56th Plate Appearance

Little Zimmy's Adam-prenticeship is in full bloom, for the Mighty RyRy has just taken a Dunn count payoff pitch and sent it on a perfect parabola into the Rockies bullpen.

Flushed with pedagogic pride, Adam takes his own mighty rip on the first pitch.

Thunderhammerbat sends it bouncing fast down the first base line, and the ball stuns Todd Helton. He can only barely manage to knock the ball to the ground, paw it with his now-thoroughly-numbed bare hand, and flip it to de La Rosa at the bag.

54th Plate Appearance

Bottom of the second, and Clean Plate Club member Adam Dunn is the leadoff batter. Jorge de la Rosa, pride of the Rockies, has sillified the Nats thus far tonight, whif-whaffing Nyjer Morgan and Cristian Guzman and inducing from Little Zimmy a wee trickle to shortstop.

de la Rosa tries a dance a little tease, first going outside and then down low. Of course Adam ain't interested.

Adam can sense where this is going, so he takes a big swing at the next low pitch. Got to keep in form, even if you sense a walk coming.

Sure enough, Adam's oracular intuition proves right. It's a five pitch walk. Titan Todd welcomes his equal back to their shared home.

50th Plate Appearance - The Lovers Reunite

Absence makes the heart grow fonder, and 15 consecutive plate appearances without a walk have whetted Adam's lustful appetite for first base. Love is in his eyes as he approaches the plate to face the Rockies' Aaron Cook. Yet, 'Let not my love be called idolatry,' insists Adam, spitting.

First pitch a breaking ball low; Adam watches it scornfully. Second pitch a ball. Adam is breathing hard now; wipes his nose - or was it a tear? The titan shakes off love's opiatic mist, and takes a huge cut at a fastball up. Strike one. Another ball low, and lo!, another! Adam casts Thunderhammerbat to the dugout, and trots to his beloved.

Adam and Todd Helton exchange words.

"Kind is my love to-day, to-morrow kind"