For Nats, it’s a case of Cease and desist as Padres complete sweep
2024-06-24T11:00:15.929ZJoey Meneses scores during the Nationals' five-run ninth inning in San Diego. (Gregory Bull/AP)SAN DIEGO — Entering the ninth inning Wednesday afternoon and on their way to an 8-5 loss, the Washington Nationals looked like they were tracking toward another nadir against the San Diego Padres. They weren’t walked off, as had happened twice in the previous four days. They weren’t involved in a scuffle, nor did they yield a grand slam to the very player at the center of that scuffle, as was the case in Tuesday’s defeat.But they had just one hit and no runs through eight innings, the first seven of which coming against Padres ace Dylan Cease. And though they sparked late, ignited by Nasim Nuñez’s first MLB hit, to score five in the final inning against the Padres’ low-leverage relievers, the larger picture was another game of lifeless offense.Once again, they were diced up with breaking balls. For the fourth time this season, they were on the wrong side of a sweep.Those struggles, in part, could be explained by the mastery of Cease, who looked every bit the pitcher that finished second in American League Cy Young voting in 2022. The right-hander threw seven dominant frames, striking out nine. The Nationals, as teams know by now, handle velocity just fine. Fastballs, sinkers and cutters haven’t been a problem. It’s the breaking balls, against which the Nationals are hitting just .210.Cease allowed just one hit on a soft line drive single to Nick Senzel in the fifth inning. That came on a 98 mph heater.“Cease was really, really good, our guys couldn’t pick up the slider,” Manager Dave Martinez said. “It was sharp, really sharp today. We’ve seen him before, when he’s on, he’s on.”The Nationals (38-42) still have one of the lowest barrel rates in MLB. Their hitters can’t seem to get hot at the same time. In June, CJ Abrams, Lane Thomas and Jesse Winker have a collective OPS of .961. The rest of their everyday players who have played at least 15 games this month have a combined OPS of .568.Repeatedly, Nationals hitters looked up to the scoreboard, trying to figure out what went wrong against the Padres (44-41). They didn’t find a solution until the ninth.“All of us are just trying to prove our worth, if that makes sense, and take those last at-bats serious,” Thomas said. “We at least got within striking distance, a couple more hits and we’re right back in it.”Martinez tried a couple of new wrinkles to get the Nationals going. He put Harold Ramírez in the starting lineup for the first time since he was recalled from Class AAA Rochester at the start of the series, hitting in place of Eddie Rosario, who owns a .447 OPS in June. He went 1 for 4. He also used catcher Drew Millas, who has posted an OPS over .100 points higher than regular starter Keibert Ruiz this month. He went 0 for 3.In the ninth, he swapped out Abrams for Nuñez. Martinez didn’t tell the rookie, a Rule 5 pick, that he was hitting until Abrams was supposed to go on deck. In a hurry, he asked for Abrams’s batting gloves, which he credited for the hit. He then slapped a pitch the other way as players in the dugout jumped up and down and called for the ball.“It was like man, finally, found a hole it went through,” Nuñez said. “[First base coach Gerardo Parra] asked me if I was happy, I was like yeah, but it’s kind of tough when we’re getting blown out like that. [The gloves] gave me some superpowers. That man can hit. So he passed along whatever he had left in the tank.”Doubles from Thomas and Luis García Jr. each scored two runs and Ramírez added the final RBI single.Five runs is often enough, but the Nationals’ pitching also faltered. Rookie left-hander DJ Herz failed to get through four innings for his second straight start. The big blow was a thunderous two-run homer from Kyle Higashioka in the second. Jurickson Profar also delivered an RBI single and a wild pitch also brought in a run. In all, he was charged with four runs on six hits in 3⅓ innings, raising his ERA to 5.48.The lefty has shown flashes of excellence since arriving in the majors on June 4, including a 13-strikeout game against the Miami Marlins on June 15.Tanner Rainey allowed a two-out grand slam to Higashioka in the eighth, a blast that seemed meaningless at the time but ultimately proved decisive after the visitors’ ninth-inning rally.Note: Martinez said righty Josiah Gray (flexor strain) will make one or two more rehab starts with Class AAA Rochester. He has been out since early April.
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SAN DIEGO — Entering the ninth inning Wednesday afternoon and on their way to an 8-5 loss, the Washington Nationals looked like they were tracking toward another nadir against the San Diego Padres. They weren’t walked off, as had happened twice in the previous four days. They weren’t involved in a scuffle, nor did they yield a grand slam to the very player at the center of that scuffle, as was the case in Tuesday’s defeat.
But they had just one hit and no runs through eight innings, the first seven of which coming against Padres ace Dylan Cease. And though they sparked late, ignited by Nasim Nuñez’s first MLB hit, to score five in the final inning against the Padres’ low-leverage relievers, the larger picture was another game of lifeless offense.
Once again, they were diced up with breaking balls. For the fourth time this season, they were on the wrong side of a sweep.
Those struggles, in part, could be explained by the mastery of Cease, who looked every bit the pitcher that finished second in American League Cy Young voting in 2022. The right-hander threw seven dominant frames, striking out nine. The Nationals, as teams know by now, handle velocity just fine. Fastballs, sinkers and cutters haven’t been a problem. It’s the breaking balls, against which the Nationals are hitting just .210.
Cease allowed just one hit on a soft line drive single to Nick Senzel in the fifth inning. That came on a 98 mph heater.
“Cease was really, really good, our guys couldn’t pick up the slider,” Manager Dave Martinez said. “It was sharp, really sharp today. We’ve seen him before, when he’s on, he’s on.”
The Nationals (38-42) still have one of the lowest barrel rates in MLB. Their hitters can’t seem to get hot at the same time. In June, CJ Abrams, Lane Thomas and Jesse Winker have a collective OPS of .961. The rest of their everyday players who have played at least 15 games this month have a combined OPS of .568.
Repeatedly, Nationals hitters looked up to the scoreboard, trying to figure out what went wrong against the Padres (44-41). They didn’t find a solution until the ninth.
“All of us are just trying to prove our worth, if that makes sense, and take those last at-bats serious,” Thomas said. “We at least got within striking distance, a couple more hits and we’re right back in it.”
Martinez tried a couple of new wrinkles to get the Nationals going. He put Harold Ramírez in the starting lineup for the first time since he was recalled from Class AAA Rochester at the start of the series, hitting in place of Eddie Rosario, who owns a .447 OPS in June. He went 1 for 4. He also used catcher Drew Millas, who has posted an OPS over .100 points higher than regular starter Keibert Ruiz this month. He went 0 for 3.
In the ninth, he swapped out Abrams for Nuñez. Martinez didn’t tell the rookie, a Rule 5 pick, that he was hitting until Abrams was supposed to go on deck. In a hurry, he asked for Abrams’s batting gloves, which he credited for the hit. He then slapped a pitch the other way as players in the dugout jumped up and down and called for the ball.
“It was like man, finally, found a hole it went through,” Nuñez said. “[First base coach Gerardo Parra] asked me if I was happy, I was like yeah, but it’s kind of tough when we’re getting blown out like that. [The gloves] gave me some superpowers. That man can hit. So he passed along whatever he had left in the tank.”
Doubles from Thomas and Luis García Jr. each scored two runs and Ramírez added the final RBI single.
Five runs is often enough, but the Nationals’ pitching also faltered. Rookie left-hander DJ Herz failed to get through four innings for his second straight start. The big blow was a thunderous two-run homer from Kyle Higashioka in the second. Jurickson Profar also delivered an RBI single and a wild pitch also brought in a run. In all, he was charged with four runs on six hits in 3⅓ innings, raising his ERA to 5.48.
The lefty has shown flashes of excellence since arriving in the majors on June 4, including a 13-strikeout game against the Miami Marlins on June 15.
Tanner Rainey allowed a two-out grand slam to Higashioka in the eighth, a blast that seemed meaningless at the time but ultimately proved decisive after the visitors’ ninth-inning rally.
Note: Martinez said righty Josiah Gray (flexor strain) will make one or two more rehab starts with Class AAA Rochester. He has been out since early April.
