Center Field Gate

He’s Plenty Good Enough: Journeyman Miguel Batista got the nod last evening when Mike Rizzo pulled Stephen Strasburg from his starting role due to shoulder stiffness. The 40,000-plus fans at the ballpark, had they had their eyes closed, might not have noticed the difference. Batista gave up just three hits in five innings with six strikeouts and only one walk as he led the Nats to a 3-0 win over the Braves.

At first greeted by the boo birds when his name was announced as starting pitcher in place of Strasburg, he left the fans smiling when he departed after the fifth frame. In a post-game interview he was asked about the chorus of boos but Batista was nonplused.  “Imagine if you go to see Miss Universe, then you end up having Miss Iowa,” he said,  “you might get those kind of boos.” I’m not sure Miss Iowa gets many boos, but we’ll take his point.

Batista hadn’t started a game since his dismal 2008 season in Seattle when he went 4 – 14. Often times when little is expected of you the pressure is off and good things can happen. Such was the case last night when the 39-year-old took the ball, ate some innings and gutted out a win. The DR native is on the last legs of a 16-year career but on one beautiful night in Washington he recaptured the form that helped lead the 2001 D-Backs to the Series.