Not even 24-hours after the Nationals snapped a six game losing streak, they got another such streak started with a series-losing loss to the Athletics this afternoon. Similar to last night, there just wasn’t much to report on from the Nats throughout this game. I feel like I use the word ‘dud’ a lot but that’s exactly what this game was in terms of the offense and starting pitcher.
The Athletics got the scoring going in the top of the second inning against Mitchell Parker that all began with a walk. Colby Thomas put them up 2-0 with his first major league home run, shoutout to Colby, big congrats there. Hard not to feel good for a guy accomplishing something like that, whether he’s on your team or not. The A’s added another run in the frame on a sacrifice fly by Shea Langeliers, making this a 3-0 game.
Interim-manager Miguel Cairo was not happy after the game, and started his postgame presser with his thoughts on the struggles.
“I have to tell you, we have to do a better job against lefties. … We got to get better at-bats and do better in day games. Our record in day games is really bad. So we have to fix it. We have to do something different. We have to have a plan in how they are going to pitch us.”
— Cairo said after the game
“We have to go out there and do our job. You can’t feel sorry for yourself. You have to go out there and perform. There are seven weeks left in the season. We have to go out there and play the game the right way.”
Some very pointed words by Cairo there for saying what he had to say, and some of those words might have been pointed at the hitting coach with: “We have to have a plan in how they are going to pitch us.” That day game record has now gone to a pathetic 14-35 with most of those games on the record of the previous manager — but Cairo has to find a way of fixing it. By the way, what is Cairo going to do with James Wood jogging to first base? He hit a grounder up the middle behind the second base bag, and ho-hum, just jogged it out. Maybe there wasn’t an infield single there, but early in the season we saw Wood beat some of those out.
The Nats’ offense robbed themselves of a rally in the bottom of the third, Daylen Lile led off the inning with a single, but the next batter, Jacob Young, struck out and was called for batter interference, by rule meaning Lile was also out. On replay, there didn’t appear to be any interference. That immediately came back to bite the Nats as Robert Hassell III followed with a double that could have scored Lile, had he still been on base. The inning would end scoreless after a groundout by CJ Abrams.
For those who wanted to see Lile and Hassell in the same game and facing the same pitcher, it was Hassell who played better all-around with a double and good defense, and he just missed a home run in the 9th inning. Lile had a single and a strikeout, and allowed on defense, a double to turn into a triple, by not playing a ball well in left field.
The Athletics tacked on another run in the fourth on a sacrifice fly by Colby Thomas, extending the lead to 4-0. That would be all the damage Mitchell Parker would allow, unfortunately four runs over five innings is one of his best starts in the recent stretch.
A’s rookie Jacob Lopez was tremendous tonight as the Nats were stifled by a lefty starter for a second night in a row. After the Hassell double in the third, Lopez allowed only a single to Riley Adams on his way to tossing 7.2 scoreless innings.
- Jacob Lopez: 7.2 innings, 3 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks, 10 strikeouts, 114 pitches
- Mitchell Parker: 5 innings, 6 hits, 4 runs (all earned), 3 walks, 4 strikeouts, 85 pitches
The Athletics have had no problem with lefties this series, as Tyler Soderstrom blasted a solo homer in the eighth off of newest Nats’ lefty PJ Poulin. Throw in an RBI groundout in the ninth by Nick Kurtz and that brought us to what would be the final score, 6-0.
Positives today were once again scarce. Jackson Rutledge and Clayton Beeter tossed scoreless outings out of the bullpen, and offensively…….. nine guys made the walk from the on-deck circle to the batters’ box multiple times this afternoon with no runs driven in. That’s all I got for you today.
I could give some “we gotta be better” and “this is awful” comments, but it’s become pretty apparent that this is the new normal with this team. Subpar pitching staff that’s betrayed by its offense on the few days they decide to throw well.
The Nats are off to San Francisco tonight where they’ll open a three-game series with the Giants tomorrow night at 10:15. Jake Irvin (8-6, 4.89 ERA) will take the mound for the Nats, the Giants have yet to announce a starter. I hate to say it but if you’re not a night owl, I’d go to bed at normal time tomorrow, it doesn’t look like we’ve got much to expect.
