Mar 3, 2014; Tampa, FL, USA; Washington Nationals starting pitcher
Ross Detwiler(48) pitches in the second inning as they play the New York Yankees in a spring training exhibition game at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit:
David Manning-USA TODAY Sports
The Washington Nationals continued their Grapefruit League schedule at Space Coast Stadium Thursday afternoon, where they lost to the New York Mets, 7-5.
Ross Detwiler made his third start of the spring and looked strong as he continues to compete for the fifth spot in the Rotation. Detwiler gave up one run on three hits, with one walk and two strikeouts on 68 pitches over 3 2/3 innings.
The Nationals gave Detwiler an early lead when Bryce Harper hit an RBI ground out in the bottom of the first inning, making it a 1-0 game. Unfortunately for the Nationals, Mets’ starter Daisuke Matsuzaka was just as good as Detwiler and did not allow any more runs over 3 2/3 innings.
New York tied the game in the top of the fourth on an RBI double by Josh Satin, scoring David Wright from second base. It became a pitchers duel over the next several innings with each bullpen throwing two scoreless frames before the Nationals retook the lead in the bottom of the seventh inning. Rafael Soriano threw a scoreless sixth inning for the Nationals and looked much better than he did in his first outing of the spring earlier this week.
The Nationals took the lead in the bottom of the seventh when Danny Espinosa reached on a fielding error by second baseman Anthony Seratelli, allowing Adam LaRoche to score.
The lead would not last long, however, as the Mets rallied for four runs in the top of the eighth inning off of Nationals’ reliever Manny Delcarmen, giving New York a 5-2 lead. But the Nationals came back to tie the game at five in the bottom of the inning on a three-run homer off the bat of Brock Peterson.
Unfortunately for the home team, the Mets were very persistent and scored two more runs in the top of the ninth off of Nationals’ right-handers Robert Gilliam and Brian Dupra, securing a 7-5 victory for the Mets.
The Nationals will be back at it tomorrow afternoon against the Detroit Tigers. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. EST.