It was a getaway day for the Nats, who have their first day off in over two weeks tomorrow. Unfortunately, they played like it was a getaway day with a day off coming. This game was pretty uneventful most of the way, and the Guardians just found a way to execute a little bit more than the Nats.
In a 162 game season, these kinds of losses are perfectly acceptable. It would be nice if the Nats were able to find a way to get the sweep though. Just like last year, the Nats have struggled to finish off
sweeps. However, it is tough to get sweeps in the big leagues, especially against first place teams like the Guardians.
Just like the first two games, the offense looked good early for the Nats. They really made Gavin Williams work in the first three innings. The Nats were only able to come out of those first three innings with one run, instead of the big crooked numbers they put up the first two games. CJ Abrams drove in the first run of the game, roasting a double down the line to drive in James Wood.
After that, the Nats normally ferocious offense went into a lull. They allowed Guardians ace Gavin Williams to settle into the game and rack up some very quick innings. Williams’ pitch count was in the 60’s after three innings, but he was able to go seven innings on just 94 pitches.
The Guardians did all their damage in the fifth inning today. It was Guardians ball at its finest, with Cleveland’s pesky bats taking advantage of mistakes and blooping balls into the outfield for hits. The inning started with an error by Curtis Mead at third base. Austin Hedges hit the ball hard, but it was a play Mead had to make.
Since moving to third base, Mead has mostly been solid, and this was his first real mistake. However, the mistake would prove to be costly. A couple batters later, Guardians lead off man Travis Bazzana hit a double to make it second and third with one out. Miles Mikolas then allowed a sac fly to tie the game, which would finish his afternoon.
The normally reliable Richard Lovelady came in with a runner on second. It was just not Lovelady’s day today. He allowed three straight hits and a walk to begin his outing. In the blink of an eye, the game was 3-1 Cleveland. Those would be all the runs the Guardians needed in this one.
The Nats would rally in the 9th, with Curtis Mead and CJ Abrams starting things off. Daylen Lile would get a sac fly to score Mead to make it a one run game with one out. However, Jose Tena and Jorbit Vivas would both strike out to strand Abrams on second.
The duo of Tena and Vivas have been tough to watch lately. Vivas is now 0-23 on the season with runners in scoring position. That is not going to cut it at the big league level. He seems to come up in big spots fairly often, and never delivers.
Tena and Vivas are both out of options, so that could give them some security. However, with the way Abimelec Ortiz, Yohandy Morales and Seaver King are swinging the bat, you have to wonder how much of a leash those guys have.
While this loss left a slightly sour taste in fans mouths, it was a great road trip. The Nats went 4-2 against two first place teams and are still above .500. This is the first time the Nats come back from a road trip over .500 since 2019. That is a crazy stat to think about.
This series against the Padres should be an exciting one. We all know the history between these two teams. These two franchises combined to make one of the biggest trades of the 21st century, and it gave the Nats their two best players. It also just seems like crazy things tend to happen when these teams play. So look out, and get to the ballpark this weekend if you can!
