Nats break 8 game losing streak and take 2 of 3 from A's

GAME 1 (Oakland Colliseum) - WAS 6, OAK 4
Oakland looked to have this locked with a 3-1 lead and the ball in the hands of ace hurler Dave Stewart. Washington scored 4 runs in the 3rd, which isn't so strange, but hitting 2 homers in 1 game let alone 1 inning was the strange part. The "twig" Wayne Terwilliger led the inning off with the long ball. Mickey Vernon then hit a 3 runs shot after Jim Busby doubled and Eddie "the walking man" Yost walked (he had 3 on the day). The Nats added an insurance run in the 8th when DH Bob Porterfield doubled home Clyde Volmer. Chuck Stobbs went the distance and notched his third victory on the year. Stobbs has been the only Washington hurler to receive adequate run support this season.


GAME 2 (Oakland Colliseum) - OAK 7, WAS 1
Clyde Vollmer led off the second with a solo shot to give the Nats their only lead of the game. Oakland put the pedal to the metal and turned this one into blowout city by scoring the next 7 runs. Curt Young was masterful for the A's, going the distance and allowing just that solo shot by Vollmer. Washington let their starter, Masterson, take one for the team as he went the distance and was responsible for all 7 runs allowed. They A's banged out 12 hits in all. Part timer Dwayne Murphy went 3 for 3 with an homer, a double and 2 RBI's.


GAME 3 (Griffith Stadium) - WAS 1, OAK 0
So often in this great game of baseball one team will score a bushel full of runs the night before and then get shut out the following night. This was the case in the rubber match of this series. Sadly this adversely affected Oakland starter Jose' Rijo who allowed only 1 unearned run in 7 2/3 innings worth of work. Spec Shea was brilliant for the Nats as he scattered 8 hits over 9 innings worth of work, as he recorded his second win of the season and his first shutout. The lone run of the game was scored in the the bottom of the 4th inning, when Jim Busby led off with a double off the base of the right center field wall. Pete Runnells bunt attempt was mishandled by Oakland catcher Terry Steinbach, who threw the ball into right field, which allowed Busby to score. Eddie Yost followed up with a single, which would have scored Busby anyway, but one can't predict if that would have happened if Steinbach's error did not already occur.