After missing a chance to sweep their respective weekend series with late-inning losses on Sunday, the Washington Nationals and Arizona Diamondbacks open a three-game series Monday night in Phoenix.
Washington rookie left-hander Mitchell Parker (5-6, 4.34 ERA) will make his first career appearance against Arizona. Veteran lefty Jordan Montgomery (7-5, 6.11) will start for the Diamondbacks, who haven’t dropped a series since June 25-27 against Minnesota.
Arizona, which is 30-19 since June 1, had a four-game winning streak snapped with a 6-5 loss in 10 innings to the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday. The reigning National League champions begin Monday’s action just a half-game behind the New York Mets for the final wild-card spot.
Arizona squandered an early 2-0 lead and allowed the tying run to score with two outs in the top of the ninth on Sunday. Pinch hitter Joey Bart lined a double to the right-field wall off Diamondbacks closer Paul Sewald to drive in Rowdy Tellez, who had opened the inning with a long double off the top of the center-field fence.
Pittsburgh then scored four times in the top of the 10th against reliever Justin Martinez, who wild-pitched in one run and hit another batter with the bases loaded to force in another run. One out later, Bryce Jarvis yielded a two-run bases-loaded single to Ke’Bryan Hayes.
Arizona almost came back in the bottom half of the inning to tie it, thanks to a two-run homer by Eugenio Suarez and a solo shot by pinch-hitter Lourdes Gurriel Jr. Corbin Carroll tripled to put the tying run at third, but Colin Holderman got Geraldo Perdomo to ground out to end the game.
It was Sewald’s fourth blown save in July, during which he has compiled a 9.31 ERA in 9 2/3 innings.
“That’s why you play 27 outs,” Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said. “These are the games that, of course, you lose sleep over for people in my position, and I’m sure everybody on the team feels the same way. … We’ve got to find a way to group up and spit this one out and flush it.”
Still, Lovullo did find some positives despite the loss.
“You’re obviously concerned (about) what are you going to see when they come off the field after giving up four runs, and they fought, and they fought really hard and closed the gap up,” Lovullo said. “And they were one hit away from tying up the score. So there were some good things.”
Montgomery is 1-0 with a 1.32 ERA in two career starts against Washington.
The Nationals also missed a chance to complete a sweep of a three-game series with a 4-3 loss at St. Louis on Sunday. Paul Goldschmidt led off the bottom of the ninth with a walk-off homer off Dylan Floro to win it for the Cardinals in dramatic fashion. It was the first home run allowed in 52 1/3 innings this season by Floro.
“Overall, I can’t be disappointed because we played really well this series (against) a really good team,” Washington manager Dave Martinez said.
Parker has gone six starts since his last win on June 16 against Miami and has struggled badly in July, going 0-2 with a 9.18 ERA in four starts while also allowing five home runs in 16 2/3 innings.
“We’ve just got to come back and battle again tomorrow,” Martinez said.
–Field Level Media