Washington Nationals: Is Gio Gonzalez in for a Career Year?
By Matt Weyrich
Take a look at our three biggest takeaways from the Washington Nationals’ 3-0 loss to Philadelphia.
Despite getting an excellent outing out of starter Gio Gonzalez, the Washington Nationals dropped their second straight contest to the Philadelphia Phillies Wednesday night. Gonzalez (1-1, 1.42 ERA) went toe-to-toe with the Phillies’ Jeremy Hellickson, but the 2011 Rookie of the Year ultimately prevailed.
Hellickson (2-1, 3.81) kept the Nats’ bats at bay, allowing no runs on two hits and three walks with eight strikeouts over seven innings pitched. He struck out Ryan Zimmerman and Jayson Werth twice apiece, as Washington struggled to get anything going offensively.
Gonzalez eventually took the loss, but in no way is that any accurate representation of his performance. The Nats’ southpaw threw six and a third innings, giving up only two runs (one earned) on five hits and three walks with five strikeouts.
Sammy Solis made an appearance in the game after earning a call-up from AAA Syracuse amidst Matt Belisle’s calf strain that sent him to the Disabled List. He was able to get out of an inherited bases loaded, one out jam unscathed, but allowed a solo home run off the bat of Carlos Ruiz the next inning.
The Nats (14-6) dropped back-to-back games for only the second time this year. They will need to recover quickly, however, as their daunting road trip featuring the likes of the Cardinals, Royals, and Cubs kicks off on Friday night.
Before Tanner Roark returns to the mound today looking to prevent the Nats from getting swept for the first time this season (4:05 p.m. ET, MASN), check out my three takeaways from last night’s 3-0 loss.
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