Photo by Lynn G. for TalkNats.
On paper, the Nats looked like the better team, but it did not matter as the Nats only scored one-run and Anibal Sanchez gave up four solo home runs to take the loss. The Nats hit into four doubleplays including a line drive where Victor Robles did not freeze and he was thrown out for one of the doubleplays. There was also a costly baserunning mistake by veteran Eric Thames who set-up for a tag-up with one-out on ball Robles hit off of the right-center wall. Instead of Thames going half-way and scoring and Kurt Suzuki running to third base and Robles with a double — it was a long single due to the baserunning gaffe by Thames. He didn’t score in the inning. Did that cost the Nats the game? No, but it was part of “the little things” that added up.
The Nats tallied 11 hits and 4 walks, and the Blue Jays had 7 hits, but it was the timing of the hits and four of the Blue Jays seven hits were home runs.
There were two defensive plays that turned into two of the hits for the Blue Jays. One from a hit that Adam Eaton lost in the sky, and one when Victor Robles stopped running on a flyball that maybe he thought that leftfielder Michael Taylor was going to catch.
The Nats were 2-for-10 in RISP situations, and they left 10 runners on-base. It is the timing of the hits. Taylor left 5 runners on base and Howie Kendrick stranded 5 himself.
The good news from the game is Trea Turner had a walk and put up another 2-hit game, as did Starlin Castro, Victor Robles, and Kurt Suzuki. Also, the bullpen threw up another shutout with Javy Guerra (2 1/3 innings), Ryne Harper, and Sam Freeman who covered 4 innings.
The Nats lost this one by a final score of 4-1 and they fall to 1-3 on the season. In a 162-game season that would be the equivalent of a 3-8 record. Clearly, the Nats need to get started on a winning streak.
