Photo by Sol Tucker for TalkNats
While Patrick Corbin did not have his best stuff tonight, he certainly was one pitch from giving up no runs as Miguel Rojas got him for a 2-out three run homer. The Nats lost 3-2 and could not muster enough offense to push over anymore runs than the two they scored from home runs by Yan Gomes and Trea Turner.
The Nats offense had mistake pitches to tattoo, and they just looked like their timing was off. But it was Rojas who just came off of the 10-day IL who punished a mistake pitch by Corbin and the Nats were never able to get back into this game. The Marlins only scored in the second inning and never tallied any other runs.
Once again, the Nats bullpen came up big with 2 2/3 innings of 1-hit baseball with Tanner Rainey as the fireman to not allow a run to score after he inherited two runners on third and second base with one out. Will Harris threw a zero in the eighth inning, and Kyle Finnegan threw a perfect ninth inning with two strikeouts.
The Nats batters only had four hits and one walk and a hit-by-pitch with only one runner in scoring position all night. They had twelve combined strikeouts, and just did not put enough balls in play. In the 2-5 spots in the order, they went hitless. It is the tenth game of the Nats young season where they have scored two runs or less and that just will not cut it.
