn't have everything working your way? >> yeah, saturday was a great team win. i had a feeling they were going to come through. i know tommy hanson was pretty tough that day, he's been tough, so i knew i had to keep the game as close as possible, and we just have to go out is >> and give the time a chance to win and do our job, and we come out there, don't have the lead, just hope the guys are going to come through like they did on saturday.

>> it took you 50 major league starts to get your 15th major league win. that was up at yankees stadium. how do you feel about where you are right now? >> i feel better than this time last year. i'm learning a lot more this year on the did last year, and just exciting to see this rotation come together, and the future here is really bright. >> all right, scott, you're the old man, keep teaching these young guys what to do out there, will you? >> oh, geez. >> all right, that's scott olsen, john lannan. hope you enjoyed visiting with our two outstanding left- handers. they've been gate. and when we come back to coors field, line-ups and first pitch. the nationals and the rockies straight ahead.  

 nationals are 7th in the league, hitting at .259. ratzmann -- ryan zimmerman has

been driving in some runs. with 55 runs, if the top 4. >> bob: two year air ago, the

rockies were second in defense.    those fees can go get 'em here we go, first pitch of the game. misses low and away. we're underway at 6:41 local time out here. 8:41 for you back home. morgan shows bunt. pulls the bat back, and it's 2- 1. when it's pretty out here, it's as nice as anywhere in the country. 2 for 2 in steels. he has 20 on the year. and a little tapper, right back to the pitcher. 17-year veteran, angel

hernandez has the plate tonight. crew chief randy march at first, hudson at second, and bartsdale at third. last year the nats beat the rockies 4 out of 7. colorado swept at our ballpark, and the nats, including a double header, because of a rainout, won three out of four here, but over the years, it's been all colorado. the nats were 0-8 against them in '06, and the rockies have won 20 out of 30 in the four- year history of the nationals. nick johnson at .293. jason marquis, you will see a lot of balls just pounded right into the dirt here.   

that bowel out to cen pretty well hit. fowler goes back and make this catch. zimmerman bouncing ball, they had him played way up the middle. you would think zimmerman would get a hit for that, because

barmes was way up the middle. they have turned this ballpark a little bit from where it should have been, so when the subpoena sets, it's not into the eyes of the outfielder. it's coming right across the

diamond. they did that so the fans up in the grand stand on the right could see the rocky mountains, but it's very interesting for first basemen early in the evening. way inside to adam dunn. adam dunn is on a 7-game hitting streak. 9 for 25 this year. >> >> if you see a last 0 our players gasping for air, the big itself thing i learned here playing in the minor leagues 25 years ago, the thin air will really hit you hard when you first get up here. recovery is difficulty. i talked to houston street their closer, and he said he threw 11 pitches yesterday, came back today, and he was sore all over, so it's very difficult to recover. very difficult to get your wind. it's hard to get out and do cardioout here and get your work in. a lot of advantages if you're the home team. >> rob: 2-2 to adam dunn. gets one to right feed, but didn't get it, right off the

end of the bat, and brad hawpe is there to get it. now it's greg stammen's turn. view is how we help you take the right path. even to change it when conditions demand. keeping you on the road to achieving your goals. it's something we've been doing for over 150 years. let our strength and stability be the basis for yours. pnc. leading the way.

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 >> fowler a 14th round choice back in '04.

>> rob: you so the strikeout right there of dexer fowler by stammen. you know, the minor leagues, bob, is kind of like a weigh station. there's maybe 0% of the teams, they're -- 80% ever the teams, they're not going to the mange leagues. they're playing so the stars can gets their feet with and get their work in so they can get up to major leagues. this is the scouting report on stammen. it's very tough to breathe here, so pace yourself so hopefully he can get 7, 8

innings. road warrior. he loves to pitch on the road. his era is a lot lower on the road than at home. support the home. last couple of starts, 8 innings each by olsen and lannan, hopefully he can get to the 6th inning and curve this team an opportunity to win. -- and give this team an opportunity to win. >> bob: that was an 0-2 pitch that was way too close to home plate. sitting up waiting to be hit. >> rob: one thing stammen is going to find out real quick, bob, you're breaking balls don't break that well. the ball gets a little slick in your hands. you're body starts to try out, your nose is drying out. i was already talking to our guys on the bench and talking about how dry their noses are. so these going to have to throw that hard sinker a lot more than he usually does. >> knew one on one out here.

scott is helton. who even though he only played in 83 games last year, still has pretty amazing career numbers, a .328 career batting average. third to pujols is ichiro among active batters. he lines that one to the gap, and that will score a run. barmes will score easily. helton into second base with this 55th rbi of the year. and that's number 1171. >> rob: one of the best hitters in the last 15 seasons, todd helton. he makes great contact, uses the field well. we talked about those huge gaps, and with adam dunn in left feed, he's able to split the gap right there and get an

rbi, but i think he could hit anywhere at any time, could have played in any era. >> bob: and he has a five-game hitting streak now. 7 for his last 17. he's in scoring position. here is brad hawpe, who is batting .363 with runners in scoring position. that's 7th best in the national league. so the rockies have scored their 408th run. neil trail the philly bates little more tonight. came in tied with them, but the phillies have put 16 on the board tonight at home against cincinnati. let's hope they don't. the cincinnati starter was johnny kwato. >> rob: johnny had been pitching very well, not tonight. no, todd is just a great contact guy. puts the ball in play, has used this field, but also hits as well on the road as he does at

home. >> bob: is he going to cooperstown? >> rob: if he keeps going the way he and so i think so. >> bob: this is this 13th year, so maybe a couple of more. great numbers, though, and hawpe will foul it off, 2-2. by the way, his is one place where the managerial change did work. the rockies are 13 games over .500 with the ultimate nice guy, jim tracy at the helm. 24 and 11. >> but he's meticulous. i've known jim for an awful long time, and he just -- everything has got to be just right, by the book. also a great people person. i'm not saying that clint hurdle wasn't doing it the right way, because he got his club all the way to the world series a few years ago, and they also set a record, the

best fielding team in the history of this game. i think hay had 9 errors in the course of a year. >> bob: but you could make an argument that in clint hurdle's eight years here, the rockies never had a winning record, except for one great month in september of '07 when they went 20-8. they won 14 of their last 15, including a one-game playoff with arizona, then they swept the phillies and the diamondbacks. they were swept by boost continue the series, but other than that -- >> rob: well, i could also make a great argument for they have paid top dollar to bring in free agent pitchers that cannot pitch here, and you come up here, your era is going up at least a run maybe more than your career average era. they've brought up the late darrell kyle was brought up here. they brought up mike hampton

for $120 million. >> danny anything. . >> anythingle. they brought up many, many guys that people that i they would be excellent, but just not that way. very difficult to pitch up here. >> bob: well, stammen may be pitching defensively, which you cannot do here. the nats defense has nyjer morgan between adam dunn and josh willingham. belliard gets another start today after playing well in the field and getting two hits and scoring three runs. zimmerman, johnson in the corners, and josh bard, who is a denver resident, behind the plate. >> rob: tell you something about helton. helton, pujolss, ruth, and williams, only players in major league baseball history to process a lifetime $325 batting average work 400 unbase percentage. >> bob: bottom of the first, rourkeys after the double play, settling for one run. the country every day.

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 . >> debbie: welcome back too coors field. the rockies with a 1-0 heed. now, on this road trip, the nashs are playing here at coors field and then they head to hueton, and these two ballparks aren't known to be pitcher friendly. so what advice did manny acta have for his young starters? >> bob: >> they should just stat stop listening to whatever is said about the ballpark, and just throw the wall over the plate. if they come into this ballpark

thinking how much the ball flies here, and how short is the porch over there in houston, and obviously that's going to have effect on them. they shouldn't change their pitching plan, and just, you know, sustain aggressionive and attack the strike zone. >> debbie: and pitching coach steve mccaddy said he wasn't going to address the ballpark either, bob. >> bob: some things are better left unsaid. the rockies have three fees who are all capable of playing short stop with great arms on their infield. steve mccaddy watching as willingham bounces out to ian stewart at third. tulowitzki one of the best arms in baseball at short, and barmes a 30-year-old veteran who could play there as well. here is guzman, still in the top 10 if the league, and he collected a couple of more multi-hit games, and has 31 now, second in the league. fastball away. stewart plays on the grass at third. guzman hardly ever bunts. he may have a chance to slap

one right by the shallow playing third baseman. instead, he'll fly one to center. it will back up fowler for an easy out. two down. unusual starting time, the rockies starting their home games these days at 6:30 here mountain time. -- 6:40 here mountain time. this stadium built in 1995. bob carpenter and ron dib who will mayed minor league ball here, and debbie taylor. i know when the rockies played their first three seasons over there, there were nights when they were drawing 80,000, 70,000 a game for baseball. they drew over 8 million their first year. >> and it was a lot of fun to come in here and play against them. >> you were a denver zephyr, huh? >> back in the '80s. and then i came pack to play against the zephyrs when they

became the brewers when the reds changed affiliates. i gave up one home run if all of the times i pitched up here. >> bob: our organization, for the montreal egg poes that their tripped a team here, the denver bears back in the '70s. >> bard pulled that hard and -- >> bob: josh was born in upstate new york, but went to high school here in denver. a lot of family and friendser here. he strikes out. and the nats are gone in the top of the 2nd. 

 well, this ballpark isn't as full as it used to be way back when. rockies in the mid-20s or so. how about our ballpark. bring the hole whole game out on sundays, $14 gets you upper right field terrace, $25 lower reserved seats on the left or right feed side. each ticket gets a hot dog, nonalcoholic drink and chips. nationals.com. the next one will be the sunday after the all star break when the cubs are in. christian guzman will take care of that one. ian stewart with a weak

grounder out to short. nick johnson. i could see nick flinch just a bit. guzman was throwing the ball at him right out of the sun, and until the sunsets behind the right field corner, it's tough for first basemen here. >> i have new nickname for nick. storm. he fancies himself as a tornado chaser. wants to get involved in with the people on the discovery charge and get into one of those tornado cars. >> he does. >> yeah. >> bob: you know what? liz johnson is going to have to say that's okay. so nick doesn't want to be a ups driver anymore? >> rob: no, wants too be a storm chase are now. >> bob: know into what next, a sports announcer, as he continues his down ward spiral? josh will one hand that one in front of the track for the second out. i love him. >> rob: yeah, nick's great. >> bob: well, stammen getting

what he needed last inning with that double play ball. he was heading for a possible disaster in the first inning. he got the dp, now he has two quick outs in the second, and chance to get carlos gonzalez and possibly have the pitcher marquis lead off next ining, and marquis is a real good hitter. you tonight mind not facing this guy. -- you don't mind not facing this guy. >> rob: no. >> bob: gonzalez ended up in oakland in the dan herrin deal, and then traded to colorado with left-hander greg smith and houston street, their closer, for matt holliday last november. 1-1 from stammen, and a high fly ball to left center. it's really carrying, but morgan is out there. he's one hand it about 380 feet away. the left center field gap in

this ballpark is as deep as the old one was at rfk. lots of room, and here comes belliard. ♪ ♪ (tucci) more bars in more places. at&t. the best coverage worldwide. (announcer) get a nokia e71x

the thinnest smart phone for 99.99 after mail-in-rebate.  .  >> rob: rendible, just left the other team try to hit a ball between ton and morgan. >> rob: well, nyjer morgan is one of the fastest outfielders you're going to see in the big leagues. check this out, a shot. watch adam dunn. i'm guying back, and all of a

sudden here comes nyjer morgan saving the day. >> bob: made the play look pretty easy at the end. >> rob: yes, he did. >> bob: and here is belliard. i'm telling you, this ballpark has big gaps. it's 390 where he coca out that, and then goes tout 400- plus, 415 straight away. the ball carry hears, but they really couldn't make the ballpark any better. >> rob: no. here is the thing, if you make your pitches, you could be like jason marquis, 7-2 in 11 starts. you just have to make the pitches. don't worry about psyching yourself out. i only gave up one home run here, and you realize you don't have a good breaking ball in this ballpark, so you have to work more with your change-up and your fastball. you see another ground ball by marquis right there to belliard. that's what you have to too to be successful here. >> bob: jason marquis began

his career with atlanta in 2000. he was traded to st. louis with j.d. drew and ray king. dave duncan tried and tried to get him to rely on his sinker, but at times marquis always wanted to be a four-seamer throwing the ball high in the zone power pitcher. now, he can do that when the he mixes it in, but he has figured things out, and he's getting ground ball outs. there's another little tapper. this time it's the pitcher, stammen. marquis has retired six in a row. some of you nats fans back in '05, meet remember r observe game marquis threw against the nationals. it was a compete game of under 90 pitches, and he threw nothing but sinkers that day in a ballpark that was just about as big as this one. he threw three complete games that year. so that's why people are always think if he would just do that every time out and mix in some

other pitches here and there, he could be very effective. his best season ever, 15-7 with st. louis in '04. but he was under .500 the next two years, and then they let him go off to chicago with the cubs. rockies got him for right- hander this past january. he faces nyjer morgan now, two outs, bases empty, in the top of the third, and a country of 2-0. -- and a count of 2-0. hitting right-handers well. 3-0. walk is as good as a hit for this guy no matter when it is. >> rob: yeah, a walk is a double, really, for nyjer. >> bob: johnson is next. marquis doesn't walk many lately. but that is his 37th of the year in 111 innings.

and the other thing about marquis, he is not that quick to home plate. now, here is -- this is interesting, too. we talked about the first baseman, todd helton. he has his glove in front of his face right now because of the sun. the base stealer and also looking into the sun at the pitcher. he is holding, as nick takes one inside. i just wonder if todd helton tells his pitcher sometimes, man, if you -- the shadows give you the direction of the light right there -- >> rob: they're giants! >> bob: but i mean if he throws it really hard, it's going to be tough to see. and morgan is going to be 3 for 3 as a that. the throw well off to right field side of the bag, and nyjer morgan has his 21st of the year, so he has stolen three bases since appearing with our ball club on friday. >> rob: and that wasn't even fair. as soon as jason marquis looked

at home plate, nyjer took off. >> bob: now a base hit by nick could tie the game. outfielders do play deep here. it's harded to throw anybody out at home. their best arm is brad hawpe in right field. hawpe had double-digit assist there's years ago, but then everybody stopped running on him. he's had something like 11 assists in e0, and '08 combined. and he's back in time with the short stop tulowitzki coming in from behind. >> rob: we told you yesterday most great base stealers want to take that one step and dive back to the bargain. that's a good lead for them. nyjer is getting probably about three steps off of marquis right now, because tulowitzki

is playing deep and towards third base. >> bob: he sure makes a two- out walk interesting, doesn't he? they played nick way off the line west the third baseman, because he love it is go to left field so much. >> rob: oh, yeah, they've got a the book on nick. >> bob: there is ian stewart, probably 30 feet off the bag. outfield straight away. i'll tell you, young will fowler plays a shallow center field in this ballpark. he knows who is running at second base if there's a one hop base hit. 2-2. nick johnson will roll it over and pull it foul. nats on the road with some working to do this year, after being swept at florida. they're only 9-29 against the

west, 5-6 so far this year. 2-1 at arizona, splitting with the dodgers. and 2-4 in a pair of series against the giants. haven't seen the padres yet. and a 2-2 coming. i saw where adrian gonzalez committed to the home run derby today, along with albert pujols. ryan howard and prince fielder. he's running! and nick johnson fouls it. morgan didn't think anybody was paying attention. >> rob: i don't think they are. i think they're just going to let him take third. >> bob: he could score from

second base. >> rob: look atthat. >> bob: that's gonna get him! inside corner! hernandez has a thigh high strike zone tonight. second national to strike out. second runner stranded in a 1-0 game. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 "i'm rethinking everything...

tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 including who i trust to look after my money." tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 "the dust might be settling... tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 that's great, but i'm not." tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 "i guess i'm just done with doing nothing, you know?" tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 "oh, i'm not thinking about moving my money. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 i am moving it."

 . >> bob: manny acta said today to it's pretty certain that nyjer morgan will become the base runner replays elijah dukes will be on first base with one out, and josh willingham coming up to bat in houston, in the bottom of the 1th of the suspended game.

>> rob: see, i would have chosen josh bard, you know, bad groin and all. >> bob: and here is the funny thing, adam dunn is really upset, because he -- i think it was our raped you guy today reminded dunn that he was already out of the game, and he's, like, i don't get to play in he said i don't live that at all. >> rob: hopefully it will be a short sweet finish to that ball game. >> but i think you put in morgan, he steals second base, willingham has a base hit, and then you go get a knack and get ready for the 8:00 game. jason marquis is a great- hitting pitcher. not a good one, a great wind. he's a .207 career hitter, with five career homers, and 46 rbis, he's driven in six runs this year. so that's his 8th hit of the year in 33 abs.

so he's batting .242 this year, which is phenomenal for a pitcher. here is dexer in fowler, the center fielder. now, if you don't like that strike call angel hernandez made on nick johnson a moment ago, it was the same pitch on which he punched out fowler leading off the bottom of the 1st, so the 17-year veteran angel hernandez has a high strike zone tonight. that may not be good for this ballpark. if you want to umpire a 3 hour and 15 minute game, show up here where you only give strikes on pitches up. leading up a rookies in walks and stolen bases. dexter fouler is from atlanta, still lives in georgia. he's out of milton high school where he was an all-american. when he came out in the oh '04

draft and the rookies took him, he was considered the 10th best high school position player in the nation. veteran clint barmes on deck. hit-and-run was on, and it's fouled stream straight back. the hit-and-run with the pitcher running, the lead-off man swings. now, marquis is a good at light. he can run the bases. by the way, the rockies are 24- 11 since jim tracy took over. clint hurdle was fired on may 29th after an 18-28 start. and another note on hurdle, in his 7-plus years here, he was 91 games under .500. and they went to the world series in '07. that was his only winning season.

2-2 pitch. ground paul. they can get the lead runner, but no chance at first. so a good job by belliard turning to his right and getting the force play. request a is there's hartnell with a nice slide. >> bob: and here is barmes. on an 0-2 pitch, he singled the first time up. stammen threw him a hit me hanging breaking ball, and he gets ahead. so craig pitching better now. thin that double-play ball really got him going. he had a one, two, three second. little ground ball by marquis snuck through for a hit here. fowler running threat, 15 out

of 20 this year. he's holding. pitch out. nothing happening, ball 1. two in a row. he could be flying to second here. >> rob: i'm just excited we pitched out. >> bob: that's third base coach former baltimore oriole rich dower. >> rob: very nice. >> bob: lynn allen hill coaches at first. you like the pitchout, huh? >> rob: yeah. >> bob: well, there is your pitchers version of a pitch- out, as the nats probably won't do it again. but who knows. acta, mccaddy, eckstein. there he goes. bard's throw, short. barmes got out over the plate showing bunt, and josh bard had lot to deal with there. >> rob: this is a tough throw

for any catcher. you see barmes has the bat in front of hits face faking a bunt. comes up, actually barmes got out of his way, so that was kind of nice of him, thanks a lot. >> bob: yeah, if he gets on a fly, might have had him. 1-2 now to barmes. he's got a both hitting room on the right side. trying to keep the runner at second. so here is a guy just like nyjer morgan last half inning putting pressure on the defense. got inside on him. ball fouled straight back, just to our right. craig stammen this year, 1-3.

it's his 9th major league start, and he hasn't gone beyond 5 and a third in his last two against the red sox and florida. he pitched into the 7th inning for his only major league win at yankee stadium two weeks ago. he's gone 6 and a third twice, including his first start against the pirates, and then went six against the giants. and a lean drive. should be two. belliard in behind the runner, and dexter fowler, yeah, he stole second, but after that, he didn't run the paces well at all. the nats get their second double-play. he is in no man's land. in the whole building. now everyone has the fastest upload speeds. and we're giving them a mini net. well, i'm sticking with cable. so's ted. (voice) no i'm not! he's just goofing. (voice) no i'm not!

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 it.  we move to the top of the 4th in denver. anytime you get named to an all- star team, it's an honor, but for ryan zimmerman knowing his parents had a hand in this selection mean a lot to. the fans are an important part of thus fame. effect right involves around them, but for us, i think having respect for the managers and players and and people you play in again day in in and day out, that's the most important thing for us. i haven't and he told me he did not have any plans made for the all star break, so didn't have to cansling any reservations, bob.

>> bob: yeah, he wasn't even aware that yesterday was the day that they were going to name the team and the reserves. grounds out to the right side. he's hit the ball over there twice. so he's 1 for 2 tonight. one of thinks you love about ryan zimmerman, his unassuming nature. here is adam dunn, who flied right, right off the end of of the bat first time up. >> rob: when ryan did well the player balloting, he was second to david wright. talk about respect, albert pujols got 650 votes from other players. ibanez had the most with 670 peer votes. >> well, they know who is having the best year. >> jason by got 570. those are your peers voting you

for. that's very impressive. >> bob: adam dunn 9 for 25 comein' coming into the game. he gets ahold of one, he'll be one of the few guys that's put one in the upper deck here. larry walker was the first hitter ever to go upper deck right field here, and that was -- >> rob: former montreal expo, by the way. >> bob: oh, yeah, yeah. >> rob: another one they traded away. new and this ballpark had been opened to for a couple of years before that happened. >> rob: there's the mile high line. >> bob: one row of purple 0úú seats actly one mile above sea level. >> rob  remember when i torun, i would try to run -@rou uhe back of mile h stdium, go up the ramps, that would go around the stadium, and by the time you got to the top, boy, it was the toughest think i've ever done.

suck the wind right out of you. >> bob: target in -, ad a breaking ball hanging. >> rob: that'sup. / >>bob: fivaysúng 300 this year, and of course he's about to get started on his next 100. >> rob: maybe here. >> bob: ball town, going to paint the outsidcorner adam dunn can take it the other way, had some elevation on it, he can homer opposite field here, but he let it go. there are times men you ulwod --@@akig %ingigi ttn na >> rob: well, you see it right through our box, nice two- seamer, job camera people. seen the rotation of that sinker going away from adam dunn. very tough to hit that ball anywhere, after you work in and then work away. >> bob: here is willingham.

and there you see marquis. he is throwing so well this year that he can work high the zone. i think both pitchers have realized now it's a high strike zone tonight. josh pulled the ball reaches first time up, bounced out to third. >> rob: well, and umpires, too, bob, like strike-throwers. >> bob: if. >> bob: that's a strike. it's going to be a strike all night long. >> rob: if this guy is around the plate, he's going to give them a lot of pitches. it's respect. they like guys that throw strikes. that's why maddux got so many, and glavine and guys like that. >> bob: little chop attorney third. ian stewart -- little chop to steward. ian stewart plays it perfectly. nothing like rocky mountain baseball and scenery when you come out here. how about that vista? it made a big splash wh the employees yeaaaahhhh! find out more at

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 . >> bob: the nationals have been flashing some defense tonight. two aboard in the first inning. and not good base running by the rookie here, rob. >> rob: yeah, fowler gets caught off on a line drive. you have to freeze. you have to make sure it's goes through. it was funny, i was talking to glen allen heel, and one of the things he was talking to hymn and myself about was the pace running of nyjer morgan, and when ryan zimmerman yesterday in the first inning hit that

line drive that went through the infield, the one thing they liked about what morgan did, he froze. went through, he still scores from second. so it's just those little things, and our coaching staff is taking notice of what morgan is doing, and right there probably did the wrong thing. >> bob: helton pull this ball. he has the gains only rbi. his 55th of the year, opposite field double first time up. i actually had a chance to be doing some sec football when todd was at tennessee. he was a teammate of peyton manning, and todd beat him out one year for the number two spot in '94. can you imagine peyton manning being number 3 on the dealt chart in college? >> rob: just shows you how good todd helton was as a quarterback. >> bob: he was good.

i rib him having a rocket arm from that left side. he was very quick west his feet. had a running back named james little man stewart behind him, and they were good. i think that was johnny majors' last year. that's low, 3-2. local kid out of knoxville, central high school. played payable at u.t. as well. >> rob: todd is my boy. a big hunter. loves to go out there and live off the land. but more importantly, like myself, liked fried bologna sandwiches. >> bob: how didded you fine that out. i've been talking to him for 10 years. that was one of the first things i learned about todd. >> bob: helton retired, leading off the bottom of the

4th. get your red on, and get that grand slam flex plan. you get a 5th one free. five different plans to choose from. pick your game, your plan, your seats, and get a game very easy. bring your curly w t-shirt to the ball game. brad hawpe first pitch swings. fair ball and nick does it again! to stammen for the second out! >> rob: the storm. storm johnson! >> bob: ise a stormchaser and a ground ball chaser today. >> rob: well, he just subs this up like a tornado! right over the bag. nick, abusing his body for the team, doing the job. >> bob: two weeks ago, that ball hits the i bag and deflects out into right feed for a hit. >> rob: oh, don't put the hex back on. i think we put the herb on another team. >> bob: and stammen did his

job by waiting for that throw, being in the right spot. here is troy tulowitzki, and strike one to him. you don't see a lat hoff guys who wear a -- you don't see a lot of guys who wear a batting glove on their fielding hand. first three innings, craig averaging 14 pitches per frame. and high breaking ball is a strike. >> rob: here ryan. >> bob: he's a bare hand guy. >> rob: he's a bare hander, and he uses a very small glove. there's ronny belliard.  

 so nick is the only one on infield wearing a batting glove underneath his regular glove. >> bob: 3-2 pitch. threw him a strike. don't hit it over there! nick johnson is playing tonight. and that will do it for the rockies in the bottom of the 4th. three ground ball out bus stammen. in fact, his last six on the ground. degree blaz problem. you kno, maybe otr people are content to sit around and wait. wait for something to happen. for business to pick up. but for you, it's time to kick it in gear. time to get going. time to get tough. take control. you're not gonna run and hide. because backing down's not your style. grab your bag. it's on. ( ding )

 . >> bob: this was one of th great parks are when it opened in 95 with the food courts and the wide open concourse and open spaces. i was actually here the day they broke ground. this was a train yard down here, and it has really revitalized this area of denver. here is guzman. fouled it right down off of his leg, two balls and no strikes. >> rob: where can they go to vote guzman to the all-star team, bob?

>> bob: nationals.com. >> rob: there you go. >> bob: follow the prompts. ouch. >> rob: ouch, that's off the ankle bone. probably have one of those little scars down there tomorrow. >> bob: now, a pitcher wouldn't bury another one here would he? >> rob: no, you wouldn't want him to hit it right the again, would you? >> bob: and guzman, who got jammed on that pump, it's an easy fly ball to center. this is a weird ballpark, because the outfield now is mostly in the shade, and the infield is in a lot of sun. that's how backward things are here. take this ballpark as you're looking at it, and turn it about one quarter turn clockwise, and that's the way most bomb parks sit, so that right field or left field would be the sun field, but here, the sun is coming right in from the left field corner, and it gives

us some very unusual conditions early in the evening. it's all for the view. oh, good swing. josh bard, out of cherry creek high school here in denver, levels off and singles to left, and he's still nursing that groin. you can tell by watching him run that he's handling pitchers so well, and swinging the bat so well, rob, manny stunt want to take him out. >> rob: yeah, he's going to gut it out. you saw that nice swing, taking that sinker to left field. pretty much the only thing you can do other than hit a ground ball to middle infielders. plus he throws a heavy ball, and what hitter will tell you about a heavy ball is it grinds through their pat, reverberates through their hands. play catch with a guy, constantly getting it in the palm of your glove.

>> bob: belliard breaks his bat. the ball will still carry to fowler. two outs. it will be craig stammen now with two outs. the nats have only had two hits. asks off the glove of barmes in the first, and josh bard's clean single with one out here in the 5th. so jason marquis looking like an all-star pitcher. he's never been in the all-star game. pitched in two division series, three lcs and for st. louis in the '04 world series. stammen bounced back to the pitcher first time up. rockies areth and a half games back of the dodgers, but they're in the thick of the wildcard race. they have 42 wins. the giants have 44.

the brewers 43. the marlins 48. so they're right there. their pro, they're 2-10 against the dodgers this year. they have not been able to beat l.a. marquis did shut out the dodgers 1-0 recently. that's a breaking ball low. you can't call that a strike after the strike zone we've seen here tonight. i think marquis was so quick in that game in dodgers stadium, they had to wait around until it got dark for a fireworks display. that's how quick he pitched. stammen will chop at right side for clint barmes. the nats continue to hit the ball into the ground. josh bard's brother here in town. he'll visit with debbie taylor when we come right back. úúxx

 . >> debbie: i'm join $now by mike bard, the older brother of nats catcher josh bard. mike, you're the one responsible for teach knowledge him how to become a switch hitter. how kid that come about? >> well, he was in 8th grade. i became a switch hitter in college, when i was playing, and, you know, bards don't run that well, and is he was playing a good position for that type of tool set, but i just envisioned that he would have a better chance of playing, you know, if he -- if his skill set got a little bit better, so we started doing it in 8th grade, and it's been a long road, ups and down toes along the way for sure. >> debbie: what do you tink has been the key to his success this season, he's done so well attie plate offensively? >> bob: there's no question it's rick eckstein, and i've been fortunate to meet rick in a couple of cities. that guy is passionate about

hitting, extremely passionate about hitting, and he has helped josh a lot, and special for a guy to be in that position and to really make a difference, and rick has done that. >> debbie: okay. thank you so much, mike bard. and bob, of course, mike was an assistant hitches coach with the rockies when they went to the world series in '07. back up to you. >> you saw as we said earlier, the bard family originally from upstate new york. josh lived in denver by the time he went to cherry creek county high school. teammate of brad lidge there, and went to a fine career in the big 12 at texas tech. was an all-american there. drafted by minnesota, didn't sign. cleanup man with the red raider, and then finally the rockies took him in the third round of '99. a baseball odyssey, josh bard. here is ian stewart leading off, bottom of the 5th. craig stammen through for innings, 54 pitches, 36 strikes, so right on his 14

pitch per inning having a. he has retired five in row, and has seven ground ball outs. eeian stewart grounded out to guzman first time. rockies only have three hits, two of those in the first. it's ball 3 now. you see iannetta waiting. >> rob: what do they put in those fried bologna sandwiches up here? these kids are all huge. >> bob: that ball is ripped to right. willingham over to get it. and the rockies have their second lead-off man aboard in five innings. you like what you saw from nick last inning? >> rob: well, nick tied a record right here in major

league baseball. three assists in the same inning. you like it when it's our guy nick johnson laying out for balls. nick in the routine play, but also helps if you have an athletic craig stammen consistently getting over in time to get to first base. >> he got all three putouts. >> bob: iannetta flied to right first time. and stammen misses up. hard to do tonight. chris iannetta pretty much took over at the rockies front line catcher last year. he hit .264, and 42 of his 86 hits went for extra bases. he did not make an error behind the plate last year, and only

arizona's kris snider and detroits brandon innge could make that claim as catchers. he's been very reliable. >> rob: all right. wait a second, though, i have to check that. brandon inge -- wasn't evan rodriquez playing catcher last year? >> inge played some games. >> rob: there is torrealba. >> bob: one of johnny holiday's favorite names by the way. >> rob: what, yorvit torrealba? >> bob: yeah. >> rob: yorvit. >> bob: good to see yorvit torrealba back after that kidnapping ran some situation severely affected his family. my gosh has he had things on

his mind this year. >> rob: his first game back, bob, a was yesterday. >> bob: how about that? son kidnapped. with the run i go, hot shot to zimmerman, safe at second, out at first! you don't see that very often. the nats knew with the catcher running, they had time to turn two, bucket with ian stewart running on the pitch, he was able to beat it. so that will be a 5-4-3 one out play. >> rob: watch how cool this play is, though, zimmerman still thinks he has a shot. belliard just a great job of turning at least one at the end of that play. most guys don't even throw the ball. so ronnie belliard and ryan zimmerman recognizing they had the catcher running, trying to steal a double lay. >> bob: pretty enough to be a double-play. runner at second, one out, carlos gonzalez the hitter. and he was the hitter robbed on

that great running catch by nyjer morgan. first time up. and this is with all due respect to willie harris, who is a great, versatile player on this team. i think thanksgiving morgan has already made two, maybe three catches in four games with the nats that nobody else on this team catches in center field. >> rob: i'm going to go a little farther. not too many guys in the major leagues make some of the plays i've already seen nyjer make. >> bob: but i think it's inch important to know that this decision on this particular ball club has been seriously upgraded. >> rob: yeah. mike rizzo has done a fantastic job. byron kerr wrote a great blog on masn.com, and i concur that kerr should get that interim label taken off gm and let him

be the full-time gm. >> bob: no balls and two strikes to gonzales. target in. he goes up and in, misses with a fastball. and there's a good hitting pitcher, jason marquis. 1 for 1 tonight.    i posted mean today abo challenges facing the nationals pumping staff in colorado -- pitching staff in colorado and houston this week. >> rob: are they trying to climb a mountain, bob? >> bob: no, it's pretty flat down in texas. that's a swamp. but between now and sunday, 8 games will be decided, not

seven. guzman to his right, knocks it down, and loses the play at first. ian stewart with the ball hitting in front of him, industry staying home at second ways. >> rob: well, he goes toward third base also right there, and the ball, and actually i think -- did that hit him in the leg? i don't think he saw it, because he saw it coming out of the shadows, and ian stewart, i don't know how you give an error, never touched a glove, hit him right in the shin. >> bob: just wonder if that got him in the same place the foul ball did. >> bob: ,but ian stewart was kind of going to third on the play, and he might have been shielded from the ball, and then it hit him right in the shin. >> bob: the entire outfield, except for a bit of right field is if the shade now, and the infield has all kind of streaks of light. marquis a better swinger than

he is a bunter, and here is guzman again. >> bob: it hits him right in the same spot the foul ball hit him, bob, right in the inside right leg. >> bob: and of course stewart played it well. he was not going to third. >> rob: that's going to be a couple of really purplele bruises tomorrow. >> bob: marquis. now, in his career, he has 27 sacrifice bunts. but he has a whole lot more hits than that. this is one pitcher, he has 99 career hits, and 27 sacrifices. maybe he bunted foul on purpose so he gets to hack now. >> rob: all right two pitches ago.

now, watch where the bat is. the bat has to be straight, and it's actually behind, so when he hits that ball, it's behind him. he's never going to be able to bunt that fair. >> bob: and guys will tell you they actually want the bat pointing up the third base line, even the bat out ahead a billings so you can catch the ball. >> rob: yeah. and act like a shock-absorber. >> bob: swing and miss on a baking ball in the dirt. not a good at bat by a good- hitting pitcher, and that's the second out here in the 5th. stammen's second strikeout tonight. >> rob: doesn't the get the sacrifice down and in, and then he gets a can of curveball right here. right in the dirt, right where you went to bury that pitch. nice job, stammen. >> bob: two on, two out. dexter fowler on the way now. he's 0 for 2 with a strikeout and a ground ball, with a steal, but he was picked off second on a line drive double-

play. and stammen gets the outer half for a strike. >> rob: the rockies have had some great center fielders, too, before fowler. you've had juan pierre out there, also had tavarez out there, willy tavarez. lotts of speed in this huge outfield. 123450 in their early days when they first motived into this ballpark, they had elission burkes in center, and larry walker in right. now, obviously burks had the legs, walker had the arm. and they've had some great outfielders here.

nice and shady in the rout field right now. top of the order, top of the 6th, nyjer morgan coming right at you. at pnc, taking the long view is how we help you take the right path. even to change it when conditions demand. keeping you on the road to achieving your goals. it's something we've been doing for over 150 years. let our strength and stability be the basis for yours. pnc. leading the way.

 . >> bob: morgan, up the middl and marquis stabs it for a very important first out. >> rob: nyjer morgan just trying to get a base hit up the middle. unfortunately, that big marquis guy was there with the glove. >> bob: here is nick johnson 0- 2. fly ball, called third strike. a pitch up, nick pops it up

left field. carlos gonzalez, easy out, two down. jason marquis, his first five innings, averaging 11 to 12 pitches per inning. he's face ryan zimmerman, bases empty, two outs. ryan has gone the opposite way twice. one a pace hit. his 98th of the year -- 96th of the year. so ryan has a chance to show up in st. louis next week with a hundred hits this year. and he's in the top 4 in the league in runs with 55. that shows you how many times adam dunn has driven him in. >> rob: christian has a chance if he goes. he has 92 hits. >> bob: do you think adam dunn could end up in st. louis with

all of the outfield injuries right now? >> rob: absolutely. because i don't think beltran can make it. although hamilton is coming off the injured list for are the american league. >> bob: but if you look at the big power guys if the league, pujols, gonzales, fielder, they're already on the team, and if you go down the list, really no outfielders behind adam dunn in the power categories. and for people that aren't already going. >> rob: yeah, for people who may not know adam lind, we just played against the blue jays. he's a fantastic outfielder, .310, 98 hits. >> rob: knewnice. one of the three that series won at home this year was against the blue jays.

the other against atlanta. >> rob: i know rios is getting up there, high 80s. >> bob: toronto is second in the american league, with a .273 team batting average. >> rob: they've had the most hits, though. >> bob: 803 hits going into today. that's a lot of knocks. and a one-hopper to tulowitzki. watch this arm. boom! zimmerman gone in the top of the 8th inning, and jason marquis rolls on with nine ground ball outs. woman over p.a.: this is your final boarding call. all paengers... each with an average speed of 590 miles per hour. almost as fast as you. nothing's gonna hold you down. starting august 16th, fly southwest airlines from bwi airport to boston logan for just $49 one-way. bags fly free on southwest so our low fares stay low. grab your bag. it's on. - ( ding ) - book now at southwest.com.

 . >> bob: well, it is a rocky mountain high for pitchers tonight. only six hits in the game, and a 1-0 ball game here in the 6th inning. stammen has been outstanding, but jason marquis looks likes an all star. >> rob: yeah, jason marquis is really pitching well after being named to the all-star team. i can recall choking a few saves after i not named to the all-star team, so he's doing a great job, getting a lot of ground balls, but so is stammen, who has done a great job when he gets behind in the count. marquis shutting down the nationals for six ins. >> bob: that ball beyond the reach of dunn. it will bounce and hit the yellow line for a lead-off

double. second extra base hit by the rockies tonight. >> rob: well, going through the line-up for the third time, seeing a lotth of our guys nightmares right there you saw barmes getting a pitch inside that he could turn on and handle, that's his 20th double of the season, but more importantly, that ball did stay in the ballpark. so sometimes when you do get it up, it's not flying out of here, you get lucky. >> bob: todd helton has the other double. bounced out to nick johnson last night. he's looking to move the runner, and stammen throws the pitch outside and up. >> rob: more importantly, bob, you have to recognize the other guy is throwing a great game. you have to work on helton right here. forget about the runner for a little bit, stop the big inning. >> bob: right at nick johnson, a play at second, that's going

to be automobile double-play! barmes caught off the bargain, and the rockies get two frisky at second base on a line drive for the second time don't! >> rob: i would rather be lucky than good. this is a high shot by helton. johnson finds guzman who is at the bag. closer than barmes. those two steps got him. line drive, you've got to freeze and hold until it gets through the infield. that's what they teach you. they work on hitting balling down the the dirt, waiting for them to go through, take off as soon as they see it hit down ward, and freeze on the line drives. it's something that's hard to teach, but if you keep working

on the fundamentals, eventually it pays off. so far we've been lucky with their base runners. >> bob: the nashs in the last three ball games is v now turned 8 double-plays. >> rob: our defense has improved to pitching. and we talked about that earlier in the year, that the better defense you play, now craig stammen is working ahead, he's challenging people, and even though he's got a couple of those breaks balls up he in the zone, the defense is making plays behind him. nice pitch. nice 3-1 sinker. >> bob: didn't give in to the left-hander hawpe, who has hit 13 homers, and has 41 extra base hits. in the national league, only pujols is fielder have more. >> bob: going to get him on a ground ball, rolled over to the infeed grass, belliard for the third out. double-play helps again. dunn, willingham, and guzman coming if the 7th. fios guy! where ya headed?

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 . >> bob: there it goes, if it stays fair. and it will be a fair ball. deflects off the wall, away from the right fielder brad hawpe, and adam dunn for a moment thought about three. he just kidn't get enough elevation on that ball, but adam dunn give this nats their best scoring opportunity in some time. >> rob: well, adam gets a pitch up and in. one of the few mistakes that marquis has made, just inches

from being a home run. >> bob: and you know rob in this ballpark, you see the number on the wall. it's 350 downty line here. that's a home run if many ballparks. now, adam would tell you, i didn't get all of it, but he does have his 15th double. now it's willingham's job to get him over or in. he will single to left field. dunn waited for for that ball to go through, as he should, and runners at first and third, nobody out, guzman coming up. >> rob: watch adam dunn freeze on this. >> bob: plenty of time to get

to third. >> rob: yep. >> bob: guzman could tie it up in an instant. christian has driven in 21 runs this year. tonight he has flied twice to center field. and a bouncer. got it, adam dunn, off of third. that time he did not freeze! and the nats lose a valuable base runner on a 1-5 fielders choice.  

 boy, the nats hit a lot of ground balls with the runner at third. so the that ins do have a runner scoring position, willingham. >> rob: right man at the right place right here, right time. come on. big double, big gapper. into knew trying to make his brother proud. usually when marquis gets a pitch up, he still has some sink on it, and you end up pounding the ball straight down.

? you can't send him acombination hawpe. bases loaded, one out. >> rob: hawpe has one of the best arms in the major league today. watch him come up, and watch his perfect throw. one hop to the catcher. >> bob: now, three years ago, brad hawpe had 16 outfield assists. only soriano in e08 had more. and then the next couple of years, he only had 6 and then 9, because teams have stopped running on him, just like a moment ago. so now a big spot for ronnie belliard, and the nationals do

not want a ground ball here. willie harris to hit for stammen, and belliard will hit it foul. and there is willie to hit for stammen, who has pitched six very good innings, but in a ball game like this, row have to hit for your pitcher if it get downs that number nine stat. now, if belliard drives in a couple or three runs, be the that changes your mind. on a pitch up, it's out of play, fortunately. >> rob: yeah, but no lead is safe, bob, not in this field. you can put up a 5 or a 10-spot in one half of an inning. bergman and tavarez losenning up.  

 belliard double-play ball. the nationals this year have killed themselves with ground balls, men at third base, and less than two outs. 

 . >> bob: bottom of the 7th. this will be craig stammen's last inning. he is due to bat first in the 8th. looks like a change-up, he just missed away. craig pitching into the 7th inning for the third time in his career. breaking ball, 2-1. >> rob: and look at that hot

popcorn. >> bob: no, sir regularly. and a 2-2 to tulowitzki. caught him at the knees. >> rob: nice pitch. >> bob: third strikeout tonight by craig stammen, who might be reestablishing himself in this rotation, rob. there might have been a few seeds of doubt after his last two starts. >> rob: well, our guy has a hard sinker, too, and the you see it. back door sinker on tulowitzki. ah, take that and like it! >> bob: stammen last two starts. 14 hits, 10 runs. don't gets lots of outs. that was his third strikeout. he has two double-plays on infield line drives, which are considered through the air, of

course. ian stewart the hitter, up and in to him. you have to keep people offty plate if this ballpark. >> rob: and uncomfortable. >> bob: otherwise stewart, the first high school position player ever drafted by the rockies, when the they took him back in '03 with the 10th overall pick -- that's fouled to nick johnson -- out of long beach, california. interesting story about him. when he was at single a ashville and hit .319 in '04, he proposed to the daughter of the manager. that ballpark in asheville is s in the mountains, built into the side of a mountain, it's like 290 downty line, and like 315 i think it was to left center feed. i would have not my pitchers down there. george is a broadcaster for the rockies. has a son pitching there for

colorado. >> rob: nick johnson hauls in that foul ball. i would put all of my pitcher there is, because if you could pitch in that ballpark, you could pitch in the big leagues. >> bob: as long as you ignore their 9era. >> rob: what's era. >> bob: bases empty, two outs.    craig stammen is going to finish with a flourish, a one, two, three 7th. he's giving his team a chance to win. we'll see if the bats can do it now. woman over p.a.: this is ur final boarding call. all passengers... each with an average speed of 590 miles per hour. almost as fast as you. nothing's gonna hold you down. starting august 16th, fly southwest airlines

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 . >> bob: hand shakes in the dugout for craig stammen. 98 pitches, 62 strikes, and 7 high-quality innings. add an dunn. two are the four others? evan rodriguez is lance berg bergmann. ball conner co and germane dye hit theirs back to back on the same night. how about that? >> rob: 300 home run hitters

will be a lot motion than 3-00 game winners for pitchers down the road in this game. >> bob: been a strike all night. >> rob: he's. consistent, though. >> bob: hehas. thee nats don't have as many problems with angel hernandez now that perez isn't with this ball club anymore, because hernandez would call him for one or two balks every game. the only umpire who did. and the last time it happened, 2-1 game, he ended up throwing the nats left-hander out. 3-1. good take by willie harris. you would love to see him aboard with nyjer morgan, his bunting bat and his speed next. nyjer is 0 for 2 with a walk in

a steal tonight. well, the 8th inning has been kind of magical lately, hasn't it? the nats have picked this inning in which to have several significant game-winning rallies. that will be foul. >> rob: the only bad news? of the 52 runs given up by marquis this year, only one in n the 8th inning. >> bob: well, that can change. the nats got 4 in the 8th saturday against the braves, and then a badly-needed insurance run yesterday the way that 9th inning ended up. 1-0 top of the 8th. the kind of a ball game they haven't had very much over the years here at coors field. willie harris with another foul ball. helton is guarding the line. >> rob: no doubles. get later in a ball game, you'll see willie harris will pull, so they're probably pitching him in to todd helton,

just huhing the line. brad hawpe is a little deeper in right field. doesn't want to get anything behind him. harris up the middle. marquis can't get it. barmes can. great play. he got rid of it immediately. and that's 13 ground ball outs, jason marquis has registered tonight. >> rob: barmes know his has to get rid of this ball in a hurry,, he has a fast run err. watch him going towards short stop, just quickly flicks it across his body while he's turning. >> bob: wow, that's really good. >> rob: that's body control right there. >> bob: and as i mentioned earlier, stewart, barmes, and tulowitzki all have been short stops in their career, so they have three great arms out there throwing the ball over to todd helton. nyjer morgan, a ground ball to the pitcher, a walk, a steal, stranded at second in the third, and then mars marquis took a sharply hit ball and

threw him out last time. and morgan, left center, base hit. >> rob: all right. here you go. >> bob: every time he's been at first ways for the nats, he has stolen second. he did have a couple of doubles yesterday, and from colorado, tonight's copyrighted tele cast presented by authority of the washington nationals. look at that sunset. may not be reproduced or retransmitted in any form and the accounts and descriptions of this game may not be disseminated without the express written consent of the washington nationals. high strike. >> bob: high strike to nick johnn. >>rob: that's not even where

iannetta wanted that pitch. floated back across the plate. good time for nick when they try to pull inside on him to hit a home run. >> bob he'solding. now some marks like their guy running 0-2, because usually the pitcher ist goinéo  throw a str migh n don n the dirtand&that makeit fft&for&a&catcr&to row&t&runn lthis. anatgrt for jemorgan oat iannetta is going to have to step to his left before he throws towards second base. into he started and then stopped, and now he'll go to second base. he will not challenge brad hawpe. >> rob: nobody is going to challenge that arm. >> bob: he nationals are gettintheir base hits. it's getting anybody beyond third that's the problem. and now it's 2 on, one out, and ryan zimmeagup. >> rob: le, nick pulls this

curveball on the inner half. nyjer mark. has to hold. watch the speed right here. gets off with the pitch, takes off, make sure it goes through. right back to the bag. >> bob: ryan zimmerman 1 for 3. the nats need him to drive it somewhere. that's a pitch you do not want to swing at in this situation. >> rob: be patient right here. try to get yourself something you can put in the outfield on a single. >> bob: clone and embree warping up. a little chopper.

well played by stewart. second is and third, two outs, adam dunn.

>> rob: i live love what i'm seeing out of this pitcher, bob. >> bob: a real improvement by stammen over his last two starts. >> rob: lannan and olsen now backed up by stammen. >> bob: all right. morgan at third, johnson at second, adam dunn at first, and the at bat of the game now for josh willingham. >> rob: good pitch right there. >> knew yeah, because josh loves to turn on the ball. he's one for third with a base

hit to left field last time. gonzalez really playing shallow in left, for a power hitter willingham. that's a good take. >> rob: tried to back door sinker him. >> bob: fans booing from the side of the field. >> rob: oh, everything can't be a strike. going to go to the back tour door, toward this lefty's batter's box and try to bring it around the back of the plate. >> rob: 74 strikes, 28 balls. >> bob: willingham has to be swinging here. you cannot take a third strike here. that one is outside.

2-2. and of course marquis coming off that 1-0 one at the dodgers, a two-hitter, without a walk. he has walked one unintentionally tonight. so the nats are one swing away from taking the lead here. willingham with a fly ball to right, first of all hawpe couldn't see it, now he does. why couldn't the nats get that with one out last inning, and they continue to be frustrated by marquis. ♪ yeah!

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 . >> bob: jason marquis added two more ground ball outs in that inning. he has 14 on the night. and --

>> rob: angel hernandez is not calling that low strike tonight. >> bob: 19 saves, 113 in his career. a foul. you lose matt holliday, go v to get something back. vote for cristian guzman as he final national lease all star. the voting ends at 4:00 p.m. even on thursday. you know the philly fans are doing foyt for shape victorino. that will be a lead-off walk in the inning, and a perfect situation for marquis, if he bunts this time. >> rob: well, steve mccaddy is

just not happy with that. gonzalez came into tonight hitting .194 -- >> bob: with one home run. it drives a pitching coach crazy when you nibble on guys batting under .200 with very little power. gonzalez is in the league b.i.g. leagues because of his legs, his feet, now you give him his strength at first base, a chance to lead off. marquis takes it low. in joe beimel was paying attention from the bullpen, he would have to know there is no low strike zone tonight. >> rob: marquis reallygettingg those knees low, ready to bunt.

i've been coming here a lot of years, not watching more than maybe 3 to 8 or 8 games a year. i've never seen a 1-0 game when both pitchers were so good like tonight. i know they've had some in this park over the years, but it's not a frequent occurrence. i think craig stammen, what he did tonight, should make jordan zimmerman feel good about tomorrow. and then ross dead wilier on wednesday. >> rob: and i think if you're steve mccaddy and manny acta, craig stammen's stock rose a lot of points with them, because this is one of the worst pitcher's parks in all of baseball. went out there against an all star pitcher, and basically stood toe to toe with him for 7 innings, so he did a great job tonight. >> bob: and i'm not saying he was on the ropes, but do i think, rob, there were some

touts after his last two starts. dexter fowler on deck.

out of play to the right side.

>> bob: all of the 1-0 gains would be what you would call ah, or at, after thermodo, or humidor. every one of those games since the humido railroad was put into use. none this year. so here you go. oh, they had him picked off, before never looked, and guzman has only one play, to first. all right. let's have a lock at the

rockies highlights. brought to you by geico. opposite field. that was an 0-2 pitch. his 55th rbi. the games only run. >> was there was one game here september 14th of last year, when the rockies beet the dodgers 1-0 in extra innings. the only time a game has ever

gone nine scoreless here. >> rob: unlike albertpujols,, helton, only 855 strikeouts, 1,080 walks. age major leaguer with that kind of time in, you strike out, more walks than strikeouts, .427 on base percentage. >> bob: 0-2 pitch to barmes. >> rob: oh, come on, angel! been a strike all night. well, this high outside strike has been called by angel hernandez all night. >> bob: that was right on the lower quadrant of that strike zone, and a 1-2 pitch, runner

going at second. ground ball foul. challenge for the third baseman on that play is to stay home long enough to see where the batted ball might foe, and then in it's swung and missed, you have to get to the bargain before the runner does. that's not an easy play for ryan zimmerman.

into he saw what he needed to see, i guess. no, here he comes again. i mean, when a guy is stepping -- he was on the grass last time. that is -- i don't know. >> rob: he's one of the all- time greats, like robin ventura. fastball away, got him. so helton won't bat in the 8th. we'll go to the 9th. now that college is a few years behind me, it seems i've got three times the bills i used to. and they're getting in the way things i'd like to do.

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 . >> bob: here we go, 9th inning. houston street, among others who came over in the matt holliday deal. and end when i asked some of their broadcasters about this guy, they said he has been lights out. >> rob: 19 for 20 in saves. >> bob: nice. >> rob: that is just what you would like, especially here. cannot be easy to be a closer in this ballpark. >> bob: so it's guzman first, then bard, and then we'll see what manny does with ronnie belliard's spot. he has anderson hernandez. and street misses away.

that pop up into right center. outfielders play so deep here when it's late in the game and no doubles, that second basemen and short stops here know they may have to go a long, long way to may have maine a catch. >> rob: yeah, that was some trouble for barmes. a long way to go to make that catch. and there are still no outfielders in there, in the pitcher. >> bob: h amel and zimmerman tomorrow night. nats extra. at 8:00. here is josh board two for three. unfortunately his hit last inning was right at brad hawpe. and there is no way that josh willingham could score. and then the big play of the

night, ronnie belliard grounding into a 6-4-3 double- play to end that inning in the 7th. somebody may just have to get ahold of one and pop it out of here. i don't know in anderson her an connecticut is ailing. he's not swinging the bat very well. you would think he would be next instead of belliard. we'll see. bard pulls it, right at todd helton, and the rockies are one out away.

one pitch and it's over. rockies beat the nationals. job i back with more after this short time-out. the country every day. woman over p.a.: this is your final boarding call. all passengers... each with an average speed of 590 miles per hour. almost as fast as you. nothing's gonna hold you down. starting august 16th, fly southwest airlines from bwi airport to boston logan for just $49 one-way. bags fly free on southwest so our low fares stay low.

grab your bag. it's on. - ( ding ) - book now at southwest.com. coming up on nats xtra post- game in a moment, a 1-0 shutout. a rarity at coors field. >> yeah, who would have thunk it. we have our guys checking on that. i don't know if i ever remember

a 1-0 ball game out there, but i know i have never seen as little offense in a ball game. marquis keeping the ball down. outstanding. >> let's head it back to denver with bob and rob.    . >> bob: well, you don't see this very often, two hours and 12 minutes, the 8th 1-0 game in the history of coors field, and the last one since last september. joins tomorrow at 8:00 p.m. for nats xtra with johnny and ray. this has been a presentation of masn. stay tuned. nats xtra coming your way right now, and tonight forget, rob dibble will appear momentarily

from the booth . >> it is time for nats xtra post-game brought to you by verizon. game one of seven on the road. by folly, i guess we saw tonight why this guy is a pretty good pitcher for colorado. >> he's so much better than i've ever seek him, johnny. he's always had trouble with his breaking ball getting it over for a strike. he's always been about a .500 pitcher except for the one year in st. louis, he was 15-7, but he made pitch after pitch, kept the ball on the ground. 15 ground ball outs and stymied our offense. >> he bounced around to a couple of ball clubs before he landed there. starts witt then braves, cubs, st. louis, and then to this club. >> in the first inning, their

rockies took advantage of their bus hits. they get the only run of the ball game, while the nationals and the 7th, and again in the 8th could not get a run across, despite having the bases loaded. >> well, stammen could have not been any better. his roughest inning was a base hit to right field in the first inning. and then on a food pitch, town and in, little flip ball out into left center field gap, the ball cares. they score their one and only run. 7th, we get the bases loaded, ground ball double-play there, swinging a at bad ball. belliard. and then paces loaded in the next inning, fly ball to right field out. but marquis making pitches when he had to, w be ask jim tracy staying with him because he has done it before. craig stammen, tough night, my man. great job, got through the line- up the third time. pitched outstand go ahead. just five hits for the rockies. >> bob: and marquis become this first 11-game winner in the major leagues tonight. now 11-5. stammen takes the

loss. a tough loss for craig, 1-4. morgan goes 1 for 3, walked and a stolen base. barmes for the rockies, 2 for 4. helton one for three with a double and an rbi. >> rob: just didn't hit when it counted, johnny. a couple of them bad base running mistakes. too. we're going to go over that later. we have the break down on that, and a good outfielder that charge this ball. we have to be a little more aggressive sometimes, and we certainly have to be a little bit smarter when it comes to being first and third, one, nobody out. there's a deal that you have to do there, and we're going to go over that in a little bit. >> bob: you would is ask about how main 1-0 shutouts in the history of coors field? 8. this was the 8th. >> rob: i didn't know there were that many.

we didn't have any games that were low run games back then before they started that putting that paul in the humidor. >> well, we'll talk more than about craig stammen, as the show continues, but what he has done, i think since the mets game, when he fave up maybe five runs in that bomb game, the next six starts, two runs or less for craig stammen? >> i lover him. i love him. he hasn't gotten as much ink as a lot of these guys have because he hasn't been able to get through a through that 8th inning, but i love him. he throws that fast paul down, and in and out, and i belive once he learns what these hitters' strengths are that he's going to be able to pitch to their weakness. i really do. i like his presence on the mound. i've liked him from day one. >> let's go out to cars filed. a guy who knows a little bit