The Washington Nationals bats, that had been so hot of late, disappeared against the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday. Their first loss in seven days.
The Washington Nationals win streak ended at six games, as they fell 3-1 to the Philadelphia Phillies. On a warm day at Nats Park, the Nats offense could only muster up two hits all game, despite drawing eight walks.
The lone bright spot for the Nationals was Wilmer Difo continuing to swing a red-hot stick. The young infielder went deep off of Vince Velasquez in the fifth inning for just his second home run of the season.
Difo is 12 for his last 22 and continues to thrive at the nine spot in the order. He’s also giving Davey Martinez a selection headache now that Anthony Rendon has returned from injury.
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He should see some time at second base in the coming days, or back at third to give Rendon a day-off to rest his toe. But Martinez needs to keep him playing until he cools off.
Roark racks up the whiffs
For someone who’s not necessarily known as a strikeout pitcher, Tanner Roark certainly had plenty on Saturday. He recorded nine strikeouts through 6.1 innings, including five on his curveball.
But he lacked the command that usually makes him a success, issuing three walks in the game.
Although none of those free-passes ended up hurting him in the box score, they show he was off the mark.
Over the course of the season, he’ll need to be sharper than he was in this one. But hopefully when the lineup gets healthy, this kind of start will produce more wins.
Zimmerman a late scratch
Originally in the lineup when it was released, first-baseman Ryan Zimmerman was then removed for Rafael Bautista. Matt Adams ended up playing first base in his absence.
It was reported by Chelsea Janes of The Washington Post that he was scratched due to stiffness in his side. It likely came from his diving attempt at Carlos Santana’s fourth inning double in Friday’s game.
As yet, there’s no news on whether Zimmerman will have to miss any more playing time. But seeing as he stayed in for the full game on Friday, it’s likely he’ll be fine for the west coast trip.
Next: Should Nats consider Harvey?
Max Scherzer is on the mound for the series finale on Sunday at 1:35pm Eastern Time. He’ll face Jake Arrieta as the Nationals look to end the home-stand with a win.