Nats strand 12 runners to lose the series finale The Nationals put one runner on base after another Thursday against the Arizona Diamondbacks. But time and again men who had successfully reached base shuffled off the field at the end of each inning no closer to scoring than when they started.
It was a repeat of the story that plagued Washington on Tuesday and again Wednesday. Three games against Arizona and three runs scored were all the Nats could manage. Their latest struggles at the plate left them 8-1 losers in the series finale at Nationals Park.
And that was difficult to swallow after starting off 5-2 at home with series wins against the Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies and then taking the opener against the Diamondbacks. Instead, Washington heads on a six-game road trip following as disappointing a 5-5 homestand as a team could muster. The Nats dropped to 62-67 with the loss.
| Nationals notes |
| » Right-handed reliever Ryan Mattheus left the game after facing just two batters in the eighth inning thanks to right shoulder tightness. |
| » On the disabled list since July 7 with a strained right oblique, Washington catcher Ivan Rodriguez will begin a rehab assignment on Saturday at Single-A Potomac. |
| » Up against a Redskins-Ravens preseason football game and rainy weather during a three-hour window before game time, the Nats drew an announced crowd of just 17,666 fans. |
Starting pitcher John Lannan (8-10, 3.59 ERA) escaped trouble in the first and fourth innings with a pair of double plays, extending his major league lead in that category to 25. But the Diamondbacks broke through in the sixth inning of a scoreless game. A base hit by Justin Upton set up a long home run to left by Chris Young to make it 2-0.
The Nats didn’t lack for chances. They left two runners on base in the first, second, third, fifth and seventh innings. In all 12 men were stranded helplessly on base — eight of them in scoring position. Washington was 1-for-16 total with runners in scoring position. The lone run came in the seventh inning when Michael Morse singled home Ian Desmond. That snapped his team’s 0-for-23 skid with runners in scoring position dating to Wednesday’s loss.
But after all those chances left on the board things deservedly fell apart in the eighth inning. With one out, the normally reliable Tyler Clippard walked Upton. Following a strikeout, Clippard was ahead 0-2 on Miguel Montero but eventually gave up a double down the line in right. Upton looked like he would be out at the plate but made a fine slide around catcher Jesus Flores’ sweep tag. With the Nats deflated after that run, Paul Goldschmidt added to Washington’s misery by launching a homer to left to make it 5-1. Arizona didn’t need any insurance runs after that but added a few for good measure. The Diamondbacks scored three more times in the ninth.
