Limping Toward the Break

For the second time in two days, the Nationals were unable to capitalize on a good starting pitching performance, and the bullpen was unable to keep the Phillies from scoring late in the game. The result was another loss and another lost opportunity to increase the Nats' lead over the Braves.

Esteban Loaiza pitched well enough to win for six innings, and the Nats were up 3-2 on the strength of a Jose Guillen two-run homer. A wild pitch in the top of the 7th allowed Jamey Carroll to score from 3rd to increase the lead to 4-2, but Gary Majewski threw one into Ryan Howard's wheelhouse and Howard's two-run homer in the bottom of the 8th erased the Nats' lead. The team's bullpen was otherwise good, and it wasn't until the bottom of the 12th that the Phillies scored to win the game 5-4. In the meantime, the Nats' offense was once again incapable of scoring, and it just seemed a matter of time before the Phillies would score the winning run. The only serious scoring opportunity for the Nats was in the top of the 10th, but Wil Cordero struck out with men on first and second to end the inning. Marlon Byrd hit a long fly ball down the left field line in the top of the 11th that would have been a homer had it been fair, but it curved just outside the foul pole.

There was a bizarre aspect to the game in the bottom of the 8th after Howard homered. David Bell then doubled to left, followed by a ground out by Todd Pratt. With the potential winning run on second, Frank Robinson brought in Joey Eischen to pitch to Tomas Perez. The problem was that Perez' batting average is 60 points higher against lefties than righties (.294 vs. .264). Inexplicably, Robinson then asked Eischen to intentionally walk Perez, and then brought in Chad Cordero to pitch to Jimmy Rollins. Cordero promptly walked Rollins to load the bases, but got Lofton to fly out to end the inning. It's still difficult for us to understand why Robinson brought in Eischen merely to walk one batter.

In any event, the Nats are now 2 1/2 games in front of the Braves, but they could have been 4 1/2 in front had they won these last two very winnable games. It's only July, and there is a lot of season left to play, but these two games may come back to haunt them down the stretch.