Washington Nationals Reaction: Biggest Takeaways from Saturday’s Loss in Cincinnati
By Matt Weyrich
The Washington Nationals fell to the Cincinnati Reds 6-3 Saturday afternoon in a game that featured nearly two hours of rain delays. What were the biggest takeaways from yesterday’s contest?
The Nats knew they were going to be tested right out of the gate after each of the rain delays that put a stop to the game being played at Great American Ballpark Saturday afternoon. The Reds just knew it more.
Joey Votto and Adam Duvall each left the yard for the home team, with both homers coming almost immediately after the teams returned to action from rain delays. Votto took Stephen Strasburg (9-0, 2.85 ERA) deep in the bottom of the sixth to give Cincinnati a 3-2 lead.
Danny Espinosa tied the game with a solo shot in the eighth, his eighth homer of the year and fourth in his last nine games. After getting runners on the corners with two outs, downpour returned. The second delay lasted for over an hour, but Adam Duvall made the most of it. He stepped up the plate against Shawn Kelley once play resumed, and crushed a three-run upper decker that put the Reds ahead for good.
Strasburg left the game with a calf cramp midway through the sixth. He finished the game having allowed three runs on four hits, two walks, and ten strikeouts in five and a third innings of work. Strasburg struck out his 1,000th career batter in the loss, making him the first player in Nats history do so exclusively in a D.C. uniform.
Anthony Rendon homered for Washington to put them ahead 2-0 in the second. That was all they would be able to muster against Dan Straily (3-2, 3.34), however, who allowed only two hits and a pair of walks across seven frames. Jay Bruce hit a home run in the bottom half of the inning to set up Votto’s shot four innings later.
Before the Nats attempt to avoid a sweep at the hands of the last place Reds, check out my takeaways from yesterday’s loss in Cincinnati.
Next: Danny Espinosa is Still Starting