Washington Nationals Rapid Reaction: Should Doug Fister’s Rotation Spot Be In Jeopardy?
By Ricky Keeler
Aug 3, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals left fielder Michael Taylor (3) hits a two RBI double against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the ninth inning at Nationals Park. The Arizona Diamondbacks won 6 – 4. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Will 9th Inning Rally Spark Nats’ Offense Going Forward?
For eight innings, the Nats’ offense could not muster anything against Godley and Addison Reed. They went into the ninth inning trailing 6-0 after Jonathan Papelbon gave up a solo home run to Jake Lamb.
Facing Daniel Hudson with one out in the top of the ninth, Ryan Zimmerman crushed a solo shot over the left field wall for his seventh of the season. The Nationals got one run on the board to avoid their seventh shutout of the season, but the runs kept coming.
After back-to-back singles by Clint Robinson and Ian Desmond, Wilson Ramos picked up a RBI single up the middle to cut the lead to 6-2. Ramos has been in a major slump as he hit only .149 in the month of July.
Then, Michael Taylor ripped a double down the left field line to cut the deficit in half. This made Chip Hale have to use his closer, Brad Ziegler, on a night that he was not expecting to make that decision.
While Jayson Werth and Yunel Escobar were unable to get the job done, this should not change the fact that the Nats can at least go into tomorrow’s game with a little bit of confidence. The bright side is they scored one less run last night than they did in 30 innings over the weekend.
The offense could still use a spark there and that sparkplug might just be getting Danny Espinosa back in the lineup. Espinosa has not started in a game since July 26 against the Pirates. While that might mean sitting Ian Desmond or giving Anthony Rendon a night off, it could still provide the Nats offense with a spark they desperately need right now.