Bullpen’s inability to protect 2-run lead tips series
WASHINGTON — The young Astros hope to eventually mirror Washington’s ascension from the worst record in Major League Baseball to playoff contention, but their visit to Nationals Park was a reminder of how far they have to go.
Plenty of holes remain on a team that had the worst record in baseball the previous three seasons.
The Astros’ big free-agent acquisition, righthander Scott Feldman, lasted only five innings Wednesday night, exposing a taxed bullpen a day after lefthander Dallas Keuchel also lasted only five innings.
Astros reliever Josh Zeid couldn’t protect the tworun lead he inherited in the sixth inning. By the time the Nationals were done with the Astros’ bullpen, they had completed a two-game sweep with a 6-5 win before a crowd of 25,453.
The Astros have lost four of five games to drop two
consecutive series. Before that, they had gone seven consecutive series without a series loss.
Zeid gave up three runs on three hits over one-plus inning. Lefthander Darin Downs (1-1), who gave up a single to the only batter he faced in the Nationals’ three-run seventh, was tagged with the loss after Kyle Farnsworth couldn’t escape the jam.
“Me and Dallas both don’t like going five and stuff like that,” Feldman said after giving up six hits and two runs with three walks and five strikeouts. “I would have loved to go seven, eight, nine, but it didn’t work out.”
The Nationals, who reached the 100-loss mark in 2008 and 2009, suffered six consecutive losing seasons before they reached the playoffs with the best record in baseball in 2012.
At 37-33, they hold a 1½game lead in the National League East standings, giving the Astros hope.
With the Astros down 2-0, Jose Altuve led off the fourth with a walk. Nats starter Gio Gonzalez then hit George Springer with a pitch. Jon Singleton loaded the bases with a single up the middle. Matt Dominguez followed with a two-run single to left. Jason Castro then gave the Astros a 3-2 lead with a double downthe left-field line. Jonathan Villar made it 4-2 with a sacrifice fly.
The Nationals got one run back against Zeid in the sixth. The Astros countered in the seventh. Robbie Grossman drew a leadoff walk off reliever Ross Detwiler, and two outs later, Altuve chopped a ball to the right side for an infield single to put runners at the corners. Grossman scored on a wild pitch to put the Astros up 5-3.
Detwiler intentionally walked Springer and hit Singleton with a pitch to load the bases. Righthander Aaron Barrett took over and induced a fielder’s choice grounder to short from Dominguez to leave the bases loaded.
Anthony Rendon crushed Zeid’s first pitch in the seventh for his 10th home run of the year, cutting the Astros’ lead to 5-4.
“Just a fastball trying to get ahead,” Zeid said. “Longer inning before that, and I was trying to go back out there and throw strikes. He’s been hot lately, and he’s been hot against us all season. Right pitch called, poor pitch placement.”
Zeid then walked Jayson Werth, prompting a call to Downs. After Adam LaRoche put runners at the corners with a bloop single to center, Farnsworth was summoned out of the bullpen.
Ryan Zimmerman tied it at 5 with a fielder’s choice grounder to second. Ian Desmond added a double to left.
Farnsworth intentionally walked Danny Espinosa to load the bases. Pinch hitter Nate McLouth then gave the Nats a 6-5 lead with a sac fly to left.
“It lets you knowthat it’s possible,” Porter said of the Nationals’ success. “Any time you go through that process, you take your lumps, but you know along the way you’re putting together a championship team and you’re taking those lumps together.”