Clint Barmes is not a prototypical leadoff hitter, but he was put in that spot Monday night, in part because Willy Taveras needed a rest, but also because Barmes has been a dazzling inning-starter. Barmes entered the game hitting .385 (20-for-52) when leading off an inning. He led off the first inning Monday with a single.
Web gem. Sometimes, the ball finds you. Nationals pitcher Tim Redding discovered that in the fifth. Matt Holliday drilled a grounder that Redding snared with a behind-the-back grab, easily throwing out Holliday.
Striking debut. Steven Register, called up from Triple-A Colorado Springs as an emergency arm in the bullpen, didn’t know whether he’d get to pitch for the Rockies. But his major-league debut arrived quickly when he relieved struggling Aaron Cook with two outs in the sixth. Register struck out Lastings Milledge to end the inning.
Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post
