WASHINGTON, D.C. - JUNE 19 - The Washington Nationals dropped their 11th straight game to the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday night by a score of 3-1. A bounceback start from Mitchell Parker could not be salvaged by the lineup as a pitcher’s duel did not fall Washington’s way.
Parker took the mound, needing to have a quiet first inning to have a chance at a win given his recent track record. While he gave up an extra base hit, he pitched a scoreless frame, a precursor to the five zeroes he put up to keep his team in the game. Unfortunately for the Nats, with two outs in the sixth, Michael Toglia put his barrell on a breaking ball and broke the scoreless tie with a home run, putting the Rockies on top 1-0. Parker finished the inning and departed with a quality start, allowing just the one run on six hits, with no walks, and eight strikeouts over six frames. His ERA is now 4.59.
Brad Lord relieved Parker, and immediately allowed a triple to Orlando Arcia. He was then driven in with a sacrifice bunt by Ryan Ritter, making the score 2-0. Jose A. Ferrer then came in for the eighth, and allowed a home run of his own to Jordan Beck for the Rockies’ third run. Ryan Loutos pitched a scoreless ninth, leaving the Nats in striking distance to try and salvage the game.
Offensively, the struggles continued for the Nats on South Capitol Street. Brady House was the only National to notch multiple hits, and the team as a whole could not capitalize on opportunites to score runs. House had a chance to make some early magic with the bases full in the third inning, but a great play by Arcia stopped his line drive from becoming an RBI hit.
"It was a little crushing, to be honest. I thought I got the job done, especially bases loaded and two outs. I thought I got it done. It's really upsetting it didn't happen."
The Nats were hitless after that until the sixth, but even then, nothing was really going their way. A CJ Abrams walk in the seventh with the team down by just two didn’t really bring the air back into Nationals Park like it usually would. It wasn’t until James Wood doubled to score Abrams and cut the deficit to one when it felt like the Nats had a chance. However, as soon as the Rockies scored their third run, the Nats went 0-6 to finish the game, dropping their 11th straight with no real fight. Each at-bat had fight, as the team only struck out four times, but the intent did not feel the same as it had in past weeks before the skid began.
"We fell short again because we just couldn't drive in a run. But the at-bats were crisp. House hit a ball 107 mph; the guy caught the ball behind him. That was a big play. Bell hit a couple balls hard and nothing to show for it, then hit a 14-hopper and got a base hit. Just one of them days. I want these guys to understand: Keep having at-bats like that, they'll fall in."
Up next…
The Nationals will send Trevor Williams to the mound tomorrow to hopefully avoid an 0-7 homestand. After that 1:05 game, they will head out west to face the Dodgers on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.