Washington Nationals Rapid Reaction: Nats Falter During Late Innings In Loss To Mets
Jul 21, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; New York Mets right fielder Curtis Granderson (3) steals second base ahead of the tag attempt by Washington Nationals second baseman Danny Espinosa (8) during the fourth inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
After figuring out a way to score against Matt Harvey last night, the Washington Nationals continued their stretch of going up against All-Star pitchers as they faced Jacob deGrom and the New York Mets. It was a matchup on paper that would seem like a mismatch between deGrom and a pitcher in Joe Ross who was making his fourth start of his Major League career.
However, this game was very entertaining as both pitchers were able to have solid performances as neither pitcher gave up a run till the fourth inning. Even though Ross gave up the first run, Wilson Ramos came up with a big two-run homer against deGrom one inning later to give the Nationals the 2-1 lead.
Even with the lead, the Nats defense, which was very good the night before, went back to what it sort of looked like in early April when they were making mistakes all over the place. Even though the Mets had been struggling with runners in scoring position, if you give a team more opportunities to score, they will make you pay.
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Now, if the Nationals were to win this afternoon’s game and take two out of three from the Mets, this loss won’t be a big deal. However, a loss today would mean the Mets would be only one game back in the division and they would leave DC with a lot of confidence since they would have won both series at Nats Park this season.
Before Noah Syndergaard takes on Jordan Zimmermann this afternoon (12:35 PM ET, MASN/MLB Network), here are some of my takeaways from last night’s 7-2 loss by the Nats to the Mets:
Next: Ross Makes Return To Rotation
Jul 21, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals starting pitcher Joe Ross (41) throws to the New York Mets during the fourth inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Ross Pitches Well In Return To Rotation
Last night was Joe Ross’ first start in the rotation since June 19 and he gave the team yet another good start. He went 6.1 innings, gave up three runs (two earned runs) on four hits, struck out four, and did not walk a batter on 88 pitches (59 strikes)
Ross had made five starts at triple-A Syracuse before being called up and the common theme in those outings was he never went more than five innings. Tonight, he was able to give the Nats some length, but the seventh inning ended up getting the best of him in the end.
That being said, Ross retired the first nine hitters until Curtis Granderson led off the fourth inning with a base hit. Last night, the 22-year-old had both his fastball and his slider working. According to Brooks Baseball, Ross threw 25 sliders, with 15 of them resulting in strikes.
There were two innings in which Ross ran into a little bit of trouble. In the fourth inning, the 22-year-old right-hander gave up the base hit to Granderson, but the Mets’ right fielder would eventually reach third on a stolen base and a groundout to short by Ruben Tejada. It looked like Ross would get out of the inning when he struck out Daniel Murphy, but Wilmer Flores delivered a two-out RBI single to center to put the Mets on the board. Ross needed 29 pitches to finish the inning, his most pitches he threw in an inning all night.
Then, in the seventh, Ross ran into some bad luck. After a single by Flores, Kirk Nieuwenhuis hit a ball that bounced by Clint Robinson at first and into right for a double. The umpire ruled it fair and it was a play that could not be reviewed, but it would have been tough to overturn anyway. Ross stayed in to get Kevin Plawecki to pop up to shallow center, despite the infield being drawn in. However, Aaron Barrett would come in and allow both runs to score on an Eric Campbell single.
Despite getting the loss tonight, Ross showed the same pinpoint control he had in his first three starts and he continued to show that Nats fans can start to rely on him to keep the team in any game that he pitches in.
Next: Ramos Drives In Nats Lone Runs
Jul 21, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos (40) hits a two run homer against the New York Mets during the fifth inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Ramos Provides Lone Offensive Spark
When you go up against Jacob deGrom, you go into that start knowing that runs are going to be hard to come by. In deGrom’s first two outings against the Nationals this season, he gave up five runs over 11.2 innings. Plus, the 27-year-old right-hander came into this game after striking out the side on ten pitches in last Tuesday’s All-Star Game.
For four innings, the Nationals managed just one hit against deGrom. That hit was a two out single by Ian Desmond in the bottom of the second. Desmond would get caught stealing later in the inning. The Nats went into the fifth inning, trailing 1-0, but would a way to take the lead.
The inning began when Yunel Escobar hit a double down the left field line. After Clint Robinson moved him over to third, Desmond struck out swinging. It was up to Wilson Ramos to get the job done, but the Nats catcher had been struggling at the plate recently. Nevertheless, Ramos took a 98 mile per hour fastball from deGrom and hit it over the right field wall for his ninth of the season.
This was a hit that Ramos desperately needed since he is hitting a mere .167 in July. Plus, he got it done against an opponent in which he has had great success against in his career. He is a .340 hitter against the Mets with nine home runs and 37 RBI’s.
Despite Ramos’ good offensive performance tonight, he made one mistake in the field. If you go back to the fourth inning, the Mets attempted a hit-and-run with Ruben Tejada up and Granderson on first. Ramos might have had a shot to get Granderson, but he double clutched the throw after Tejada swung through. It’s a small mistake, but one that eventually led to the Mets scoring a run. Hopefully, though, that home run could spark Ramos to end the month of July on a good note.
Next: Nats Middle Relief Surrenders Late Lead
Jul 21, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals relief pitcher Tanner Roark (57) is removed from the game by manager Matt Williams (9) during the ninth inning against the New York Mets at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Barrett And Roark Lead Nats Bullpen Struggles
While Casey Janssen and Drew Storen have been a good combination in the final two innings, the Nationals are still trying to find the right formula for their middle relief, which has been inconsistent this season. In the seventh inning, with runners at second and third and out, Matt Williams decided to go to Aaron Barrett to face Eric Campbell, who was pinch-hitting for deGrom (who was at 82 pitches at the time).
This season, Campbell has hit .179 in 54 games, but Barrett made a mistake with a slider and Campbell made him pay for it. He hit a base hit to right that scored Flores and Nieuwenhuis to give the Mets back the lead, 3-2. Barrett would stay in to get Juan Lagares to groundout, but Williams would pull him for the lefty, Felipe Rivero, to face Granderson.
The one bright spot for the bullpen last night was Rivero. In 1.1 innings, he gave up one hit, walked one, and struck out one. The 24-year-old left-hander has not given up a run in his last seven appearances and has become one of the more reliable options in the Nats bullpen.
Then, in the ninth, Tanner Roark entered the game to try to keep the deficit at one. However, he wasn’t helped by his defense. Kevin Plawecki led off the inning with a single, but was able to go all the way to third thanks to a throwing error by Matt den Dekker in left field. From there, Roark’s night would unravel.
After a walk by Michael Cuddyer and a groundout by Lagares, Roark gave up three straight RBI singles to Granderson, Tejada, and Murphy to put the Mets ahead 6-2. Roark only got one batter out, gave up four runs on four hits, walked one, and struck out one. It’s been a back-and-forth season for the 28-year-old as he has been shuffled from the rotation to the bullpen and he has started to lose some of his effectiveness that he had for most of last season.
With Roark’s struggles, the Nationals were able to use Abel De Los Santos as the 22-year-old right-hander made his Major League debut after being called up Monday afternoon for Blake Treinen. While he walked Lucas Duda and gave up a RBI groundout to Flores, he did record his first strikeout when he got John Mayberry Jr. to miss a 78 mph curveball to end the inning.
With the trade deadline a little over a week away, one of the main needs the Nats will look to address is the bullpen, especially with David Carpenter on the disabled list. The question is will the Nats make a big splash or go with a small depth move to give Matt Williams more options?