ATLANTA -- A gassed Nationals pitching staff just couldn’t stave off the relentless Braves offense in a 7-6 loss at Truist Park on Thursday night. Once again the Nats were game, but the powerful Atlanta lineup was just too much to overcome.
The game followed some recent patterns. The Nationals didn’t get as much as they wanted from their starting pitcher. Despite that, they kept battling to the finish. But in the end, they came up a bit short.
Joc Pederson lined a single to left field with two outs in the 10th inning to end it, winning the game on Wander Suero’s 36th pitch, equaling a season high. Suero had loaded the bases on a walk and a hit batter in addition to the automatic runner.
Here are three takeaways from another nail-biter:
1) They need more from the starters: Manager Dave Martinez touched on this even before Wednesday’s short outing from Sean Nolin. Part of why Washington has to fight and come back so much is because its starters haven’t been effective enough.
On Thursday, Erick Fedde gave the innings that Washington needed, getting through six, but he allowed three of Atlanta’s five homers and four runs, and departed in a tie game. The Nationals were desperate for volume from Fedde after their bullpen had to cover 8 2/3 innings on Wednesday.
Martinez had some kind words for Fedde’s overall performance, but also some very specific criticism.
“He was good, just some … momentum mistakes,” Martinez said. “We go over a game plan, and he just decides he’s gonna just throw a fastball when he shouldn’t, and it gets hit a long way. And not just throw a fastball. You want to throw a fastball, can’t throw it down the middle. That’s hurt us quite a bit.”
Once Fedde departed, Washington paid the price for Wednesday’s heavy bullpen usage. Three relievers gave what they had, but Martinez simply didn’t have a full complement of options.
2) It’s coming together for García: Luis García had one of the best games of his young career on Thursday, with a double, a home run, two runs scored and a three nifty defensive plays. It continues a stretch of strong play, and serves as a valuable reminder that upon his arrival in the Majors last year, García was only 20. He’s still 21, and he was a Top 100 prospect for a reason.
García led off the seventh with a double and scored the tying run on Thursday, then an inning later he cranked a two-out, solo go-ahead long ball. On defense, he made two big plays in the bottom of the sevent -- covering first base on an unusual 3-2-4 double play, then making a very sweet scoop-and-toss to escape a Braves threat. In the ninth he made a strong play ranging well into the outfield to catch an Orlando Arcia popup.
The scoop was flashier, but García was more proud of the double play.
“To me, I believe [the better play was] that play where I covered first base,” he said through an interpreter. “I reacted quickly and ran as quickly as I could to first base. I read the play early and anticipated and as soon as I saw it materialize, I ran over quickly and reacted well.”
That kind of awareness is exactly the kind of thing the Nationals love seeing from a young, talented, and developing player.
3) They keep fighting: “Moral victory” tends to be an unpopular term when you get to the Major League level, but Martinez does not hesitate to praise his team for how they battle. Thursday’s loss ended a streak of 14 straight games against the top three teams in the National League East. And while Washington went 4-10 in those games, the Nationals weren’t an easy out.
“It was just mind-numbing and exhausting,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said of the game. “I’m proud of the guys. They fought their rears off tonight in that game with the adversities. That was something. There were some really good performances by guys. That was a tough ballgame."
That kind of comment resonates with Martinez.
“Our young guys are learning,” Martinez said. “You’re seeing some bright signs of what they can do and what the future holds for us. I love the way the guys are playing. I hear it all the time from different coaches on other teams, players on other teams, how they respect the way we play the game.”