The throw brought Brian Schneider off line just a few inches, but as Ryan Langerhans rounded third, home plate was wide open. Matt Diaz had already scored on Marcus Giles’ two-out single to left field, and now Diaz was telling Langerhans to get down. Alfonso Soriano’s throw hit the catcher’s mitt. Schneider lunged for the plate, and Langerhans did the same. Both looked up at home plate umpire Ed Rapuano.
Safe, he ruled.
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Six pitches later, Soriano again came up throwing on Edgar Renteria’s single. Again, the throw was wide. Now, Giles was heading for home with Soriano’s throw closing quickly.
Schneider lunged. Giles slid.
Safe, Rapuano said.
“I thought we had him at the plate, but those things happen,” said starter Jason Bergmann (0-1). “From my vantage point [he was out], but the umpire makes the call.”
That’s the way it went for the Nationals (53-68) in a 5-0 loss to Atlanta in front of 29,007 fans at RFK Stadium. Wearing their afternoon reds, the Nats looked exactly like a team that’s played 10 games in 10 days. They were a half-step too slow and did not show enough patience at the plate. Only one Nat advanced beyond first base.
Atlanta starter Oscar Villarreal (9-1), starting just the second game of his career, pitched five scoreless innings to give the Braves a series split.
The Nats went 4-6 on this homestand and a nine-game road trip starts tonight in Philadelphia, as the Nationals continue a stretch of 22 games against division opponents in 24 days. At their current pace, the Nats will finish in last place in the NL East for the third consecutive year.
Manager Frank Robinson said he was not disappointed by the homestand. “We’ll see if we can do a little better on the road,” he said.
