‘Lofty View’
courtesy of ‘MudflapDC’
The Nationals failed to secure a victory against Roy Halladay and the Philadelphia Phillies on Memorial Day despite a ten-hit game. Monday’s 5-4 loss is Washington’s third straight one-run loss during this homestand.
“It’s a loss. If we got six hits, it’s a loss. If we get fourteen, it’s the loss. Losses hurt and we completed very well,” manager Jim Riggleman said after the game.
“There’s no moral victories but you hope it seeps into people that we can do this. We can hit. We know we can hit. [There’s] a history of hitting and we’re going to hit.”
Philadelphia struggled with runners in scoring position, much like the Nationals have as of late, leaving ten men stranded compared to only five of the Nats being left behind. Washington scored early against Halladay but the majority of their runs were a result of solo homeruns from Michael Morse, Danny Espinosa and Laynce Nix.
Pinch hitter Matt Stairs had a chance in the bottom of eighth to regain the lead for Washington but failed to do so but a routine ground out. Stairs has yet to have his batting average hit a respectable mark this season, leaving one to ask – why not put in Roger Bernadina if he’s on the bench and reaches base when presented with the opportunity?
Either way, the final score reflects what fans already know: the Nationals are struggling to win. They are now 11.5 games behind the first place Phillies.
Rachel moved to DC in the fall of 2005 to study Journalism and Music at American University. When she’s not keeping up with the latest Major League Baseball news, she works on making music as an accomplished singer-songwriter and was even a featured performer/speaker at TEDxDupont Circle in 2012. Rachel has also contributed to The Washington Examiner and MASN Sports’ Nationals Buzz as a guest blogger. See why she loves DC. E-Mail: rachel@welovedc.com.
