Monday turned into one of the ugliest days of the 2010 season for the Nationals.
After confirming that star rookie pitcher Stephen Strasburg was headed to the 15-day disabled list for the second time in a month, Washington was blasted on the field by the Chicago Cubs in an 9-1 loss at Nationals Park.
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In just his second major-league start, Cubs right-hander Casey Coleman (1-1, 5.68 ERA) pitched 6 1/3 strong innings, allowing just one run on three hits and two walks. That was in stark contrast to Nats starter Livan Hernandez, who was torched for seven earned runs on 10 hits with four walks and two hit batters in one of his worst games of the season. Hernandez fell to 8-9 and his ERA ballooned from 3.06 to 3.36.
Washington (53-72) didn’t make any errors. But manager Jim Riggleman wasn’t happy with his team’s effort, holding a post-game meeting to scold his players.
“Tonight I felt like the game situation – the long innings, just our body language on the field – it allowed us to have an aura hanging over us that ‘It’s just not happening for us tonight,’” Riggleman said. “I guess that’s going to happen a time or two a year. But when it happens it gets addressed.”
Blake DeWitt homered and had a sacrifice fly for Chicago. That solo homer came during a five-run third inning. Tyler Colvin had a two-run single in that frame and former Nats outfielder Alfonso Soriano tripled home two more. Coleman helped his own cause in the fifth thanks to a run-scoring single and was followed by DeWitt’s sac fly. Doug Slaten walked Geovany Soto with the bases loaded in the sixth. Kosuke Fukudome’s base hit scored rookie Starlin Castro in the seventh to make it 9-0.
“It’s just one of those things where we’ve got to come together as a unit, try to finish this thing up strong and not give up on ourselves,” said center fielder Nyjer Morgan. “Even though the thing is kind of crumbling right now. So we’ve got to be true professionals here and show what we’re made of by our character.”
Washington’s lone run came in the seventh inning when pinch runner Michael Morse scored on an Ivan Rodriguez ground out. But Chicago reliever Andrew Cashner got Alberto Gonzalez to ground into an inning-ending double play. The Cubs bullpen didn’t allow a runner to reach base in 2 2/3 innings.
The big play, though, was Soriano’s triple in the third. That turned a poor inning into a crippling one. Nats right fielder Willie Harris raced towards the foul line and made a desperate dive. But he just missed a spectacular catch and the ball bounced past him. Riggleman said Harris didn’t realize the ball was fair, leaving second baseman Adam Kennedy to run after it as two runs scored. Harris said he didn’t know what happened – only that he’d knocked the air out of his lungs. As he sat at his locker after the game Harris had a bag of ice wrapped around the right knee that has been bothering him all season. His hard landing didn’t help.
“It was one of those plays where I’m trying to make a play for my pitcher,” Harris said. “As always. I’m going all out, all the time, dove for the ball. I don’t know if that ball is fair or foul. But if I could get up then I get up and go after it. But at the same time I guess I’ve got to give a better effort. That’s what I’m told.”
