In a game that started out with Erick Fedde putting in yet another promising start, it ended with more bullpen woes for the Washington Nationals late on.
Erick Fedde had a third promising outing in a row for the Washington Nationals on Monday. However, the bullpen blew the lead after giving six runs in the last three innings.
The right-hander went 4.1 innings, striking out six although he did walk four on the night. His slider was nasty throughout, as four of those Ks came on the pitch. It’s been a real point on emphasis for him as he looks to take advantage with two strikes.
However, after leaving the game with a 4-2 lead, the bullpen couldn’t hold onto it. First off, Jimmy Cordero coughed up the lead with four-straight base hits in the sixth to bring the score to 4-4.
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Then Koda Glover, who had not surrendered an earned run in his last 10 appearances, loaded the bases with nobody out. Two more base hits followed, and the Miami Marlins had a 7-5 lead.
If that wasn’t enough, rookie reliever Austen Williams gave up a solo homer in the eighth to seal the team’s fate. It’s a shame for Erick Fedde who is bidding for a 2019 rotation spot, and the coaching staff will still look back on his performance in a positive light.
Rendon one of the league leaders in WAR
Helping the Nats jump out to that four-run lead was Anthony Rendon who hit his second home run in as many days. It was the third baseman’s 21st of the season, tied for second most in his career after his 25 bombs last campaign.
He also is among the top players in the National League when it comes to WAR. According to FanGraphs, entering Monday, Rendon had a WAR of 5.1 which was good enough for fourth in the league. With the big performance, he should be able to jump up above Paul Goldschmidt for third.
It remains to be seen whether team sill be able to lock up the long-time Nat this winter given agent Scott Boras’ reputation. If they can, fans will be delighted to see him trot out to the hot corner for years to come.
Robles hit first big league homer
Another one of the highlights despite the loss was the first major league home run for Victor Robles. It was a big fly to deep left-center field that traveled 427 feet, with an exit velocity of over 105 mph.
According to Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post, Davey Martinez and Kevin Long suggested he open up his front leg a bit. Evidently, it had a huge impact given the performance he put in at Marlins Park.
One of the bigger questions around Robles’ development at the highest level is whether he could develop the requisite power. If he can match Monday’s output on a regular basis, he has a chance to answer those questions with aplomb.
The Washington Nationals go again on Tuesday against the Marlins to wrap up the brief two-game set. Stephen Strasburg will face Jeff Brigham, with the Nats hoping to avoid falling back to .500 again.