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Chien-Ming Wang's final start of the season is done, and all told, the right-hander's comeback to the majors from shoulder surgery has gone pretty well. He allowed one run in six innings today - also driving in a run with his first major league hit - and is in line for a win that would push his record to 4-3.
Wang did it today without a walk, and he ends the year with just 13 walks in 62 1/3 innings. His sinker was averaging 91.0 mph in the sixth inning, and he got eight groundouts against just three flyouts in his 85-pitch start. Things started roughly for him in late July, which was to be expected, but he's put himself in a position to land a major league deal this winter - quite possibly from the Nationals.
Washington's lead is 4-1 in the top of the seventh after scoring three runs in the fourth, one of them driven in by Wang on a single to right. The Braves got their only run on a Freddie Freeman homer, but the Nationals have a chance to get this game to Tyler Clippard and Drew Storen for the eighth and ninth innings.
And the other event of note today came in the Presidents' Race. For the second day in a row, the Nationals had players involved in the race, trying to create obstacles and run interference. The gag was more well thought-out this time, and Werth tackled Thomas Jefferson as Rick Ankiel and several Nationals relievers blocked Abe Lincoln and George Washington. When the race dissolved into a bottleneck in the right field corner, Werth sprinted toward the line, broke the tape with his arms in the air as public address announcer Jerome Hruska stifled laughter while announcing the winner.
