Momentum

John Patterson nearly did the impossible--throw a second consecutive shut out in Coors Field. Had Vinny Castilla not misplayed a ground ball in the eighth, Patterson would have had a shut out through eight innings. Coming off the Nationals' shut out yesterday, that would have been quite a feat. As it was, the Nationals won 9-2 to sweep the Rockies and move within one game of Houston in the wild card race.

Patterson was brilliant. He gave up nine hits and walked two, which in Coors Field is a great performance over eight innings. The Rockies once again were unable to take advantage of their opportunities, which were not nearly as numerous as yesterday. In the third the Rockies had the bases loaded and in the sixth had men on first and second, each time with only one out. But in both innings Patterson induced an inning-ending double play/

While Patterson was shutting down the Rockies, the Nationals' hitters once again were having their way with Coors Field. They scored nine runs on ten hits, and scored more runs in the fifth inning--five--than they've scored in all but a few games over the last 45 days. Nick Johnson hit a three-run homer and Jose Guillen hit a solo shot in the fifth, thereby all but ending the game for the Rockies. Jose Vidro was three for four, so let's hope he's getting hot again.

Amazingly, the Nationals' starting pitchers had an ERA of 0.89 in the three-game series. You can say all you want about the poor quality of the Rockies' hitters, but that is superior performance in such a hitter-friendly park.

The Nationals now go to Philadelphia for a three-game series. It's imperative that they maintain this momentum and take that series. If they do that, they'll be back in the playoff race in a very serious way.