Photo by Sol Tucker for TalkNats
This game between the Washington Nationals and the New York Mets was tied 1-1 in the 3rd inning. Nats starter Joe Ross painted a strike 3 on Jay Bruce — only it was called ball 2, and two pitches later Bruce doubled home the 2nd run of the game for his Mets and then scored in what was a 3-run third inning. The Nationals lost 4-2 to Jacob deGrom who looks to be the apparent frontrunner for the Cy Young.
Here is that pitch to Jay Bruce highlighted at the top of the zone and fully in the strike zone:
The Nationals once again were in a position to score a lot of runs late, but the Nats could only push one run across in the 9th inning on a lead-off double by Trea Turner who later scored on an Anthony Rendon single. The tying run stepped into the batter’s box in the form of Juan Soto and Ryan Zimmerman and both could not find that big hit. The Nationals only had 6-hits in the game and 4 of them were by the rookies: Victor Robles, Juan Soto, Spencer Kieboom, and a key pinch-hit by Andrew Stevenson. The only non-rookies who got hits were Turner and Rendon. In the 9th inning, Bryce Harper hit a ball to the wall in left field and on a hot day it’s a home run — on a cool autumnal night — it’s a flyout. That’s the story of the Nats season.
“I thought that was going [for a home run],” Harper said. “That sucks.”
Turner and Rendon continued their on-base streaks and Turner’s double was his 400th hit of his career.
After the game, manager Dave Martinez announced that Tanner Roark would be skipped tomorrow and Austin Voth will take his spot. Roark had the birth of his baby son last Sunday and was home in Atlanta with his son which his third child, and his first son named Eli Roark.
