Gonzalez Struggles With Different Catcher
In a surprise move, Dusty Baker decided to go with Wilson Ramos behind the plate instead of Jose Lobaton, who usually catches games for Gio Gonzalez. Baker explained the reasoning behind that decision pregame and how it was to add more offense to the lineup:
Normally, this would be a good decision considering how Ramos is hitting .339 this year and was on a five game hitting streak. But, although it is a small sample size, Ramos is just 2-for-16 against Bartolo Colon in his career, counting last night.
Gonzalez got through the first two innings, but then gave up five runs in the third. After a Curtis Granderson hit by pitch and Juan Lagares had his second single of the night, David Wright hit a first pitch changeup over the wall for a three-run home run.
Two innings later, with New York up 5-1, Yoenis Cespedes and Neil Walker hit back-to-back home runs to widen the lead to 7-1. Cespedes now has two home runs in two games against Gonzalez this year. The Nats’ left-hander had allowed only three home runs in his eight starts prior to last night.
Plus, before last night, Gonzalez had allowed more than three runs in a game once (May 7 against the Cubs). Even though Lobaton struggles offensively, the switch to another catcher threw him off his rhythm. But, at the same time, Ramos’ bat is needed in this lineup. In this game, Gonzalez’s ERA skyrocketed from 1.86 to 2.87 after giving up seven runs in five innings of work.
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