ekansekans's blog: "df"

ATLANTA -- Michael Morse is regaining his power stroke, and thats helping the Washington Nationals stay on top of the NL East. Morse had four hits, including the go-ahead homer in the eighth inning after Washington had blown a four-run lead, and the Nationals beat the Atlanta Braves 5-4 on Friday night. More, who missed the first 50 games with a back injury, has four straight multihit games and is 13 for 23 in a five-game hitting streak. "Im starting to have better at-bats, starting to recognize pitches and see pitches," said Morse, who raised his batting average from .265 to .294. Morse was under instructions to let manager Davey Johnson know if he had more tightness in his right hamstring, a problem that emerged this week in Colorado. Morse let Johnson know in the seventh inning "it was tightening up a little bit." Morses home run in the eighth allowed him to protect the hamstring as he casually jogged around the bases. "I told him his swing kept him from running," Johnson said with a smile. The homer was only the third for Morse but it was his second in two days. Morse, who hit 31 homers in his breakout season with Washington in 2011, hit a three-run homer at Colorado on Thursday. "Hes been looking better and better every day," Johnson said. "Its nice to have him back. ... Well probably move him back into the cleanup spot." Andrelton Simmons two-run homer off Ross Detwiler capped Atlantas four-run seventh inning which erased the Nationals 4-0 lead. Morse had a quick answer by hitting right-hander Chad Durbins first pitch over the wall in right field leading off the eighth. "Hes got a lot of juice going that way," Durbin said. "We come back, score four, it would have been nice to keep it even." The Nationals, who swept a three-game series in Atlanta on May 25-27, are 5-1 against the Braves this season. First-place Washington is 4 1/2 games ahead of Atlanta. The Nationals began the night 3 1/2 games ahead of the Mets. Jesus Flores homered and Ian Desmond had a two-run single for Washington. Sean Burnett (1-1) gave up one hit in 1 1-3 scoreless innings. Tyler Clippard gave up a leadoff double to Freddie Freeman in the ninth before recovering for his 13th save. Clippard walked Martin Prado with one out, putting runners on first and second. Michael Bourn flied out to centre and Clippard ended the game on Simmons flyball to right. "You want the games like this, because you want the emotional games," Simmons said. "You want to battle and win. It makes you feel good. It makes you feel like you accomplished something. But after battling that much and losing, it hurts." Durbin (3-1) gave up two hits and a run while recording two outs in the eighth. Jonny Venters struck out Bryce Harper with the bases loaded to end the inning. Detwiler allowed only two hits through six scoreless innings, but he couldnt hold the 4-0 lead in the seventh. Detwiler hit Freeman with a pitch and then bobbled a bunt by Jack Wilson, who was awarded an infield hit. A balk by Detwiler moved the runners to second and third. Pinch-hitter Prados single drove in Freeman. Bourns fly ball scored Wilson, and Simmons followed with his tying two-run homer, knocking Detwiler out of the game. Detwiler gave up four runs, five hits and a walk in 6 2-3 innings. Randall Delgado lasted only four innings, giving up seven hits and four runs, two earned. Delgado was hurt by third-inning errors by second baseman Jack Wilson and Simmons, the rookie shortstop, which led to two unearned runs. Wilson, starting at second base for the first time this season, dropped a grounder by Adam LaRoche for the first error with two outs. Morse singled past Chipper Jones at third. Simmons retrieved the ball in shallow left and threw past Wilson at second base for another error, allowing the runners to advance. Desmond drove in LaRoche and Morse with a single to left. Detwiler was 0-for-14 this season before his second-inning single drove in Morse, who had singled, for Washingtons first run. Flores pushed the lead to 4-0 with his homer off Delgado in the fourth. NOTES: The temperature for the first pitch was 101 degrees. ... Braves 2B Dan Uggla, hitting only .156 (12 for 77) in June, received his first day off this season. ... Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez plans to rest Jones on Saturday and C Brian McCann on Sunday. ... Prado did not start. Gonzalez says Prado has been playing with a sore right hamstring. ... Nationals RHP Drew Storen, recovering from a right elbow injury, moved closer to an injury rehabilitation assignment by throwing to hitters before the regular batting practice. Johnson said Storen could return before the All-Star break. ... Nationals RHP Stephen Strasburg will try for his 10th win when he faces Braves LHP Mike Minor in the second game of the three-game series on Saturday. Robert Griffin III Jersey . Knight scored a career-high 30 points and the Pistons defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers for the second time in six days with a 104-97 win on Saturday night. Griffin III Elite Jersey . It will be tough to top last seasons unpredictable, breath-taking campaign, capped off by the final day dramatics seeing Manchester City win Englands top flight for the first time in 44 years. http://www.dancewithmeusa.com/new.html . Dielman retired in March, 4 1/2 months after sustaining a concussion in a helmet-to-helmet collision with a New York Jets defender.KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- C.J. Sapong scored two goals, and Sporting Kansas City beat the Dayton Dutch Lions 3-0 on Tuesday night in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open Cup. Graham Zusi also scored for Sporting, which will travel to meet the Philadelphia Union in the semifinals on July 11, and Jimmy Nielsen had to make just one save for his second straight Cup shutout. Sporting, which last made the semis when it won its only Open Cup in 2004, broke open the game with two goals inn a three-minute span in the second half.dddddddddddd Zusis blast from just outside the penalty area made it 2-0 in the 56th minute, and Sapongs header in the 59th widened the lead to 3-0. Sapong gave Sporting an early lead over the Dutch Lions, who play in the third-tier USL Pro, with a goal in the fifth minute. Sporting centre back Matt Besler started and played into the 68th minute after missing three MLS matches to recover from an emergency appendectomy ' ' '