The Nationals just stumbled into a three game losing streak and the 5th starter spot continues to be a black hole along with a few key players who are scuffling at the plate. The game started with Matt Grace as the “opener” and he threw a two-inning shutout, and Joe Ross entered in the third inning and gave up a home run to the first batter he faced en route to a 6 earned run outing to push the game out of reach in a game that ended with a 9-3 loss.
The Nats bats basically went to sleep after the first inning when Trea Turner led-off with a single followed by an Adam Eaton trip and a Juan Soto sacrifice fly. Gerardo Parra entered as a pinch-hitter in the 8th inning and in his one at-bat had more hits than Anthony Rendon, Juan Soto, Howie Kendrick, Brian Dozier, and Victor Robles combined and that give you an idea why the Nats only scored three runs. Besides, Turner and Eaton, Yan Gomes crushed a home run off of the Dodgers bullpen.
Also an unknown with all of the Nationals shifts today, was Joe Ross pitching to the shifts or were the shifts not positioned to the way Ross was pitching? We saw a ball hit to right-centerfield by Will Smith who went in that direction three times, but Victor Robles in centerfield was not shaded that way. The rookie Smith had 6 RBI’s in the game, and his bases clearing double off of Javy Guerra in an 0-2 count was unacceptable. Actually most of the game was unacceptable.
