Ceci Ferrara
August 10, 2015
Sports Writerr
Sports Insider
So far, August has not been a very good month for the Washington Nationals. In less than 10 days, they have been swept by the Mets, split a four-game series with the Arizona Diamondbacks, and this past weekend managed just one win in three-game series against the last-place Colorado Rockies. It has been a frustrating couple of weeks for the Nats, who for most of the season led their division. They now trail New York by 1 1/2 games.
After Sunday’s loss, Washington manager Matt Williams seemed a bit on edge during his post-game press conference. When a reporter asked if the Nats could improve without examining their past losses, his frustration was obvious.
“What I would think, as the manager of this club, is that we must play tomorrow,” he said. “If we don’t win tomorrow, or we don’t have a plan to win tomorrow, then what the hell are we doing here? That’s what I think.”
The Rockies (47-62) stunned the Nats on Friday when an eighth inning grand slam by Carlos Gonzalez gave Colorado the winning run in a game the Nats had been leading 4-1. The victory also spoiled a strong outing from Jordan Zimmerman, who allowed just one run in 6 2/3 innings with six strikeouts and no walks in his eighth no-decision of the year. The drought continues for Zim, who has not won a game since July 11th.
Thankfully, the Nats were able to bounce back on Saturday behind a strong outing by Stephen Strasburg. On the same day he was activated from the DL, Strasburg gave his best performance of the season. He pitched seven innings with one-run and three hits, along with a season-high 12 strikeouts.
“I thought Stephen looked great…It’s the best I’ve seen him in a long time,” teammate Ryan Zimmerman said. “Hopefully, this kind of bad luck he has been having — hopefully, he will get rid of those injuries and be that guy for the next 2 1/2 months. That was special.”
His teammates also supported him with six runs – highlighted by an RBI double by Wilson Ramos in the second, and two RBI’s from Zimmerman who doubled in the fifth and singled in the seventh. It was an overall cohesive performance from a team who has looked out of sync.
Which is perhaps why Sunday’s loss seemed so shocking. With Max Scherzer on the mound, the Nats seemed poised to notch their first back-to-back wins since July 29th. But the Rockies continued to cause trouble for Washington, who once again struggled to piece together a win.
Gonzalez, who was the hero for Colorado on Friday, was once again the star of the show. He hit two homeruns off Scherzer, who gave up four runs before exiting in the sixth. Washington’s bats came alive, with Ryan Zimmerman responding with homeruns and Jayson Werth adding one of his own.
Outfielder Michael A. Taylor tied the game in the bottom of the sixth, with Washington needing just one run to win the game–and the series. Instead, closer Drew Storen stumbled on the mound, giving up a two-run single in the top of eighth to send the Nationals home empty-handed.
Another day, another game the Nationals could have won–but didn’t. The blame for the loss does not rest entirely on Storen’s shoulders. The Nationals had 14 at-bats with runners in scoring position, all of whom they left strangled. Home runs are great, but its clutch hits with men on base that usually, ultimately, win ball games.
Though the Nats missed a chance to gain ground on the first-place Mets (who lost to the Rays), they hope to make it up during their upcoming West-Coast road trip. But it won’t be easy. Washington will face the NL West first-place Dodgers for three games before heading north for a four-game series against the second-place San Francisco Giants. After a one-day break they then head to Colorado to face the Rockies before returning home.
Though they’re coming off a rough patch, the Nationals know they can’t allow themselves to feel defeated.
“We have the Dodgers, then four in San Francisco. That’s a tough week,” Zimmerman said. “We need to battle and do what we can to have a decent trip. I’m sure we get Greinke and Kershaw too. It’s been one of those years. We haven’t missed many aces. But if we’re going to get there, we have to beat the best anyway. No excuses.”
