With another two sold innings of work in a 7-2 win over the St. Louis Cardinals, Brian Broderick continues to make his case for sticking with the club.
The Rule 5 pick allowed two singles in the sixth, but got the key grounders when he needed them (four in total) and tossed a 1-2-3 seventh inning to earn his fourth hold of the spring. His ERA is now 0.77 after seven appearances, totaling 10⅔ innings.
The win broke the Nats’ seven-game losing streak in a game that featured a bit of a beanball war after (guess who?) Nyjer Morgan collided with Albert Pujols. Former National Miguel Batista was ejected after hitting Ian Desmond with one out and nobody on in the top of the 7th, which prompted the benches to clear.
Former Potomac Nationals manager Trent Jewett prevented Morgan from reaching the infield during the scuffle, in which no punches were thrown, though he was pinch-hit for in the top of the 8th.
Danny Espinosa started the game and went 1-for-4 with 2 RBI while Wilson Ramos came off the bench to pinch-run for Ivan Rodriguez and caught the final three innings.
The Nationals return to Viera tomorrow afternoon to host the Astros. The game can be heard (Houston broadcast) online via MLB.com Gameday Audio.