7/20/07 Luis “Lights-Out” Ayala? or Saul “Sa-ool” Rivera? or Chris “Don’t Call Me Ricky” Schroder? or Trading Away A Twenty-Five Year Old Closer? Who Do The Nationals Think They Are? The Expos?

The name on the tip of all the Trade Rumor tongues?...The Flat-Brimmed Closer Chad Cordero, MLB.com, washingtonnationals.mlb.com, espn.go.com, all reporting that the twenty-five year old corner hittin’ fastballer is coveted by several teams around the league, the Mets and ? chief among them. What could a twenty-five year old lights-out closer bring in return? Is it more than he can provide by staying? Will The Tallest Pitcher in MLB History Jon Rauch leave as well? Will the new Nationals closer ever have as cool a nickname as the Flat-Brimmed Closer? I think not...
     Billy Traber pitches a scoreless first in this, the second of four the Washington Nationals are playing with the visiting Rockies from Colorado. Aaron Cook, on the mound for the Rockies, allows two on with one out but gets a double play ball up the middle from Ryan Church to end the first inning of play.
     After a scoreless second for both starters, Billy Traber walks his opponent on the mound to start the third. Willy Taveras deadens a bunt in the dirt in front of home, and Traber just puts it in his glove, as both runners are safe, and returns to the mound. Kaz “Opening Day” Matsui lays down another bunt, and Traber fields and throws wide of first, pulling Belliard off the bag. Bases loaded for Matt Holliday. Traber gets a ground ball to short and a force at second for the first out, one run scores, 1-0 Rockies. Todd Helton hits one deep enough to left to allow Willy Taveras to tag and score. 2-0 Rockies.
     Ryan Church doubles off the wall in left center, a 400 ft line drive, with one out in the bottom of the fourth, but Aaron Cook strands Church there with his fourth scoreless frame. Chris Schroder replaces Traber for the top of the fifth. Holliday steals second as Todd Helton swings through strike three, Brian Schneider throws toward second, but off-line and into center, allowing Holliday to move to third. Garrett Atkins hammers one to left, Church tracks it and closes his glove on the top of the fifth. 2-0 after four and a half.
     Ryan Spilborghs robs Brian Schneider of a home run to start the fifth, as Spilborghs pulls it back over the wall in right, and shows everyone what he’s done. Fifth scoreless for Cook, and Chris Schroder’s back on the hill. Schroder retires the Rockies in order. Cook walks Felipe Lopez in front of Belliard in the bottom of the sixth. Lopez steals second. Belliard chops one straight down for Rockies catcher Chris Iannetta to field. Ryan Zimmerman swings through a low strike three. Ryan Church hits one to center, 390 ft away, but 20 ft short of the wall. 2-0 Rockies after six.
     Chris Schroder’s putting the “long” in long-relief as he’s back out for his third inning on the mound in the seventh. Schroder gets the opposing pitcher looking at strike three. Willy Taveras lays down a bunt, and beats it out, as Schroder slips fielding the ball and throws wildly. Kaz Matsui up, Taveras steals second, and no one is there to catch Schneider’s throw, Belliard fields it on a hop behind second? Matsui walks. Holliday takes ball four low to load the bases. Manny Acta, Nationals Manager has seen enough. Ray King is called upon to face Helton. King vs Helton. Lefty vs Lefty. Helton hits a sac fly to left to score Taveras. 3-0 Rockies. King out, Saul Rivera is on to face Garrett Atkins, who grounds into a force at second. Stand up and stretch...
     Austin Kearns reaches safely on an error by Atkins, and one out later Kearns moves to second when Brian Schneider singles up the middle of the infield. Cook still on the mound for the Rockies. Ryan Langerhans grounds out to first, bringing Nook Logan up with two on, two out. Logan stares at strike three down the pipe. 3-0 Rockies after seven.
     Two straight singles from Ryan Spilborghs and Troy Tulowitzki, to start the Rockies eigth off Rivera. Chris Iannetta grounds to short, Lopez gets the force at third. Brad “Barbaric” Hawpe goes down looking at an outside fastball. Taveras grounds out to short.
    Jorge Julio is on in the bottom of the eigth to face the top of the Nationals order. (The Nationals own Jullio, I officially predict a comeback win at 9:30 pm)Felipe Lopez singles through second. Belliard does the same, moving Lopez to third. Zimmer- THE KIDS CALL HIM ZIM!! THE KIDS CALL HIM ZIM!! Zimmerman lines to center. Lopez scores. Belliard to third. 3-1 Rockies. Pinch-hitting DY is up. DY grounds to first. Belliard stays at third. AK pops to short right. Zimmerman gets caught off second??? Unbelievable.
     The Tallest Pitcher in MLB History, Jon Rauch is on in the ninth. Rauch retires the side. Rauch Rules. Manny Corpas on to close it for Colorado. Fick lines out to first. Schneider flies out to right. Langerhans swings at high heat for strike three. Rockies win. 3-1 final.

Nationals now 40-56.