Washington Nationals Rapid Reaction: Nats Still Can’t Score Runs

Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

The Nationals dropped the opening game of their four game series with the Giants. The loss came against one of San Francisco’s worst pitchers, Ryan Vogelsong. The Nationals could not muster the critical hits when they needed them.

The Nationals had chances to score runs against Vogelsong. As seems to happen at least once in every game, the Nationals loaded the bases and could not get a runner in. They had runners on the corners in another inning with one out and could not get the runner in from third.

Vogelsong walked four batters. His control was erratic. Nationals batters helped him out several times when he was on the ropes by swinging at pitches out of the zone. Bryce Harper struck out on a pitch up around his shoulders, as did Michael Taylor.

The most help Vogelsong got from Nationals hitters was in the first inning. Yunel Escobar hit a home run on the first pitch of the game, Vogelsong walked three Nats during the rest of the first inning and the Nationals did not cash in. With the bases loaded, Wilson Ramos, after taking ball one, swung at the second pitch and ground out to end the inning. Vogelsong had just walked the two batters in front of him, but Ramos did not have the patience to see more pitches.

The Nationals have now scored one run in the last three games. You might say that not scoring runs against Zack Greinke and Clayton Kershaw is nothing to be ashamed of. Scoring one run off of Vogelsong is something to be ashamed of.

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