With two outs in the ninth inning Friday, the situation was all too familiar. Washington Nationals closer Drew Storen was on the mound. San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey was at the plate. It was a matchup that had played out on this field just nine months earlier.
This time, however, Posey hit a harmless fly ball to left field, and the Nationals won, 2-1. Storen picked up his 24th save, and Washington won its first game of the homestand.
THE RUNDOWN:Giants starter Jake Peavy utilized a strategy that will become more popular as the season goes on: He walked Bryce Harper at every opportunity and challenged the rest of Washington’s lineup to beat him.