The Nationals rattled the lineup just a bit, received strong pitching from the bullpen and even got some big hits. Neither of which they’ve had in a couple days.
Not that any of it mattered.
Once again, the first inning proved to be trouble. This time, it wasn’t Livan Hernandez’s fault.
No, this time it was starter Billy Traber. Hernandez worked out his problems Monday and got stronger. Traber started bad (four runs in the first) and got worse (lifted for a reliever with one out in the second) in Cincinnati’s 6-5 win Tuesday night.
“I can’t let the game get out of hand to where we have no real chance to win,” Manager Frank Robinson said.
The Nationals (7-13) have lost three straight and are now 1-6 at home, which might explain another small crowd (21,642).
The good news for Washington is that the bullpen fared well in relief of Traber (1-1). Gary Majewski, Joey Eischen, Felix Rodriguez, Mike Stanton and Chad Cordero allowed just two runs the rest of the game.
The bullpen has not been as sharp as it was last year.
“If you come back and ask the same questions [as to why] at the All-Star break,” Majewski said, “you’ll see the same exact numbers as [2005].”
The pitching is more thin now that John Patterson (right forearm) will miss his start Thursday.
The Nationals rested catcher Brian Schneider, stemming from his slump and that Cincinnati started a left-hander. His replacement, Matt LeCroy, had one hit in four at-bats.
The other moves – Marlon Byrd for Ryan Church in center and Royce Clayton moving from seventh in the lineup to second – also stemmed from facing a lefty. Washington still couldn’t hit in the clutch: with two on and no outs in the seventh, Nick Johnson lined out and Ryan Zimmerman grounded into a double play.
Robinson said Schneider, who is hitting .193 with no homers and four RBI, still hasn’t recovered from missing time due to the World Baseball Classic in March.
Schneider has a career average of .235 in March and April and a .239 mark in May. He batted .344 in June last year.
“Every April I go through this,” he said. “I can’t figure it out and then I start hitting good in June. … I’ll keep working and keep trying; there’s nothing else I can do.”
But Robinson said this time it’s different.
“He’s been this way before [with his average],” Robinson said, “but his swing was closer to being what it should be than what it is now. He’s farther away from doing what he has to do. … I don’t see him making the adjustments so far. I know he’s trying, but I haven’t seen [the results].”
