(Not Quite) Instant Analysis: Braves 8, Nats 3
The Nationals lost their fourth straight after Miles Mikolas dug them into a hole and the lineup was held hitless by Martin Perez into the seventh inning
ATLANTA – Whether they’ve been overmatched, whether they’ve been playing tight because of the looming trade deadline or whether this has just been a horribly timed week to go ice cold, the Nationals are playing some of their worst baseball of the season right now. And it’s probably going to have significant ramifications in both the club’s the short-term and long-term plans.
With a lopsided loss to the Braves tonight that included a no-hit bid into the seventh inning, the Nats dropped their fourth straight and fell to two games under .500 for the first time since May 22. With just one game left to play before Monday’s trade deadline, they’re guaranteed to have a losing record when president of baseball operations Paul Toboni makes his final decision whether to buy or sell.
“I think it’s just a really tough time to have a tough week,” manager Blake Butera said. “Give these guys credit. Before this series, we went up against (Toronto’s Trey) Yesavage, who’s a really good arm, and then ran into this team, who is really good, playing them at their place. Just not an ideal time to go through a little bit of a funk.”
The bottom fell out during tonight’s loss. Despite a last-minute pitching change by Atlanta – scheduled starter Reynaldo Lopez was scratched about 35 minutes before gametime due to left knee inflammation – the Nationals looked completely helpless at the plate against emergency starter Martin Perez. The veteran left-hander did not allow a hit until Brady House’s two-out single in the top of the seventh, and he was sitting on a minuscule pitch count of 67 at the time.
“We obviously know what’s going on, (but) we’re not going up there just trying to get a hit,” outfielder Dylan Crews said. “We’re trying to have a good AB and square something up to give us a chance to get a hit in those situations.”
Miles Mikolas, meanwhile, dug his team into an early 2-0 hole when he allowed back-to-back homers to Ronald Acuna Jr. and Matt Olson in the bottom of the first. He hung around long enough to eat up six innings and depart with the score 4-0, but Riley Cornelio gave up four runs (all unearned) during a tedious bottom of the seventh that included three walks and a costly error by shortstop CJ Abrams.
Down eight runs, the Nats finally made a little noise at the plate against the Atlanta bullpen, but it was far too little and far too late to make difference. For this one particular game. And perhaps for an unlikely pennant race that is slipping away right before their eyes.
“There’s never an ideal time for a little bit of a skid,” Mikolas said. “But one of the things I think this team has been really good at all season is putting this game behind us and giving whoever we’re playing our best effort tomorrow. We’ve been pretty good at bouncing back the whole season. So it’s not something I would be overly worried about.”
HITTING LOWLIGHT: At least some of the Nationals’ offensive success this season has been credited to their extensive game prep for the opposing starter. So what happened when the Braves made a last-minute switch? Did that have anything to do with their complete lack of success against Perez tonight?
“That’s part of the game,” Crews said. “There’s going to be some games like that. I think everybody here was ready. Obviously, he did his deal on the other end as far as pitching really well. But I feel like all of us were ready. That’s part of the game. You’ve got to be ready when your name is called.”
Whatever the reason, Perez had the entire lineup eating out of his left hand all night, with Crews lining out to left in the top of the first and nobody else even managing to hit a ball out of the infield again until House’s seventh-inning single. They were overly aggressive, making quick outs and often chasing offspeed pitches out of the zone. Oh, and they went 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position, leaving them a staggering 0-for-20 for the series. Crews finally ended that streak with an RBI double in the eighth off reliever Danny Young, and CJ Abrams followed with a two-run single.
PITCHING LOWLIGHT: The Nationals decided not to go with an opener, figuring their two left-handed relievers (Carson Palmquist, Tom Cosgrove) weren’t better options than just letting Mikolas pitch the first inning for himself. Well, the veteran found himself trailing 2-0 after five pitches, serving up back-to-back homers to Acuna and Olson. That pretty much set the tone for the evening. Mikolas would make it through six innings, allowing four runs. He served up another homer to Dominic Smith in the fourth. His fastball velocity was down a couple ticks, falling into the low 90s. And his ERA jumped to 5.67.
“When I need to go inside, it needs to be inside and not kind-of inside,” he said. “When I go away, it needs to be away and not kind-of away. Just being a little sharper. It’s the major leagues. You can’t make mistakes.”
It remains to be seen what happens after Monday’s trade deadline, but if the Nats are truly ready to sell and fully prioritize the future over the present, it’s fair to ask if it’s time to give Mikolas’ spot in the rotation to a younger arm who could be part of the club’s long-term plans.
NOTABLE: Connelly Early will travel to West Palm Beach and face live hitters at the club’s spring training complex before going on an official minor-league rehab assignment.
UP NEXT: The Nats will be happy to leave town after Sunday’s 1:35 p.m. series finale. Cade Cavalli makes the start for the visitors, with the Braves possibly set to call up right-hander JR Ritchie from Triple-A Gwinnett. TV: Nationals TV RADIO: 106.7 FM
Maybe it's a perverse take, but if the Nats were going to reveal that they aren't really a contender yet, I'm glad they did it this week as opposed to, say, next week.
Toboni has a job to do, and it's hard enough without the noise from the "go all in now" crowd.
As a fanbase we can’t let ourselves shift the goalposts, by all means this is already a successful season and one had I seen only the record blind would have accepted in a flash during the preseason. To instead feel frustrated at more likely than not missing the playoffs almost feels greedy given the state of the franchise last July. And yet I am very frustrated.
With all that said, if it’s really true that there are multiple calls coming in on Griffin and Garcia, I think you have to take them. It’s a sell high unlike anyone could have predicted. The depth is there to replace Garcia with Ortiz (I want to acknowledge that I don’t think the quality of bat will be equal yet, but the writing was on the wall what the plan was when he was brought over), and if a major league pitcher comes over in a Garcia package, a sell of Foster should happen as well.
I would hate to be Paul Toboni right now because it really feels like this isn’t about the X’s and O’s but entirely the Jimmies and Joes. I think a trade of either (or both) is going to devestate the clubhouse and really could lead to a permanent slide. Fans will be ravenous too, it’s almost waving the white flag (and who knows, I think Ortiz will slot in nicely and Early will provide value instantly as well). Interesting few days ahead, I think even if they had gone on a barnstorm and won the Blue Jays series and these last three, I think Griffin and Garcia still would’ve been traded.