Lucky rally boosts Nationals

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By Mark Zuckerman

Unable to record a clutch hit all afternoon - and, really, for the better part of the last three weeks - the Washington Nationals tried their best to spoil their own game-winning rally Thursday.

They bunted into a fielder's choice for the second time in the game. They misread looping singles to center and had to hold up at third instead of scoring. And with the game on the line, their best hitter tapped a slow dribbler to short that wouldn't have frightened a Little League infielder.

And yet somehow, some way, the Nationals pulled out a 3-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds. Who cares that none of their three runs scored on base hits? For this cursed team, this was reason to celebrate, crank up the clubhouse stereo and not overanalyze a win that easily could have been a loss.

As Adam Dunn succinctly put it: "We needed that."

Did they ever. The Nationals, who entered this series finale with only five wins in their last 29 games and enough squandered opportunities at the plate during that time to last a full summer, finally caught a break.

Stymied all afternoon in key spots - they were 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position and 2-for-21 with runners on base through seven innings - they strung together a game-winning rally off the Cincinnati bullpen in the eighth.

Willie Harris and Anderson Hernandez got things started with singles, but Harris was wiped out when Cristian Guzman bunted too hard back to the mound to set up a forceout at third. Alberto Gonzalez followed with a single to center that probably should have scored Hernandez, but he misread the sinking liner and held up.

"I felt like we got the first two guys on with the right people up at the plate," manager Manny Acta said. "I said, 'There's no way we're not going to pull it off right here.' They still made it tough."

Yes, but they found a way somehow. With the bases loaded and one out, Ryan Zimmerman hardly made solid contact on Nick Masset's 3-1 pitch. But his slow roller to short was hit softly enough to keep the Reds from turning a double play. Second baseman Brandon Phillips then fired an ill-advised throw to first that got away and allowed Guzman to sprint home with the go-ahead run.

Three singles, two forceouts and a throwing error. That's a game-winning rally, Washington-style.