another ground ball out. for evybody following sunday's dramatic win, we're at nationals park. first of three against the phillies, on masn 2. with the nats on top 1-0. ryan howard flied out to right filed with two men aboard in the first inning, and that was the biggest out of the game for john lannan so far. >> rob: john continues to pound the fastball in and away. has got a good one tonight. t your secondary pitches. >> bob: and a bouncing ball.

than pedro, with iuno3.%%a tough question. i wish i came up with that one. >> bob: jayson werth lined out to right bob gibson comes tomind. >> rob: i was going to say bob gibson, sandy koufax. >> bob: did koufax. i long enough to have 3,000 strikeouts, though? >> rob: well, i think carlton -- or was he just a little over

3. i was thinking about nolan. he had 5700 strikeouts, but he had an era over 3. >> bob: that's a good one. >> rob: that is a food one. that's a stumper. >> bob: and a 1-2 to werth. lannan pulled the string on him. 76 on the change-up. i love that xmo, because you can see how the bat is gone before the ball gets there. >> rob: and you also see the hitter, the bat head is out there, but his body is toward it, because he's so far out in front, so he has really nothing behind it. it's all upper body. that's why a change-up is called the equalizer, because you're thinking fastball, you have to adjust to the off speed stuff. hit it off the end of the bat.

you saw adam dunn try to pull pedro's fastball away from a him, and all he did was put it on the ground. >> bob: adam reaching, lannan, perfect fielding position, ground ball outs keep on coming. you all have heard of morse and brad myers. we'll talk to them in a moment. did you know fios has a multi-room dvr? so you can record in one room and watch in up to six others. (cable guy) you can do that with cable! living room. bedroom. kitchen. thank you. (announcer) get the amazing multi-room dvr from verizon fios free for 3 months. you can watch recorded shows in up to seven different rooms. plus get all three fios services, tv, internet and phone for the price of two. call the verizon center for customers with disabilities hurry, this offer won't last. at 800.974.6006 tty/v

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 this is brad higher, this nationals minor league pitcher of the year, derek morris, the minor league player of the year. congratulations on your awards. derrick, let's start with you, your reaction to being here and seeing the nationals at the ballpark. >> you know, it's great, come out here and see the big league team play. you only get a little taste of it in spring training, but you come here and see the beautiful ballpark and the game, it's just so much more than that. >> as far as in the minor leagues, you know, most of the pitchers are not as well versed, they don't throw as many strikes, so you don't get to see as many pitches around a hitting zone, so win batting crown asks stuff like that, you have to be pretty good in the minor leagues. what was the difference maybe between college and high school you found out in the minor leagues the last few years? >> well, it got to a point it was almost like hitting in high school again, at the end of the year, once i had produced so many home runs and rbis through

the end of august and beginning of september, i would be getting walked three or four times a game, and 0 not really getting any pitches to hit, other than a few change-ups and curveballs per game to hit, so it was in a funny way kind of like high school, the way they pitched you in high school. >> bob: derrick had a good season, hitting in the high 280s. brad, as a pitcher, congratulations on your award. your thoughts on the season that you had, and how you guys worked together. >> well, i just want to get my innings one get a consistent delivery, started to use my legs. so that was kind of nice, and just basically throw strikes and pitch to contact. >> rob: now, what are some of the things the coaches and instructors are teaching you at the minor league level? obviously repeating your delivery and stuff like that, but i was always taught listen if you can learn three or four

pitches you can throw for strikes, you can throw up here >> well, that's right, just obviously using the fastball and changion to your ability and mix speeds. >> use it well, 11-3, a 1.72 era. dukes is running, and he is in there after only stealing two bases the entire year, elijah dukes got a great jump. he stole that base on pedro martinez. >> rob: so who are some of your favorite players growing up? >> being from kansas, watching kansas city, george brett, johnny bench. >> rob: come on, johnny is way old! >> he's way old, but kind of where i'm from, so -- and my position as well, so somebody i -- >> were you like johnny bench, in second grade, he told the class i want to play baseball for a living, when everybody else is saying lawyer, doctor,

whatever. >> i always wanted to be a professional athlete, a professional kick ball player. >> brad, you played college latly out of loyola mary mount in california. couple of pitcher of the week honors? >> i just try to not walk them, make them puppet the ball in play, and when i'm doing that, things are usually going well for me. >> and of course derrick, you're just 20 years of age, man, you're a pup, you have a long way to go in the organization, but winning this award, what does it mean to you? >> it means a lot. you know, sometimes you look at it as, he, he's just 20 and in a ball, but i really don't look at it like that, because once you step between the lines, you don't really look at it that way, you know, if the guy is is 26, 19, or 32, you want to go

out there and do the same thing, you want to go out there and hit a line drive off the wall, or you want to go out and strikety guy out, so i think as far as the age thing goes, i don't use that as an excuse to go out there and just play, and f you're any age, just try to go out there and prove to everybody you play older than what your age is. >> rob: well, there's a lot of room for getting up here. if it was the yankees or the red sox, difficult to knock guys out of their positions, they stay 10-plus years in some cases, so it's got to be, you know, make you guys work a lot harder even in the off-season. what are your are plans for the off-season to get ready for next year? >> well, first thing i'm going to do is take a break, go home and relaxing, take a couple of months off, get back to it, and just continue doing what i was doing and get a little bit stronger. >> i'm going to do the fall league. >> okay. the arizona fall league. >> yeah, get a chance to play

with strasbourg. i got a chance to play with storen earlier this year, and he has great stuff, and the strasbourg is better than that, it's exciting to see what he's got, because storien is just electric. >> tell us about ian that we're seeing for the first time. >> he's great. having him play behind you is awesome. he gets and everything makes great plays behind you. >> bob: two balls and two strikes. dukes with a base hit, a steel, and a ground ball moved him to third. gentlemen, congratulations on your awards, and come ask see us here in washington in a season very, very soon. >> thanks a lot, guys. >> thanks appreciate it. >> rob: thanks, guys, congratulations. >> bob: another glimpse into the future of this franchise with catcher derrick morris and pitcher brad myers.

20 and 24 years of age respectively. 2-2 to wil nieves. gets by the pitcher. chase utley throws it high! that will be an error on him, because nieves will go to second, and you put the bat on the ball, to the nationals lead 2-0. >> rob: that is the key to putting pressure on the defense, not striking out. just barely gets a piece of a very nasty pitch from pedro martinez. you see the three-hopper gets by pedro, utley comes in. sometimes you can't get a perfect grip on it. he just flicks his wrist and flicks it into the stands. >> bob: and a very rare error by the best defensive team in major league baseball. only the 61st of the year for the phillies. >> rob: man, that's a tough

error on utley right there. that's a do or die play. he bare hands it. >> bob: and now, john lannan goes to center field! they're going to get nieves with a good throw, and he's out at the plate. and but john lannan made it interesting, making an attempt for his 2nd rbi in his career, and the first of this year. shane victorino comes up with a nice one-bounce throw. [ whistle blowing ] [ crowd noise in background ] [ music booming, crowd cheering ] [ music booming and crowd cheering continues ] [ crowd cheering ] ( ding )

 >> ibanez the hitter with 0 john lannan wheels and fires again. it's a breaking ball, low and away. ball 1. >> rob: well, ball short hopped wil nievesny the dirt. he made a good stop. he'll be on base. >> bob: but you would call that a good 0-2 pitch, right? >> rob: i would call that an excellent 0-2 pitch. even in the hitter hits it, on the ground. >> bob: on a fastball, utley fouls it back to the screen. john lannan four innings, two hits, one walk, that was utley back in the first. >> rob: talk talked about setting the i done in the game. >> bob: and the 1-2 pitch. deep right field. it's way out of hire, and the phillies are on the board, as ibanez continues to hammer the nationals. that's his 7th homer against

washington this year out of the 29 he has hit. and it's a 2-1 game. >> rob: well, i truly believe that ibanez earlier in the year was looking breaking ball right here, i think he's look, ask that looks like a change-up. i'm not sure, bust i think it was a change-up, and it just stayed up and in. >> bob: phillies hit their 192nd home run of the year. most in the league. the yankees have .216. texas coming in 201. ball one to pedro feliz, and now lannan's next pitch is fouled back. >> rob: john was visibly upset about that, but you know what? they're going to hit home runs off of you. now come back, even the counsel at one, start attacking these guys again. >> bob: 19th homer of the year john has begin up, and now throws a great breaking ball. into he's been in total control the entire game. he has man handled this

phillies line-up, which is not easy to do. >> bob: and the count is 1-2 to feliz, who bounced in a double-play ball the first time up. next pitch, fastball, two- hopper, zimmerman charges, flips it on the run to dunn. one out. ryan zimmerman these days is really getting rid of the ball in a hurry from third base. >> rob: the one thing john was doing earlier in the year was minimizing damage. he would get into problems, get ground balls, get out of innings, give up one run here, one run there, keep the team the ball game. right now, it's 2-1. you're still in control of this game. >> bob: and the hitter is the catcher, carlos ruiz. first pitch, hit hard to short, dunn has it, to outs. >> rob: still challenging them. second time up there the line- up, doing a great job with the fastball tonight. >> bob: well, and you love it when the pitcher just gives up

a home run, and then isn't afraid to pitch to contact to the next two hitters. pedro martinez next bounced out to zimmerman first time up. lannan working quickly, and he's ready. fastball outside corner for a strike. >> rob: hey, it's not the worst thing in the world. told you many times, tom browning story, five straight years, won 15-plus games, would give up 30 to 35 home runs a year. gonna happen. >> bob: next pitch, swing and a foul by pedro. we're still working on the video portion of our masn telecast tonight. for now, job i will give you a raid you call so you don't miss any pitches, and i count is 0-2 to pedro martinez with two outs, nats lead, top of the 5th. next pitch. hit to short again. guzman waits for it. hops and throws, and that's it. a lead-off homer by raul ibanez halfway through the game the

nationals lead 2-1. 

 . >> bob: all right. we have our pictures back. now you can see pedro in all of his glory just like we can. because you missed it, here is the recall ibanez towering home run off john lannan. >> rob: well, you saw it hang there, and you saw ibanez can hit some home runs.

sets right done, one, two, three, got out of the inning. minimize damage, get your offense back on the field. >> bob: willie harris, a double, a run, hit by a pitch. first pitch change-up. >> rob: sometimes you have to tell yourself, bob, hey, if i could be going into the 6th inning, only have three hits aloud one run against the world champ phillies, that's a good start. you can't be so hyper critical of yourself that it affects the wrist of your start, and he came right back. that's exactly what you want to see. it's a veteran move by john. >> bob: a lot of guys start nibbling around and walk people. >> rob: exactly. i'm losing my stuff. no, his stuff is still excellent. still blowing these guys away. now, the third time through the line-up it's going to start happening, this is the key so that he can possibly get through three times, turn it over tow to bullpen with the lead. from the side, you see him hold

up there. does not break the plane or the imaginary one over the plate. >> bob: marlins have jumped all over the mets. 4-0 florida at new york. rays went score unless the first inning as they july started their ball game at houston. atlanta throwing vasquez tonight against paulino of the astros. >> rob: all three of those is excellent. every one of those is excellent. >> bob: 3247 to willie harris. his own bass average is around 360, excite the fact he's hitting only in the mid-220s.

now, that's being early. he hit that ball right over the dugout on the pull side. >> rob: well, two pitchers tonight with excellent change- ups. watch how far out in front on this change-up that willie harris gets that -- almost pulls it 180. >> bob: he getsjammed. >> bob: 3-2 to harris again. he's having a food at bat, fighting off everything pedro has. >> rob: that may have been pedro's best fastball tonight, two, 92, after the 72 and 76

miles an hour change-up.     willie gets it down the >> rob: oh, just missed! just a hair. >> bob: pedro might have thought he was about to step on to cruise control here, that ibanez got him back in the game, and now willie harris is going to force him to throw at least 11 pitches to the lead- off hitter the very next inning. there's no telling what benefit this at bat could to be the that this rest of the evening with guzman waiting and zimmerman in the hole.

harris stirs at that one, pops it left field line. over there is feliz in plenty of time to make the play. let's talk 3,000 strikeout pitchers with eras under 3. pedro is one of the four. there are three others. we mentioned bob gibson. >> rob: walter johnson, tom seaver. >> bob: the big train from d.c., i love it, tom seaver, maybe the great itself drop and drive pitching motion ever, you think? >> rob: i absolutely think. and wore a knee pad on the leg that would be on the ground, he was driving so hard towards home plate. >> bob: and that pedro right up there, some of the best ever, in terms of strikeouts to walk ratio. guzman 1 for 2 with an rbi

single. his 47th rbi of the year. change-up floats outside. 2-0. might hit that ball with the very top of the bat. >> rob: pedro is one of the few pitchers that actually pitches off the rubber and doesn't step in the hole. he's got the spike half on the rubber, half on the dirt, and he's pushing off the way that sandy koufax and the old time pitchers used to. >> bob: well, that's how a guy who is not that big drives it. he's only 5'11", 190 or so. >> rob: a great shot of him. and he'll work his way into that rubber and push off and use the mound to help him

throw. great shot. >> bob: and guzman flies to left center for shane victorino. two quick outs. well, one quick out after a long out in the 5th 37. >> rob: why he has more than a hundred wins and losses right there. you see that push, pushing off the rubber. not out of a hole. there you say that great follow through, that's his trademark. throwing the pitches from the same arm slot. you know, if you're going to throw a side arm fastball, you have to throw side arm curb balls and side arm -- you'll say, oh, when he drops down, all he throws is a fastball. if you throw all of your pitches from all of the different arm angles, it's still confusing to the hitters. >> bob: and of course a lower

arm angle, so much less stress on his shoulder. guy who throw like this can throw a long, long time. >> rob: and he's had relatively few injuries to his arm. it's to his foot, his ankle, and he had some leg injuries that killed his career in new york with the mets. but i truly believe in a lot of older pitchers will tell you, you're arm is fine, the rest of your body that just goes to heck at the end of your career. >> bob: 2-1 to zimmerman. >> rob: tim wakefield has a bad back, he's a knuckleball guy. randy johnson is in his 40s. the bad back, bad knee. now he has the bad arm, but these guys have fought through really tough other physical injuries other than the pitching arm.

>> bob: pedro 37 years of age. last significant action last year 20 starts for the mets. 5-6, for a 5.61 era. 3. 2 to zimmerman. nats have made him throw over 20 pitches this inning, and he has a chance for a 1, 2, 3 here at nashs park. rob dibble alongside bob carpenter, debbie taylor, masn 2, and the nats lead 2-1 with single runs in the first and fourth driven in by guzman and nieves. breaking ball, ryan waited for it. sounded like he broke his bat. >> rob: he did. >> bob: and it's out of play. into i need some new lumber!

>> bob: we've spotted another souvenir-taker. >> rob: come on, give it to a kid. give it to a kid! >> bob: maybe he has one at home. >> rob: those were out favorite things in the -- >> bob: so pedro up to 89 because of willie harris's long at bat to start this inning. he's gone long again. here is 3-2 to zimmerman, and a good at bat for ryan. >> rob: that was a beautiful at bat. the hitters this inning are pretty much almost getting pedro out of this ball game. >> bob: that's his first walk of the night. he has hit a batter. for the most part, pitching to contact, with just two strikeouts. we'll see in adam dunn can figure out this kitchen sink and all of its parts that pedro

keeps throwing at them. starts him with a fastball. >> rob: guzman came into tonight hitting .375 lifetime off pedro, 9 for 24. >> bob: 10 for 27,000 with an rbi hit. big, slow breaker. >> rob: well, he's going slow and slower on adam dunn tonight. here is the change-up curveball, 72 miles an hour. watch ruiz get out of the way. >> bob: broken bat line drive right at ryan howard. everybody ducking because the net was flying into the 6th inning, nationals lead 2-1. probably because i've never had much. but now that i'm making more, it's time to be a little smarter about how i manage it.. with the calendar, i can schedule all my payments. and when funds are low,

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 . >> bob:  top of the 8th inn rollins, victorino, and utley. jimmy rollins, fly ball strike out, victorino has a hit, utley a walk, and a big 0-2 for ryan howard. john lannan really worked jimmy rollins over with fastballs first time, and he gets a fair ball that zimmerman will cut off. a fast runner, that ball gets,000 the shortstop, it might be a base hit. >> rob: he catches it so quickly on the second bounce, boom, grabbed with and now, okay, now even just got to set myself perfectly and flitch it over there. didn't have to make a hard throw, had to make an accurate throw.

>> bob: here is victorino. >> rob: this guy is a thorn in our side. he just loves the nationals pitchers. >> bob: ya think? he came in this year from the right side batting .329. let's see what his numbers are against the nashs this year. .347, two homers, 7 rbis coming if. career .317. sure seems like he's on base more than that. now you go soft with a little fly ball to center. >> rob: willie harris, well done. >> bob: two outs in the 6th. >> rob: cars light freeze cam

brought to you by cars light, the most refreshes beer. picks off chase utley. freeze it. he's any the grass a little bit. now he really gets in the way of adam dunn throwing it to second base. he is way out of the baseline. coors light freeze cam captures the action. but because no play was made on him, no call. >> rob: no, no call,. >> bob: and then the nats got out of the inning when werth lined out to right field. but we think, rob and i agree, that had adam dunn thrown the ball and it hit chase utley, dale scott at second base would have called him out. >> rob: and i will further explore that after the ball game, talk to the umpires. >> bob: that ball pulled. adam dunn to his left! good play! >> rob: nice play. >> bob: john lannan almost missed the bag, and he dragged his foot to get it.  

mom and dad like it. éa,

 . >> bob: rob thinks the ham sayre bout to too something here. >> rob: haven't heard from the hammer in a while. come on, hammer, hurt 'em right here. >> bob: josh 0 for 2 tonight. 8 for his last 50. >> rob: he's doing his best tony pena impersonation there with a little split. santiago made that famous, also. >> bob: saw where carlos pena is out for the year, also, after cc is a battlia hit him. >> rob: yeah, breaking hand. >> bob: and a big sweeping breaking ball, and for pedro

martinez, strikeout number three. >> rob: pedro still has the equalizer, change-up and the slow curb ball. you see him just take so much off, watch this, way out front, there you see the hammer lungeing for it, because you're looking fastball, 91 and 92, and you get 71. well, pedro is doing a couple of things here for the phillies, trying to help them into the off-season -- or the post-season. there is tyler walker throwing. he's also auditioning for the rest of baseball for a job next year. >> rob: absolutely, and i think that's why brad penny is pitching so well, too, up in to san francisco. >> knew if this guy keep doing what he's doing, someone will want pedro martinez next year. >> rob: why not us. not going to be that expensive. >> bob: give him an incentive- laden contract. >> rob: put strasbourg and n between pedro and livan. >> bob: listen to you. >> rob: hey, guy throws

99,000, guys,000 nothing but change-ups. >> bob: dukes, and that's a fair ball to to deep third, foot off the bag. did howard make the tag? he did. two outs. that's a long throw and the big man at first played it well. >> rob: well, pedro feliz has an outstanding arm. always has, been a great glove man. within of the wren rows they won the championship last year, that man at third base, and the man at first base has continued to improve this defense. check the xmo out. that's nice. here we go, xmo time. see him? set with the right foot. knows he doesn't have time. dukes is an excellent runner. just a perfect arm. just offline, though, and threw it early enough to give ryan howard an extra second to catch the ball and make the tag. >> bob: well, something figured out a long time ago,

it's really good to have somebody big at first base. good target. >> rob: i would think that other than maybe derek lee, these two first basemen are two of the biggest in baseball. ryan howard and adam dunn. >> bob: yeah. 1-2, pedro working quickly as pete orr has beens one fall. -- hacks one foul. pedro martin says at 104 pitches. that's a tribute to the nationals who only have two runs on five hits, but they've had quality at bats tonight and have really extended him a few times. nats quickly end the 6th. i'm here on this tiny little plane, and guess what...

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quite well. 2-1. at&t, the world's fastest 3g to network. your world delivered. hello, goes, hope you're enjoying this one. a pitchers' duel. ryan howard, big at bat right here, leading off in a one-run game. big breaking ball from john lannan. his 75th pitch of the night, a beauty. three up three downny second, three up, three downny the 4th. gave up a hit to ibanez, and

then in the 6th, three up, three down. very economical and attacking the zone. >> 13 ground ball outs. did he get him? ? yes! playing that shortstop position, and ryan zimmerman is getting it done everywhere don't! >> rob: got two of the best third basemen in action tonight. there you say on the shift here, ryan howard, not fleet of foot, off his knees, throws him out, but this is a great and accurate throw. just look at how comfort he is. just comes up. >> bob: thank you, ryan, say the lannans. some of ryan's biggest fans are the parents of our pitchers. and here is jayson werth, 0 for 2. fly ball right field. drifting toward the corner, and this game is tied!

jayson werth with his 9th homer in the last 26 games, and the phillies, as they usually do, use the long ball. >> rob: well, so far tonight two mistake pitches, both have left the building. that one is right over the heart of the plate. already told you that werth doesn't mind striking out. he will try as hard as he can to take you deep, and he does right there, opposite field. that's only the third time in this park's history someone has gone over there right-handed. >> bob: that's right. first visiting player to hit a home run to the right side of the plate into that bullpen. here is ibanez, a swing and a foul straight back. >> rob: he's big, strong, and very talented. >> bob: and there are no cheap homers in this ballpark. >> rob: no. >> bob: now tip your cap. they both hit them well, ibanez and werth the 6 and 5 litters

for the phillies -- 5 hitters for the phillies. and on 0-2, lannan throws a breaking ball in the dirt to ibanez, who has singled and homered. tyler clifford getting ready. rob, you always say make them beat you away. >> rob: oh, absolutely. >> bob: when they do, you tip your cap. >> rob: and john has made two mistakes tonight. and now ibanez jacks one, and it is into the bullpen! >> rob: three. >> bob: the nationals have not been able to get raul ibanez out all year, and here come the phillies in town in a slump, and the nats still can't get him out. three solos by the phillies tonight. >> rob: well, both of those pitches are on the inner half, and ibanez just steps into the

bucket, pull this ball. if you leave it on the inner half, you better get it in deep, and both times ibanez didn't do the job, and ibanez hurt him. >> bob: well, ibanez hits 30 homers for the second time in his career. he did it three years ago with seattle when he hit 33 and drove in 123 runs. he usually averages anywhere from 20 to 24 home runs a year, but he has come to the national league and of his 30 home runs, he has hit 8 of them against the nationals. >> rob: i think if our pitching staff has learned anything this year, it's that the money for a starting pitcher is made in the third and fourth trips through the line-up. and the most difficult, i think, of the starting rotation this year, and that's what they need to work on. >> bob: three sharply hit pauls in this inning as we

recall the play by zimmerman on ryan howard. pedro feliz the hitter. the nationals have a 12-man bullpen with the callups. and a bouncer to zimmerman from behind the bag, perfect. two outs. >> rob: john lannan, third time through. if he needs to work on anything, there it is right there. they have seen his three pitches twice through the order. the third time, even saw it on pedro martinez. third time, 250 something. you have to get that back down. that's where the money is made as a starting pitcher in this league. you don't want to have your bullpen coming in to every one of your starts.

>> bob: and that ball is launched by ruiz, and the phillies are just bombing the nats here in the 7th inning! ruiz's ninth of the year, and on four solo homers, philadelphia leads 4-2. >> rob: well, once again, it's up in the zone. most good hitters in the major leagues, 3rd and 4th at bat, they will hammer you, because they have seen what you feature. >> bob: pedro martinez will stay in the game here as he hits. and -- >> rob: bob, you have to continue to make your pitches. your game plan doesn't change. you stull want to work guys if, work the ball down, get ground

balls. when has he has gone the ball fun the zone, four of them have left the building. >> bob: now he's gone 3-0 on martinez, and john needs to get his emotions under control here. he is 0-5 career with nearly a 8 era against -- 6 era against philadelphia. and martinez is on with a four- pitch walk, and it might be time for jim riggleman to go get him. he didn't want to, because lannan is is due to bat second if the bottom of this inning. he has pitched jimmy roswell tonight. >> rob: that will be it. >> bob: but here comes the manager, and he'll make a double switch. the end comes quickly for john lannan after 6 very good innings. ♪

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 . >> bob:  a serious change i momentum in our nation's capital tonight. nationals led 2-1 into the 7th. not quite to the stretch, and it's 4-2 phillies on three solo

home runs. better than a 2-0 strikeout to walk ratio. rollins batting left-handed for the first time tonight, and

from that side of the plate, he's hitting .248.    right center playable  a long ball inning for the phillies. your bag $20 dollars to ride in the bottom of the plane in the dark. no peanuts or nothin'. and then if your bag wants to bring one of its little bag friends for company, they charge another $30. that's just plain mean. why do they hate your bags? at southwest airlines, bags fly free. grab your bag. it's on! ( ding ) i just gave you some at the restaurant. yea i know. i threw them out. they were old so... old! they are rollover minutes.

they are as good as new. ya know not everyone gets to keep their unused minutes. and these days we can't afford to be wasteful. saving minutes... ...saves money. yea. (announcer) only at&t's family talk with rollover saves your family's unused minutes. and saving minutes saves money. for back to school, get the lg neon for $29.99 after mail-in rebate.  . >> rob: 4-2 phillies here of the 7th inning. next game will be tomorrow on masn 2, stars at 7. starter for the phillies, cliff lee coming over from the indians. mock will start for the

nationals. considering begins at 6:30 with nats xtra. both men trying to get back on the winning track, bob, after the last couple of stars. >> bob: mock coming off a tough start against the marlins. interesting situation here with pedro staying in the game. the thatting double switch is with alberto goes rather than mike morse, who has a much livelier bat, and had a couple of key rbied on sunday. rob, i guess we have to ask, at what point do the nationals have to say they've seen enough of alberto gonzalez, who is struggling mightily at the plate, hittingn't 183 since the all star break, and maybe give a shot to one of these other guys who have livelier bats? >> rob: i agree. we've h him. we k can play some to hit in the second half of

the season. morse, you got him over here in the trade. this a perfect . t him some at second base. my is mike morse here is f you're not going to let him play. we know what alberto gonzalez can do, and when he puts the ball in the air, he can't hit, basically. mike morse, big strong kid. i've watched him in batting practice. he can hit. lea few reps, see what he can do. >> bob: hasn't started a game yet. >> rob: there's mike. a very talented hitter. and i think his knock would probably be they need to see if ansommenen i think they know he can hit. >> bob: well, the nats are down by 2, nieves a count of 0-

2. infield hit for an i tonigh his25th. >> rob: alberto gonzalez in his last 131 at bats hitting .183. >> bob: he's made 107 outs.ú >> rob: .2 on percentage. i think we know what he can do. @h. of said before, third tim in the line-up, peo, even as old and beat up as he may seem, in the 250s. >> bob: trying to match what he did his last time out against the giants, five hits, one run, no walks, and nine strikeouts against lincecum in a 2-1 win. gonzalez trying to hit that ball out of the park, and it's 0-2. he gets jammed.

little bouncer to rollins. two light hitters, and two outs if the 7th. top of the order, willie harris coming up. this ball game has taken a quick turn toward the phillies, with four solo home runs tonight from the 5th inning on, and they lead the nashs 4-2 with harris on base twice coming up. pedro starting to fade here.

>> rob: yeah, there's always a difference, though, in certain guys, and when pedro can smell the finish line, and this may be his last inning, that's when he really steps up his game. >> bob: former closer, former starter, brett meyers. >> rob: i'll tell you what, i have a lot of respect for brett meyers, that guy had some hip surgery, was supposed to be done for the year, worked his way back as quickly as he could to come back and help this ball club. now with some recent developments, brad lidge has struggled, the bullpen has struggled. they need some help to expand the roster, and they bring meyers in. and here the nail on the head. this team is going to the playoffs. guys are fighting for spots right now on charlie manuel's club, they want to be on that 25-man roster when the post-

season starts. >> bob: 1-2 to willieharris. cristian guzman, if willie can extend the 7th inning. >> rob: there was a time

three, four, even five years ago, pedro got to 105 pitches, he was done. he had to be pulled out of the game. so he may not have the same fastball he used to have, but he's a little different knowledge-wise, and i think he's got himself in better shape to go past 105 pitches. now he's up to 118, this will be 119 for him. >> bob: willie harris gets a good piece of that one. high in the air, right center, and wrs harris has homered again! >> rob: that's a homer. >> bob: that's a 4-3 ball game! >> rob: that might be it for pedro. >> bob: guzman coming in, and charlie manuel going out to get his pitcher.

that's the first hit he has given up since the 4th inning. he'll finish the night with four strikeouts, just one walk. so he's now struck out 13 and walked 1 in his last two starts with the phillies. pedro done, phillies still lead, but, as usual, here come the national!  at some restaurants when you get boneless wings... what are you really paying for? whoa! ha ha! i say "happy," you say "birthday!" happy... birthday! who's hungry? why pay for flair when you can get all the flavor for just $3.99 with wendy's new boneless wings. tender, juicy chicken, hand tossed in our signature buffalo or bbq sauce. it's waaaay better than fast food. it's wendy's.

 willie mays harris does it again, and the nats are bac it. >> rob: gets a 3-2 pitch up in the zone, and good-bye mr. rawlings! >> bob: willie harris has now hit 20 of his 27 career home runs in the last two years. john lannan still watching. maybe the nats get him off the hook here. >> rob: had an excellent night. awful 7th inning, but you know what, the first 6 were tremendous. take the positive out of there, forget the negative behind you. >> bob: three months and four days ago, brett meyers had surgery to repair a torn labrum. >> rob: in his hip. >> bob: yeah. shoulder, you're not pitching.

>> bob: guzman is on base! that will get zimmerman up here in the 7th. >> rob: i didn't know there was a labrum in the hip, by the way. >> bob: by the way, guess what happened last time harris homered and guzman singled? magnum p. >> debbie: went deep. >> rob: for his 5th game winning home run in his short career? that's impressive. recan has been on -- ryan has been on base twice tonight. he's approaching 160 hits.

another good breaking ball.

that ball up, and he strikes out zimmerman. but the nats have a long way to go in this one. they get a run back on the harris homer, and it's 4-3 after 7. what are you really paying for? whoa! ha ha! i say "happy," you say "birthday!" happy... birthday! who's hungry? why pay for flair when you can get all the flavor for just $3.99 with wendy's new boneless wings. tender, juicy chicken, hand tossed in our signature buffalo or bbq sauce. it's waaaay better than fast food. it's wendy's.

 . >> bob: a 4-3 ball game, nat not that bad of a position. >> rob: no, and this is a wonderful ball club. great character. they always come fighting back. right then was a good homeium change, too. went to that side of the field a little bit, you get it back with willie harris home run. now it's up to the bullpen to hold it right there, give the nationals a chance to win. and a lot of fun to watch these guys. you don't want to be down chasing the other team, but even when they do, they come back and try to win. >> bob: shane victorino gets jammed, and gonzalez goes out to get it.

mets are chipping away at the marlins, it's 4-2 in new york. >> rob: never give up the ship. >> bob: fastball in there. utley 0 for 2 with a walk and a stolen base. all the damage from the phillies, from the five spot on down. that's where the home runs have come tonight, and that's what makes them so difficult. you stop the big boys, someone else bites you, and now chase utley hits a solo home run, if it's fair, and it is! that will be his 30th.

five solos by the phils. they're making this ballpark look small. >> rob: see how he keeps that head and those hands inside. able to just take a short swing on the ball, short, compact, and powerful. i mean, and that ball is crushed. >> bob: this case utley hit 33 last year -- >> bob: chase utley hit 33 last year, 32 in '06. so these are familiar waters for him. and the phillies have hit 196 home runs this year with their five tonight. far and away number one in the league, and ibanez who is on deck has hit two. ryan howard coming up, and jim riggleman is going to get the ball from tyler clippard. 5-3 phillies.

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 . >> bob: ryan how

and two strikeouts, and shawn burnette pulls the string on a slow breaking ball. and a fastball bounced to guzman on the second base side. and that's two outs here in the 8th. but here comes jayson werth again. >> rob: is well, this is the 7th inning for john lannan. watch on the pitch track where these pitches are. all above the line. that's not where you want to be. want to be below that line, so all of those are up in the hitting zone, up in the strike zone. made four mistakes, and three

game in one inning. the toughest part about pitching at this level. and that's also why the phillies are world champs. >> bob: there is always the home run threat. they've hit 196 this year, and we consider the nationals a good home run club, they've made 132. that's 60 some-odd more.  

 . >> rob: the to scoring runs in major leagues are in the american league. you talk about home run this, yankees lied the major league in home runs with 216. so to have 191 versus the yankees who have 8, hundreds of millions of dollars for their players, shows you how talented the phillies are. look at the runs scored. the yankees have scored 802 runs. angels have scored, agent team batting average close to 290. 761. they don't have the home run potential, 150, but 720 by the red sox, and 703 by the rays. three of the best scoring teams are in the american league east. >> bob: and texas hit three home runs tonight in the first game of their double-header at cleveland, they have 204.

just crazy numbers. >> rob: yep. lookk at the batting average for the angels and the yankees. i was reading this thing in spores illustrated at one point the angels had every starter in the line-up that it was hitting over .300. that was the first time since 1930 any major league time had every guyny in the starting line-up hitting over .300. >> bob: big swing on 2-0 to jayson werth. he pulls it. he was reaching. zimmerman gobbles it one and that's it for the phillies, but to they get another run on chase utley's 30 of the year. dunn, willingham, and dukes coming up.

. tonight. has been on base three times, double homered. wear out the nats. 8 of his 30 homers against our ball club, and john lannan had until the long ball showed up three times in the inning. 8th. the fame, myers, two hitters a match-up much

more con ducive for adam dunn than pedro martinez was. rob: well, and the phillies take an lot of heat lately for blowing some leads and blowing some games. major leagues in the bullpen. blown saves year. and our bullpen is closer, a very good up m r hi lidge wins. those save opportunities this year, they would be up there probably ahead of louis and

wins. over. and that will be 11th error of the year! nats get a big break, and thinksbout running for >> in between turning the glove around and catching it like that. next time he'll want pin it underneath to try to pinch runner yet. if this was a run. i'm sure would do it. is willingham, who takes a  fastball inside. tonight. balls, be a strikeout. his last 51. game at any moment.

dangerous. breaker. down to third. runner, it might have base. out. rob: utley still looking first after came adam dunn running on you. to get rid of the quick. slide sidestep the here. i'm getting out of the way. >> bob: elijah dukes saw a

fastball. the marks at second base. took some dirt. a smaller sized second baseman with him. the new t-shirt texas. everybody else is wearing his t- rob: everybody else is talk about contributing to this team. 0-2 now to dukes, who is one for three with a base hit and a steal. rob: wow, everything he has been throwing, though, has been up. the ball game. next, josh bard waiting. the only left-handed bat nats have. of pete

ago. nationals are very, very an left-handed bats. right-handed games here a lot of hitters, but they're all right-handed. there's pete orr. bob: 1-2 to dukes. it! center! be caught and run by shane victorino. be up to bard with two >> rob: phillies remain the defensive team. are now tied, though, with the pittsburgh pirates.

than the pirates now. yeah, the pirates made any error in the first 7 games 12 this year with a couple of rbied. had a big pinch hit on pitching come income. the overall pitching statistics.

happ. their and they brought in cliff lee, >> rob: this is a high strike. goes down. like it went right through the box. >> bob: josh bard will muscle homer. done it four times in 227 bats. went, and he's gone. ryan howard to lead off the inning, and now it's into the 9th, 5-3.

. the nationals 5th pitcher of the the strike. nats don't come back,

lannan would be 8-11 with a loss. times this year. ball slicing into the boy, texas six runs in that the 4th. about to win a double and even with leading baltimore, they would gain a game and a half in the wildcard and be two beak. down without a fight, rob, and they have significant injuries right now, josh hamilton and michael young. villone overmatches ibanez. think ibanez looking for a fastball emergency the last second the breaking ball. right here, 1- 2. look liked cutter. is working on a

there. seen him befuddle in at bat against the nationals this year. riggleman has 12, count 'em, 12 relief pitchers. he's going situational again with rivera. of the plane in the dark. no peanuts or nothin'. and then if your bag wants to bring one of its little bag friends for company, they charge another $30. that's just plain mean. why do they hate your bags? at southwest airlines, bags fly free. grab your bag. it's on! ( ding )

but it wasn't what i wanted to do, and i thought, i don't want to do this for the rest of my life i probably don't want to do it tomorrow. i told my dad, "i want to start a brewery." i told him, "i think you're crazy." i started sam adams with boston lager to make rich, flavorful beer. and he went and sold it one bottle at a time. no one had tried an american beer that had that kind of flavor. boston lager really was a groundswell. there's that saying, "do something you love "and you'll never work "a day in your life." i don't feel like i've worked for 24 years.

 pedro martinez and 2/3. john lannan and 2/3. saul throws a breaking ball in there to feliz. he has hit the ball on the ground three types tonight. on a pitch up, it's a pop up, left side. right there, wil nieves, two outs. the nationals due ups in the 9th, nieves, gonzalez, and harris. nats have a whole tugout full of hitters, but they're all

right-handed, and brad lidge will be ready. he's been warming up. two outs. and here is ruiz, who really hit a back-breaking homer two innings ago with two outs that made it 5-2 at the time. actually, 5-3, if the nats had just scored in the top of the 7th. >> rob: ruiz kind of sits down at the bottom of the orderer and you kind of forget about him steps, and if you make a mistake, he's there to punish you, same with pedro feliz. >> bob: phillies hit 3 solos in the the top of one inning, harris, and then another but utley in the 8th. there is lidge. 28 saves, but 12 blown saves.

and rivera, a two-out walk, and that will bring a dangerous left-handed bat in there in veteran matt stairs. so he hits for myers. so it takes until the 9th inning for charlie manuel to use one of his extra men. mock and cliff lee tomorrow night. lee, since copping over to the phillies, 5-2 with a 2.8ra in seven starts, and two of those complete games. he was only 7-9 with cleveland.

matt stairs from st. john, new brunswick. and he takes a hack upstairs. former canadien olympic team member. doesn't live in new brunswick anymore, but calls bangor, maine, his home. he likes the north land. >> rob: that's close enough. you can go across the border there in maine on snowmobiles. he likes it cold in the winter. >> bob: this guy has been around since '92. he was with the expos. >> rob: i faced him before i retired. that's how long he's been around. >> bob: wow! i had in idea he was that old. >> rob: he's that old. >> bob: man! ,. >> rob: very few players left from higher are. new he's only 41. this his 16th year, and he hits

one high the air to center for willie harris. down to the bottom of the 9th. nieves, gonzalez, and harris the due ups in a two-run game. hey mom i need some minutes. i just gave you some at the restaurant. yea i know. i threw them out. they were old so... old! they are rollover minutes. they are as good as new. ya know not everyone gets to keep their unused minutes. and these days we can't afford to be wasteful. saving minutes... ...saves money. yea. (announcer) only at&t's family talk with rollover

saves your family's unused minutes. and saving minutes saves money. for back to school, get the lg neon for $29.99 after mail-in rebate.  . >> bob: so a 5-3 ball game we head to the bottom of the 9th inning. going to have our nats xtra post-game coming up, rain, weapon were talking sitting behind home plate how quickly things can change like that. >> he was cruising, john, just three hits, 12 ground ball outth. seemed like everything he threw was to the right spot. got up to 91 tonight with the fastball. we were talking about it being his best outing, his sharpest, and all of a sudden breaking ball hanging, fastball up, another breaking ball hanging, and gosh, just looked like a different pitcher, butt it's all about making those pitches in good spot. >> well, it's not over yet, if bob and rob can get this baby

tied up, or we wins the thing in the bottom of the 9th, it's all worth it. back up stairs. we'll see you in a few minutes. >> bob: john lannan finished with 15 ground ball outs tonight, put the fly balls were the killers are, and here is brad lidge having all kinds of problems closing out games. rob, whatth have they been able to finger as a reason for his big-time struggles? ? >> rob: well, remember about three or four months ago, the last time we faced this club, he had some knee issues. he would go counsel on the dl a little bit, come back, said he was a hundred percent, but he has not been able to consistently throw strikes and keep the breaking ball out of the hitting zone. ask when you fall behind, whether or not you can throw in the low-to-mid 90s, so have an outpitch like his slider like it was last year, when those thins aren't working for you, it's a battle.

stems you i've make a great pitch, but because you're behind and that guy is in a swinging shot, jammed pitches and hits sometimes find holes. >> bob: the nats really don't have much choice on whether or not to hit for wil nieves. they've already used josh bard. flores cannot catch. >> rob: i just want see putting alberto gonzalez up there against brad lidge. i don't know what they're looking for, or that they need to see from him, but he continues to get tons. >> bob: and then nieves drops a base hit into center field! so far so good. bottom of the 9th. >> rob: right there, as we said before, it's a good

pitcher's pitch. jams him, but he still finds a way to put it out there. used to always say when i played, would rather be lucky than good sometimes. >> bob: that slider had gonzalez leaning back. and he pulls the ball, near the bag, one play at first, high throw, runner out on the tag by ryan howard. guzman will bat in this inning barring a line drive double- play. >> rob: nice play by feliz, and then he slides awkwardly at

first base to avoid the tag and almost hurts himself. >> bob: ryan howard's foot was blocking the bag, too. here is willie harris. one of the 9th inning heros on sunday. willie has had a good night, a double, a homer, hit by a pitch. strike one from brad lidge. and he can hear it, hit him, and he's on base, and that's the tying run!

nats get a huge break, and now guzman is the winning run the batters box. brian matson continues to throw. and he might come in at some point this inning for lidge. >> rob: well, i know it's the second time willie has been hit tonight, but brad lidge has been struggling so much, there's no way that he intentionally tried to hit willie right there, he was just trying to come inside with a fastball, and he is just not comfortable out there on the mound right now. >> bob: guzman, 2 for 4 tonight. his 48th multi-hit game of the year. they're playing so deep, any kind of line drive could drop in. the phillies are in a no doubles outfield defense. and in center field and left field, they're probably playing 10 feet deeper for guzman than

they usually would. guzman looks it all the way in, the count is even, 1-1. >> rob: that pitch looks a little low and out. 1-0 pitch, may have given him a little bit of a gift. >> bob: guzman takes one outside. guess who is on deck? way outside, and it's a wild pitch! and the tying run is at second

base! it's also ball three on guzman! so lidge has hit a batter, he's thrown a wild pitch, and he's gone 3-1 with zimmerman on deck. >> rob: almost looks like he's a little stiff, too, when he's throwing. the pitch that hit willie, that last pitch. doesn't look free and easy. >> bob: that's a breaking ball, that was foul tipped. >> rob: that pitch looks a little better on the slider. seems to be hes a an issue with the fastball, and usually when your arm is tired or sore, fastball is your best pitch. sliders usually hut your shoulder, but maybe that's the pitch that's boring him. >> bob: and a huge pitch

coming on 3-2 with one out. guzman takes it, the bases are loaded, and here comes ryan zimmerman, mr. clutch for the nats. >> rob: charlie manuel is coming. does not want to, but he has to. >> bob: first game ever at nationals park last your, and then of course sunday afternoon. and i think what you're seeing is the respect the rest of the phillies have for brad lidge. he's out of the ball game, but they're gathering around. it will be zimmerman and matson coming up. in the dark. no peanuts or nothin'. and then if your bag wants to bring one of its little bag friends for company, they charge another $30.

that's just plain mean. why do they hate your bags? at southwest airlines, bags fly free. grab your bag. it's on! ( ding ) you know why i sell tools? tools are uncomplicated? nothing complicated about a pair of 10 inch hose clamp pliers. you know what's complicated? shipping. shipping's complicated. not really. with priority mail flat rate boxes from the postal service shipping is easy. if it fits, it ships anywhere in the country for a low flat rate. that's not complicated. come on. how about...a handshake. alright. priority mail flat rate boxes only from the postal service. a simpler way to ship. so you can record in one room and watch in up to six others. (cable guy) you can do that with cable! living room. bedroom. kitchen. thank you.

(announcer) get the amazing multi-room dvr from verizon fios free for 3 months. you can watch recorded shows in up to seven different rooms. plus get all three fios services, tv, internet and phone for the price of two. call the verizon center for customers with disabilities hurry, this offer won't last. at 800.974.6006 tty/v  >> zimmerman may be adam du herer in the bottom of the 9th. phillies lead it 5-3, and ryan madson is seeking his 5th save of the year. brad lidge pulled. as rob mentioned earlier, when he had a chance to be the closer on a steady base, he had struggles of his own.

>> rob: is sunday,nunez. >> bob: now, keepinn mind, good speed for the nationals at second, and with ryan howard playing behind in cristian guzman, he can get a huge lead off of first base. >> rob: you don't need a home run right here, anything in the gap could be the game. >> bob: that's my point. ask they're not holding the winning run. madson with a nasty fastball at the letters. 96. ryan's first two homers of the year, a couple of years ago, were grand slams.

that's a generous strike call. 0-2. i don't think charlie manuel had any choice. he had to get brad lidge out. >> rob: yeah. i'm sure he knew what the numbers were madson versus zimmerman, but brad lidge was going the wrong way, and he had to stop it. >> bob: 0-2 to ryansteckel. basess zimmerman. bases loaded, one out, and he threw him a nasty get him out pitch, and telling up to adam dunn. >> rob: no, he has a filthy change-up. that's his out pitch. when you're throwing 96, it's like a palm ball. throws that pitch just like his fastball, but burying it deep

if his hand. "zim" has no chance. >> bob: power match-up here. >> rob: but you also want to see adam swing early in the count, hopefully camp one of those fastballs, because if he get toes the change-up and the throws one or two like that, it will be like pedro. >> bob: crowd of 17,153. a lot of folks on their feet. and ruiz is a visit to madson. nieves led off the inning with a single. harris hit with a pitch. guzman walked. adam dunn with two outs. nats are down by two.

he's gets that first fastball over, rob, but also painting corners with it. he throws a fastball. >> rob: adam went after the second fastball he saw. now he may not see another fastball. and if he does, i'm sure it will either be way up and in, or even farther away. >> bob: and dunn gets it to

jimmy rollins, the game is over. the nats had their chances. they strand three in the 9th. nine runners on the night, and the phillies have beaten the nationals for the 11th time in 13 games this year. now, that's a guy doing a job closing right there. for rob dibble and deb by taylor, bob carpenter. fill byes 5, nationals 3. join us wednesday, masn two, game two of the series, visit masnsports.com for the latest news on the nationals. stay tuned now, johnny and ray in the ballpark. nats xtra coming up right now from nationals park.  

 >> welcome, everybody nats xtra post-game here on mass aen. brought toio by verizon. the first game of a three-game set for the phillies who have the nationals number. they end their four-game losing streak and knock off washington 5-3. johnny holiday along with ray knight. glad you are joining us. stick around for the next half hour. we'll try to break this thing down. it's heart breaking when you see the type of effort that john lannan put fort tonight. >> johnny, me, too. he was really pitching well tonight. he had his way the whole first five innings, he just had his way, only giving up three hits and taking the sting out of their bat, and gave up the one home run to ibanez early. we had a 2-1 lead going into that 7th inning, and then everything just broke loose.

>> and that was the twining moment in this ball game. the nats were up, and then all of a sudden the balls began to sail out of the ballpark, and philadelphia tees off in that defining moment of the 7th inning. well, john started getting the ball up, and we're going to go right to that defining moment. you're go it will sew to see a breaking ball to werth. the ball stays up, 0-1 pitch, actually right there, it's 92 miles an hour. that is the curveball, 75, up in the strike zone again. all three pitches up, all night long, johnny, he had been perfect with his control. at within time 9 out of 10 ground ball outs. look at the numbers there. the 5th, that run there, the home run by ibanez, and comes back in the 6th, and then in

the, starting giving up those home runs. >> if you could only take out that 7th inning, it's a different ball game. willie harris goes 2 for 3 tonight, scores a couple of runs, and got hit twice by phillies pitchers. ibanez 2 home runs tonight. couple of solo shots. all the philadelphia runs via the home run. they have now scored 683 runs this year, 318 thanks to home runs. phillies five solo tonight, that's the difference in the ball game. they win it by a score of 5-3. disappointing, yes, but certainly the nationals hung in there as long as they could. >> well, we did. we hung in there against a guy that may be the reason this team wins the pennant. pedro tonight an unbelievable stat. i have never seen this. he threw a pitch at 70 miles an hour, and one at 91.

so he was between 70 and 91. and every number between there, 71 all the way up to 91, he threw a pitch that speed. that is 20 different speeds, he did it on the course of a night he threw a lot of strikes, had the hitters off balance. he did get the run early, but, gosh, can he -- you know, we always say -- i say flat out pitch. watching this guy, it's just a joy. i've always loved to watch him pitch. little different kind of pepper,000, but when you can vary your speeds that much and throw them for a strike. >> somebody had a better look at pedro tonight than we did. bob and rob upstairs. the guy may be 38 years old, but he showed why he's an 8 time all star and a three-time cy young award winner tonight. >> bob: and he's been in the league for 15 years or so, and still hasn't lost a hundred games after the nats couldn't get him. but the only stat that really

means anything, the phillies are 6-0 when the starts. >> rob: and like you said, a couple of these outings were rain-shortened. he's 218 and 99. he knows how to pitch. he has four pitches. they're not as nasty as they were a few years ago, but they're still nasty, ask he can minute them, as -- manipulate them, as ray said. 700 less hits than innings pitched. that's how effective this man has been over the course of his career. tonight, very effective. the three earned runs, gave his team a chance to come back, hit five home runs in the ball game to come back and win the ball game for you. 119 pitches. i haven't seen that guy three 119 pitches in five year,. so that's definitely a guy that in rizzo and cast have the money, definitely maybe look into getting that guy on this squad for next season. >> well, other than the runs given up, that 119 pitches, guys, might be the significant

number of the night, because for the last year or two, we've been hearing pedro, he's a five inning pitcher, maybe six, he's proving to people around payable now that he can go team into a ball game, and he was very, very good tonight. >> thank you bob and rob, and we'll see you tomorrow night for game two beginning with ray and i at 6:30. john lannan's effort tonight, seemed like every ball he threw they were hitting into into the ground or at someone early. >> because it was down. pauls were down. ibanez got it going, but then feliz ground ball, 6-4-3 double- play. ruiz ground ball on a ball that's down, going away from him. ground ball to shortstop. same thing. utley, 4 to 3. look at the location of this pitch. starts up there about 5, moves below the knees. jayson werth, one back to the pitcher on a ball sinking down and away. and he had no chance.

ibanez gets the fastball up, drills it. this boy has been like babe ruth against us. i think that's his 7th home run, and then in the 7th, werth fastball away from him. ibanez comes back. and ruiz fastball in, up, talk about the purr of these guys. four men in the line-up, 30, 32, 33, 38 home runs. all total john pitched a great game, but this is a great- hitting ball club. >> bob: >> yes, it is. six hits allowed, but four for home runs. only walked a couple. struck out one, threw 92 pitches. when we come back, we'll look at the nationals scoring that a second run in the ball game on a chase utley throwing error, that took place in the 4th inning. we'll be back after this. did you know fios has a multi-room dvr?

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 welcome back. the fans file out of nashs on the heels of a 5-3 philadelphia, we tonight. let's go right downstairs, and jim riggleman talking with the media about this tough nationals loss. >> he just started getting the ball up. he threw so many pitches that he was getting ground balls, he was getting called strikes, really throwing some great pitches, and he got a change-up up earlier to ibanez that he hit out, and then after we got a couple of runs, he just started getting the ball up a little bit, and they took advantage of it. you know, the ball lost the

sink that he had on it, and, you know, the ball was carrying good, all of those balls were all legit, but it was a good night to hit if you could gut get the ball the air, and they got five of them the air. >> jim, how often is this phillies offense -- how good is this phillies offense? it seems like if they're down, they manage to get ahead. >> well, it's a good offense. there are so many threats in there. but, you know, if i'm not mistaken, statistically, it wouldn't tell you that. i don't think they rank real high in batting average and all of that, but they can hit the ball out of the ballpark. they score their runs by hitting the ball out of the ballpark. they have a lot of guys who can do it, and when you have starting pitching that keeps you in the game, and pedro did it more than that tonight, he did a great job, but you can

just kind of hang around the game and somebody is going to pop one, or somebody else is going to pop one. you know, it's a great recipe for to success. your starting pitcher keeps you close, and your big boppers hit a couple, and you win the game, but 5 is a little ridiculous, you know. that's just a bad night for us to give up five home runs. >> conversely, against lidge, you load the bases, and you had the two guys that you would like to see come up in that situation. >> yeah, we did. we had some great at bats. wil nieves had a great at bat, guzman had a great at bat, and willie got hit by a pitch. so, you know, we had our big boys up there, and madson made some great pitches. he did a good job to calm things down for them, and, you know, that doesn't help our cause any, but, you know, we had chances earlier, you know, we had a chances earlier in the game to add on.

victorino made a great throw to knock off a run. they came right out and hit a home run right after that, you know, kind of spurred them a little bit, and the momentum started to swing, and pedro and john were throwing a great ball game, but then they just started elevate something balls, and that was the story. >> seeing lannan walk pedro on four pitches there, do you think he was a little rattled by how quickly that fell apart? >> yeah, you know, and that's anybody other than the pitcher up there, i would have had him out of there, but i wanted him to have a chance to pitch to their pitcher, and get himny the dugout, who knows, maybe we score a couple of runs and get him a win, but he just had lost his concentration at that point, walking pedro on four pitches. >> jim, you know ibanez pretty well, are you surprised at how well he's handled you guys this year? >> he's killed us. you know, he's -- he's a very good hitter.

he's a student of the game. he just -- you know, he just killed us. we have not made the necessary pitches on him. we've left balls up for him, and, you know, villone has been pitching real tough, but the damage was all done by then, but, yeah, he's -- i'm not surprised, because i know how good he is, but, you know, he has been a one-man wrecking crew over there against us. >> (inaudible) throwing a little harder in the 6th inning. did you get that sense, and do you think that's why the ball lost a little bit of sink? >> i don't know. i thought his velocity was up throughout the game. generally john is in that 88, throwth 90 now and then, but he threw several 91s out there tonight, so in the 6th, i don't know what those velocities were, but i thought he was actually throwing the ball hard early in the game, he was just keeping it down, and had sink

to it, and i remember particularly against jimmy rollins, he threw a couple of pitches right out there that jimmy took for strikes that are, you know, classic left- handed pitches to a right- handed hitter down and away, and he was -- he was just moeing them down, but it got away from him. >> on the nieves play, is that a play that you want pat to be aggressive with in sending him, or knowing you have the top of the order coming up? >> no, when you have two outs, you're generally going to try to make them throw you out. always the right call. the throw threw the ball on- line an a lot of times, the throw, two things, it has to be on-line, and it has to be a ball that he can handle, and it was a nice one-hop throw, and it was on line. in it's not both of those things, eve to the the throw is there early enough, you're going to be safe, and, you know, he just -- victorino can do that. you know, he's a good player,

and he made a good play. >> thank you. >> that's skipper jim riggleman downstairs. the nationals toast putting on the board a run in the first, fourth, and 7th, and had a golden opportunity in the bottom of the 9th to pull it out, but let's go back to that first inning. >> willie harris looks like he got all of this ball. a double to start things off. right there at the top of the wall. and then cristian guzman calmly does what the does best. line drive right back up the middle. rbi. 1-0 nationals. here he is turning on that speed. 4th inning. elijah swinging the bat great. singles to left field. promptly steals second. got a great jump. ran really well on this play. he's tired of getting thrown out at second, and thensin singles on a ball that -- and then nieves singles on a ball that martinez couldn't get to. advance to second. and then right behind that, the

play that brought the runner home. and then willie in the 7th gets all of this one, fastball up and in. quick bat, jumps all over it for the hope run to put us within two runs. never able to close that gap, though. >> down by 2 in the bottom of the 9th inning, and the nationals still had another golden opportunity. anytime you get zimmerman and dunn to come up in the bottom of the 9th, you have a shot. >> well, nieves hist by the a pitch. second time that willie was hit tonight. a walk to guzman, and then your 3 and 4 hitters in there. they bring in madson. he was able to get the strikeout to "zim" and a game ground bundle to second to end the game -- and a ground ball to second to end the game. >> you talk about routine plays that are spectacular plays when the you're ryan zimmerman playing third base. when we come back, we'll talk about some of the great plays

by ryan. makes it look you teen, doesn't i? >> he makes everything. playing shortstop right there. just making plays all over the field, johnny. we have some pats in here, double-plays, total chances. this kid is just -- he's the best in the business now, and i don't care what they're saying about kouzmanoff. he low this league in assists, putouts, range efficiency, he's the best third baseman in the league defensively, hands down. >> gets our vote for gold glove. >> i want him to get the gold glove. i wish everybody could see him play every day. there is nobody cowhoa can play third base better, period. >> speaking of period, we'll take a break and then we'll continue with more of nats extra post-game here on masn right after these messages.  

 welcome back. there's the president's race,  as always, looked like teddy was going to -- actually he did cross the finish line first, but then all of a sudden was disqualified. >> that ain't right. >> no, they're going to have to have an instant replay tack a look at that baby. nationals and phillies again tomorrow night. masn 2, and then thursday 7:00, masn hd, the marlins come -- they're at florida for a weekend series, and friday, saturday, and sunday, the saturday game joined in progress at 7:05. we hope you'll be with us for all of these games. wil nieves talked about facing pedro martin a few moments ago. for me, i was just going up there look fork the fastball. i know he has really good off- speed pitches, but if he throws them where he wants to, you're not going to hit them anyways, i was able to get a couple of

hits off of him. >> you guys, you're behind, and then you rallied again, tried to make some something of it in the 9th inning. talk about that 9th inning and coming close, but not close enough. >> we that had hour shot right there. they brought madson in, and he came in and closed the door. tip your hat to him. we had our best guys out there. we threw "zim" at him, dunn at him, me and able to get out of it. "zim" and dunn have been carrying us all year. you can't expect them to come through all the time. "zim" won a game for us just the other day. it's just baseball. madson came in and pitched well. >> looking to tomorrow, cliff lee, another tough challenge. your thoughts on facing him. >> haven't gave it much thought at all, just go out there and see the fastball and hit it. that's all you can do. i haven't askwhen they leave

here, i'm pretty sure they're saying, dang, those guys get after it, and we're 30 games back, but we go out there play hard every inning, every pitch, and we're going to give you our best every night, and i guarantee you, those guys know that. they won the game tonight, but i guarantee they're sitting the going, man, those guys were bad, you know. >> just like the way you played when you played for the rids and the astros and the orioles, and the mets and the tigers, you give it your best effort every single night. you said you winter looking for certain pitches. >> well, you can't look for a guys best pitch, a breaking ball or slider, because if theyly to it the way they want to, they're going to get you out, but you're right, johnny, this team plays hard all the time, and that's the only way you can go about your business. it's not something to be heralded and shouted out across the mountains, we played hard. that's an expectation.

this team has done it all year long. >> pedro martinez on his game, throwing everything from 71 to 91 on the radar. 5-3 the phillies win. ray and i will be back to continue with more after these messages here on masn. we love duffel bags, golf bags, small bags. these bags right here-- they fly free! i wouldn't pay to fly in here. why would these airlines charge for bags? why do you charge for bags? what's a flight without bag fees? about a hundred bucks cheaper. free, free, free, free, free, free, free. we love taking care of bags. bye, bags! we'll see you when you get home. ♪ ( ding ) ♪ at some restaurants when you get boneless wings... what are you really paying for? whoa! ha ha! i say "happy," you say "birthday!" happy... birthday! who's hungry? why pay for flair

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 >> boy, the phillies have certainly had the nationals number this year. let's show down and show you exactly what a 24-year-old pitcher looks like on the xmo. john lannan compared to a 38- year-old pitcher in pedro martinez. >> first, hears on the third base side of that rub they are, johnny. nice delivery, pretty much straight stand up, not drop and drive. leg lift, get this ball out of the glove early.

pushes and drives. almost goes to the ground with that right lee. a lot of torque build up there. that's why he was able to throw 95, 96 at one time. >> you get a guy that wins three cy young wins tonight, you get a go coming up tomorrow night who has a cy young refer to at his place, too. >> last few outings not that good, but cliff lee 12-11. over a five game stretch when he came here, he won 4 straight with a 0.67. last inning roughed up, but a guy who can shut you down. a former member of the expo/nationals organization. garret mock pitched well in five of his last six outings. the slider, the fastball. i was taking to rizzo, and he said he looks like he's going to develop into that number 3 starter they had hoped for. >> he gets his first start tomorrow night against philadelphia. he has won 3 of his last six.

when you look at philadelphia's come nation over the nats this year, in 27 games, they are now 22-5 over washington. pretty impressive number. >> usually that stacks up to solid defense and closing, and their closers have not been that good. after lidge went the whole year last year not failing to close a game, i mean he was perfect in his closing. he has blown 11 saves this year. they are working madson in. he hasn't been that good. i think brett myers. may be a guy they look to close, because they're in a tough spot. >> well, the phillies win over the nationals, five home runs the difference in the ball game. 35-3 the final. make your plans to be with us tomorrow night, 6:30. good night. ♪

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>> coming up on espnews. we check in on the wildcard races around the majors. one contender gets some bad news regarding dates. at the u.s. open, last year's runner up runs out of gas in the fourth round. college football, the new top 25 poll is out. who's fortunes rose, and who's fell. >> find out why richard seymour still hasn't reported to the raiders, espnews now.

>> great ending between the rays and the yankees. 2-2, ninth inning. nick swisher with the laser. just over the right centerfield wall. second home run of the game. boy, they do this a lot in the bronx. 13th walkoff win for new york. most in the majors. the yankees first team in the bigs to win # 0 games. derek jeter who needed four hits to pass lou gehrig as the yankees all time hits leader. he went 0 for 4 for the third straight game. struck out three times in this one. he's 0 for 12. longest such hitless streak for jeter this season. >> and with that, we get started here on espnews. alongside the coach, i'm anish shroff. we're helping you stay current. talk about the yankees, the red sox leading in the wildcard standings, the rangers not going anywhere. >> they aren't, and it's surprising. they've got a lot of injuries in michael young, josh hamilton, both still out. but the red sox aren't exactly

playing well. up-and-down. texas has them in the playoffs since 1999. but they've got a shot this year, chasing boston in that wildcard race. end of the day, two and a half games back. tommy hunter had a 5-1 lead. first game of the double dip. but he couldn't hold it. and cabrera knocks in two. indians down 5-3. bottom six. bases loaded for michael brantley. big two-out hit. they'll kill you. two more runs score. indians tie the game at 5. top 7, texas. they would respond. marlin bird, one out, two on, and he empties them. and he'll score himself as well. three-run shot. his 16th. the rangers go up 8-5. they hold on to win 11-9. marlin bird 4 for 4. three rbis. julio, two home runs today, he only had one home run in # 1 career games entering the day.

as for game 2, rangers all over cleveland. 7-3, bottom of the 7th. brandon mccarthy didn't allow a hit until the fourth inning. jones an r.b.i. single david murphy an r.b.i. single. there you see a lot of guys with doubles as well. the rangers look like they're going to sweep the double head every. >> red sox had no trouble with the orioles. boston coming in. won 11 of 13 against baltimore. scoreless, first inning. dustin pedroia had two home runs in this game. sox hit five home runs in the first three innings, first team to do that since the rangers in may of 2005. in the 7th. even if you don't understand the flow, you understand the dough. that's papi ties frank thomas for most career home runs by a dh. thomas has more career home runs. but this is just when playing the dh position. not really a position, just a hit. sox win 10-0. pedroia's first career multi

homer game, clay buchholz, 4-0 in his last five starts. the orioles just 4 and 21 in road games against a.l. east teams. the florida gait on ors look every bit the part of the national champion on saturday. in a 62-3 win. albeit against charleston southern. on tuesday, they were the clear number one in the brand-new a.t top 25. the gators get 56 of a possible 60 first place votes. so oklahoma state jumps to fifth. their highest ranking sincep 1985. ole miss is nown sixth. their highest ranking since 1970. ohio state is ranked for the 755th week in the pole. breaking a tie with michigan for most appearances all time. look to byu. they beat oklahoma. they jumped all the way to number nine. >> the injuries piling up for oklahoma. themll miss the rest of season had surgery to repair

torn cartilage in his right knee. last year, gresh ham, a second team all american. he was considered a top nfl pros tect before he decided to return to school. now quarterback sam bradford hurt as well. the reigning heisman trophy winner sprained his throwing shoulder in saturday's loss to byu. he said he felt bad he injured bradford. end of the day, bradford could miss anywhere from two to four weeks. >> he's talked to a number of other quarterbacks who have had this injury that have come back and have been fine. you know, once they've come back andyo thrown the football, and u know, and continue with their careers. you know, he's talked, and we know of many nfl guys that have dealt with this. and hede personally has spoken with eli manning and eli told him he was throwing the ball in ten days and played two weeks later. that was the year they went on to win the super bowl. so we'll just see where that goes. >> we look at the rest of the

top 25 poll. oklahoma drops out of the top 5. and out of the top 10. first time they're out of the top 10 since 2006. virginiau tech also out of the top 10. four of the ten teams are acc schools, looking at 21 to 25. cincinnati giving the big east its only school in the top 25 poll. >> five-time pro bowl defensive lineman richard seymour has not reported to the oakland raiders after being acquired in a trade from the patriots. adam scheckter on what seymour mightm be going through and why he hasn't shown up in oakland. >> richard seymour has had 48 hours to try to digest a trade that he didn't see coming. he didn't see being dealt to oakland. he didn't see being in a situation where he had one year left on his contract, and he might have to redo that deal with the raiders. and he certainly didn't see leaving his family behind in massachusetts. these are all the factors that

seymour is now pondering in trying to decide whether or not to report to oakland. until he does, the raiders are in a holding pattern, trying to figure out whether or not they'll have the five-time pro bowl defensive lineman. right now, no answers, and there may not be for a little while. >> the raiders owner al davis wanted immediate help for a team that'sat struggled against the n in the last couple of seasons. here's ar next level look at how the raiders and patriots stacked up against the run in 2008. only five teams in the nfl allowed fewer yards per rush to the left side than the patriots oakland's 4.9 yards per russia loued him to rank in the bottom third as well. tom brady spoke on the impact seymour has had. >> football is unconditional love. it's tough in a lot of ways because you develop relationships with your teammates, and these are your friends and your family. and you spend more time with these guys than you spend with your own family. our goals are the team goals.

at the same time, you've got to understand what's best for the team isn't always what's best for you as a player. it's a real fine line, because you want to feel the commitment and the loyalty to the team, but you've got to understand it doesn't go both ways. >> after 13 seasons as a model citizen and leader of the patriots defense, bill belichick called tedy bruschi the b perfet player. the nfl dotnamed to com all interview team, it would make a whole lot of sense that bruschi would pursue a career in broadcasting, and that's exactly what he is doing. espn announced that bruschi will join us as an nfl analyst for nfl live, "sportscenter," and also the brand-new espn boston dot com which will launch this coming monday. >> up ahead on espnews, how usc is prepping its true freshman quarterback for a battle at the horseshoe. >> serena williams cruised into

the sem is eye finals at the u.s. open. we'll show you how she breathes through another match. and in the n.l. wildcard race, the giants got the bad news

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she's not giving away a whole lot in the prematch interview. that far up the line, you can see it marked pretty clearly. >> quarterfinals, u.s. open. defending champ serena williams facing flavia penneta. first set, tied at 3. serena working her magic. check out this backhanded volley for the winner. she had a 29 edge in winners. won the set 6-4. second set, serena smash. serena would bulldoze through

another opponent 6-4 #-rbgs 6-3. she has yet to drop a single set in this year's u.s. open. serena has already won wimbledon, has won the australian open. in the semifinals, she'll face 05 u.s. open champ kim clistjers. >> andy murray ranked second in the world. her finished runner up at the u.s. open last year. apparently doesn't need a racket he there. wasn't really at his best with the racket on the court against marincilic. murray lost the first set 7-5. though he had two set points in the set. second set, murray being bothered by his left wrist. couldn't handle the serve there. only got 64% of cilic's first serves in the play. 35 winners, he advances to the quarterfinals of a grand slam for the first time in his career. murray finishes # 009 without reaching a grand slam final. >> back to the diamond. the phillies coming off being

swept in houston in four games. they would have a big night powerwise. raoul ibanez. he hit two home runs. top 7, phillies lead 3-2. top 8, chase utley. his 30th home run as well. the phillies lead 5-3 at that point. they go on to win by the final of 5-3. phillies tie a major league record. they now have four different players with 30 or more home runs this season. >> all right, bad news for the san francisco giants, their ace, tim lincecum, scratched from his start tonight against the padres. he has inflammation in the lower left side of his back. madison balmgarten called up from mient ors. he was the number ten overall pick in the 2007 draft. he is starting in lincecum's place. so let's update that game just getting underway out in the bay

area. bottom two, all tied up at 1. bengie molina an r.b.i. single for san francisco. chase headily, a solo home run for san diego. baumgartner so far two innings pitched. has not walked anybody. he has not struck out anybody. but he allowed that one home r run. >> giants have one eye on this game, too. rockies leading the reds 2-0. jason marquis, right now in line to win his 15th game, that would match a career high. eric young jr., son of our own e.y. hit his first career home run. todd helton, the sac fly. the other rocky run. colorado leads san francisco two games. rockies seeking their fifth straight win. >> all right. florida chasing colorado in the wildcard race. we pick it up bottom nine. leo nunez gets pagan to bounce out to second. and that would be your game. florida wins 4-2.

carlos beltran back tonight for the mets after two and a half months on the d.l. he was 1 for 4 with a double and a strikeout. hanley ramirez, third straight game with a home run. that ties the career best streak. florida has won five of the last six games. >> what to watch for saturday. one of the biggest games of the year will happen in week two. usc and freshman quarterback matt barkley travel to the horseshoe to take on ohio state. tom ronaldi on how the buckeyes are going to respond from last year's shellacking. >> ohio state, last year's 35-3 defeated the loss was a legacy. their worst margin of defeat in 14 years. only added to the program's perceived troubles in big games. with another chance, the team balances opportunity to gain respect with a way to earn redemption. >> if you put our guys under hypnosis in the summertime and asked them the question, you

know, what game are you thinking about, you know, i'm sure it would be ohio state-usc. >> this is the game for the season. it's a huge game. just playing these guys, they're coming in the chute. i'm excited for our fans, i'm excited for our offense, defense and special teams. it's one of those games. >> to lose a game like that last year. it was embarrassing. and something that we didn't like. i think this year is the year we can go out and fight back. >> the loss last september marked the first time in 141 games the buckeyes failed to score a touchdown. asked about the notion that his team struggles in big games jim tressel was the same. it's fair, he said, because it's a fact. now fair report on usc, here's lisa salters. >> pete carroll said what impressed him most about the way his true freshman quarterback performed this past saturday was he knew everyone would be watching him to see how he did.

and he didn't let it faze him one bit. that's why carroll said he doesn't think he has to do too much this week to prepare matt barkley for what's in store for him at the horseshoe in columbus. >> we're just trying to bring him down to the turf. it isn't as much different as everybody might think. it will be great fun for him. you know, if you go back -- i love matt's comments. he said he was nervous walking down the steps and then after that he wasn't. his first game ever. come on, man. he had to be more than that. he wasn't. he was very much composed. i would just think he's going to have fun with it. and he's going to be excited to see what it looks like to be in a tournament stadium of that stature and all. and he's going to go play. i don't think it will matter to him at all. >> carroll said they'll work with noise in practice this week to try to prepare barkley for what play calling will be like in columbus. but he said come saturday, i'm sure we'll miss him. and if we he do, we do. carroll also pointed out perhaps one of the biggest play calls

usc has had in recent memory came at notre dame in 2005. matt leinart made that call, he said. and everyone on our team heard it. i'm less assaulters, espn. >> it was nearly a year ago when the buckeyes went into the coliseum and lost 35-3 to the trojans. usc's defense very active. they forced ohio state into three turnovers and a season low 20 on 7 yards of offense. the trojans have won six straight against the buckeyes. in fact, the buckeyes last win came in 1973. >> the revival of michael vick the football player has already started. but rehabilitating his image will prove to be a much taller task. for every highlight reel scramble or picture perfect spiral, there is still the lingering stench of federal dog fighting charges, and an 18-month prison sentence. today vick spoke to 20 philadelphia high school freshmen on the dangers of peer

pressure. he used himself as a cautionary tale. >> i didn't choose to go the right way. after 18 months of being in prison, which is the toughest time of my life. being away fra my family, being away from my kids. being away from the game of football. for doing something so foolish. and i wish i could take it all back, because i did so many things that were wrong. and i'm influenced by so many people, when i should have been a leader and not a follower. that's what you've got to do. you've got to be leaders, you can't be a follower. saints running back reggie bush is good to go for the season opener. houston quarterback matt shaw

returned to practice today. but he's still day-to-day with an ankle injury. time now to turn it over to trey wingo being adam scheckter. michael smith, john clayton, and chris mortensen. all the insiders in house to talk about the top stories lines of the upcoming nfl season. >> if you want inside information on the nfl, you can do a lot worse than this panel of experts right here. so as we he get set for week one to start. what do you think is going to be the biggest unanswered question going into the season? let's start with you. >> i think brett favre asked it, can he play a full season? which seems odd for the most durable quarterback in history. the bottom line is this guy's not worked out two straight off seasons. didn't work out the two weeks before he did show up for training camp. i just think it's a question whether this guy can last the whole season. >> 291 with the playoffs. >> i look at the biggest television in america, the cowboys video board. how is this going to impact football games? i mean, the first time they have to redo a punt, 1k3 a receiving

team runs a touchdown back, it's going to be a problem. it's going to cause injuries and change games. 123450eu6789 i'm going to stay in dallas. because what's it going to be like with t.o. and o.l. they've got the oldest offensivesive line in the league with a 35-year-old guy. guys of the average age of 30. and if you look in the last couple of years, chicago and washington all with five starters in their 30s. they all faded by mid season. that is the biggest question in dallas. >> to me the biggest question is in new england. it doesn't have to do with tom brady. it's the patriots defense. you look at all the veterans this team lost. tedy bruschi's not there. rodney harrison's not there. mike vrabel's not there. richard seymour's not there. that's a lot of manpower and leadership to try to replace. the new england patriots have some questions to answer. >> we know they're going to score.

the question is can they stop other people from scoring? they he lost six starters, and the season starts thursday nig night. >> all right, thank you, guys. a quick update in san fran, aaron rowan has hit his 14th home run of the year to give the giants a 2-1 advantage in that one. of course, tim lincecum, the big story tonight, a scratch due to inflammation in his lower back. >> still to cull, michigan and notre dame. this is the year they start going in the right direction. but they both know they'll have but they both know they'll have to go through each other to gic [screeching] [dejectedly] oh. [screeching] [barks] (man) if you think about it, this is what makes the ladders different from other job-search sites. [screeching] we only work with the big talent. [all coughing] welcome to the ladders-- a premium job site for only $100k-plus jobs and only $100k-plus talent.

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hour, plenty of tennis under the lights at the open. monfils and nadal in a battle right now. plenty more from the american league and national league wildcard races. and plenty of fantasy news as you set your lineup starting on thursday. will selva and mike yam will be with you for that. but first what to watch for this weekend on abc. the notre dame fighting irish travel to the big house. a huge game for both teams who are under a lot of pressure to bring their schools back to prominence. >> it isn't like they haven't played a game yet. so they've taken it together,

and beaten somebody rather thoroughly. so they've sent their message of how they were going to handle that, and i think they handle it very well. i don't think they're worrying too much about what happened last year. i think that if i were coach rodriguez today, i'd be talking to -- okay, that was a good start. but last week's game doesn't mean anything. we've got to go get ready to play the fighting irish. >> think we're just taking the exact same approach. >> astros and the braves. aaron boone, the go ahead run at the plate in the ninth inning. >> the pirates arnold palmer palmer celebrating his 80th birthday. first batter of then game, ryan theriot hit milton bradley. derrek lee, next batter. ramirez next batter. jeff baker, next batter. i'm getting dizzy. first eight batters had a hit.

top bade major league record. zach duke felt like he could hit by a rabbit punch. >> it's unfortunate the pirates are no longer a major league team. cardinals trail the brewers 3-2. top of the eighth in beer town. albert pujols, hit his 45th home run of the season. a solo shot. he leads the majors in homers. prince fielder leads the bigs with 125 rbis. >> all right, you're about to have a whole lot of fun. mike yam, the yammer, will the thrill selva. >> the red sox, you could win $100,000 with scrabble at subway. play the game millions have won. everything from prius cars to beaches vacations, cash and live nation vip access. play scrabble at subway... where winners eat. ♪ but i've still got room for the internet. with my new netbook from at&t.

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