I’m running out of words to describe how dreadful the Nats’ starting rotation has been as of late. The latest entry into the saga of suck came from Mitchell Parker, who has unfortunately become a regular contributor. We know that Michael Soroka’s troubles usually begin around the sixth inning, but lately, for Parker, it’s been the third inning. In his last two starts combined, he’s allowed 13 runs in the third inning, and just three in the other 8.2 innings. It’s especially deflating when you take into account the Nats’ offense hasn’t exactly been good in shootouts this year, so innings like those from the opposing offenses really put the game out of reach early on.
The third inning began on a positive note for the visitors, CJ Abrams cashed in on a leadoff walk drawn by Riley Adams, scoring him on an RBI triple to center. This was a good sign for a lot of fans, especially those who were disturbed, and rightfully so, by the momentary lack of effort that Abrams showed in last night’s game in St. Louis.
Then the bottom of the third happened. A leadoff double followed by a single set the stage for the Brewers to score big time, and they did. It started with an RBI single by Sal Frelick, then an RBI double by William Contreras, a two-run single by Jackson Chourio, and all capped off by a two-run home run to right by Christian Yelich. All before Mitchell Parker could record a single out. That back breaking run by Milwaukee would leave us with a 6-1 deficit heading into the fourth.
That deficit was lengthened in the bottom of the fourth, William Contreras struck again with an RBI double, and the lead grew to 7-1. Mitchell Parker was sent back out for the fifth to just try and eat as many outs as he could, but Miguel Cairo finally pulled the plug on him after he walked two in the inning, putting an end to another disappointing outing by Parker. The frustrating part of today for Mitchell was how his start began; his first two innings were outstanding, looking just like the Mitchell Parker we saw in April. He was keeping the Milwaukee hitters off balance, he was attacking and getting ahead in counts, and his misses were close, we didn’t see the wild and erratic misses that he’s been prone to lately. Then one half inning toppled all of that.
For the Brewers, lefty DL Hall got the start as the opener for long-man Quinn Priester. Hall would throw the first three innings and despite a little bit of base traffic throughout, worked around some threats by the Nationals’ offense, holding them to just one run over those three innings.
- Mitchell Parker: 4.2 innings, 8 hits, 7 runs (all earned), 3 walks, 0 strikeouts, 85 pitches
- Quinn Priester: 6 innings, 4 hits, 2 runs (both earned), 2 walks, 5 strikeouts, 86 pitches
The Nats would get a little bit closer in the top of the sixth inning against Quinn Priester, Brady House checked in with a rocket up the middle that scored Josh Bell. House was credited with an RBI double on the play thanks to some heads up base running that got him to second. The Nats would draw one run closer again in the top of the seventh, this time via a long ball from Riley Adams, the fourth of the year for the catcher, making it a 7-3 ballgame.
The Brewers got one of those runs back in the bottom of the seventh against Luis Garcia (the pitcher), Andrew Vaughn checked in with his seventh home run of the season, this one a solo shot to make it 8-3.
That’s the way it would end as the combination of Hall and Priester was all the Brewers needed to make it through the game, the rare opener/long man combined complete game.
Positives tonight on the pitching side of things, the Nats got scoreless relief appearances from Cole Henry, Brad Lord, and Jose A. Ferrer. Offensively, CJ Abrams and Riley Adams (coincidentally the first and last guys in the order) were the only two multi-hit performers on the night for the Nationals. Adams especially deserves a shoutout, he found his way on base three times tonight.
The series continues tomorrow afternoon at 4:10, Shinnosuke Ogasawara (0-1, 13.50 ERA) will make his second major league start against Brandon Woodruff (1-0, 1.50 ERA) who is making his second start of the season as well, after a lengthy battle with injury. The Nats are going to have to find a way to win tomorrow if they want any shot at winning this three game weekend series, let’s hope Ogasawara is up to the task of turning things around.
