Elijah Dukes ended batting practice with a flourish yesterday. The Nationals outfielder crushed one of the last pitches of the session into the second deck above the right-center field fence, a blast that must have measured at least 450 feet. Making it all the more impressive was that Dukes is right-handed and thus hit the ball to the opposite field. Of course, batting practice power counts for nothing, and Dukes entered last night’s game with no homers, one RBI and an .042 average.
— Mark Zuckerman
BY THE NUMBERS
.986 Fielding percentage for the Nationals heading into last night’s game, third best in the National League.
TONIGHT’S GAME
Phillies LHP Jamie Moyer Record, ERA: 3-3, 4.89
Nationals LHP Matt Chico Record, ERA: 0-5, 6.07
Time: 7:10 p.m. TV: MASN2
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