Padres bullpen chill Nats 7-3 OR San Diego: sand, sadness sans Snelling

Quite a game last night/this morning, or at least it was for a few innings.

The Nats started out well, scoring in the first inning for only the second time this season after 2B Felipe Lopez got a leadoff double, stole 3rd, and subsequently scored. Matt Chico, playing in front of at least 40 friends and family members, began the game well, too. Things certainly looked good for the first few innings. When the Padres starter, Chris Hensley, left the game in the 3rd inning with an injury, it looked as though it might be the Nats night.

But t'was not to be.

Five members of the Padres bullpen beat up on the Nats bats, allowing them some hits, but only two additional runs. The Nats defense was hammered in the 4th for 5 runs, but they rallied briefly in the 7th, getting two runs and positioning themselves for more, but the Padres bullpen put a stop to that.

Chico walked too many batters, Robert Fick had a baserunning blunder, and reliever Ray King, while only throwing 11 pitches, allowed two hits and an earned run.

Brian Schneider, Robert Fick and Kory Casto each had a hit, and they were all doubles.

Ryan Report: Church 2 for 4, Zimmerman 1 for 4. Wagner threw 23 pitches in two innings, allowing no hits or runs or walks. In the second inning, MASN's Don Sutton broke the announcement that another Ryan, Ryan Langerhans, was acquired from the Oakland A's (but really from the Atlanta Braves, since he'd only been in Oakland for less than a week, and never even got to meet some of their personnel). This means that the Ryan Report will become even more awesome.

A day off and a trip to Chicago might set them back on the right path. We can only hope.