Nationals Beat Giants 9-6/Bullpen Mayhem Continues
Washington, D.C.- With Stephen Strasburg struggling on the mound, the San Francisco Giants had their way winning the series opener 7-3. Looking for redemption, tonight, Jeremy Hellickson took the mound with a shaken-up lineup behind him; it is clear that manager Davey Martinez is open to trying anything to get his club on the right track.
Everything you need to know about this game:
-Juan Soto put the Nationals on the board with a two-run home run in the first inning- followed by a Howie Kendrick bomb putting the Nationals up 3-0. They added on a run not to long after for a 4-0 lead.
-In the top of the fourth, the Giants got on the board with a Brandon Crawford RBI and Brandon Belt following in his steps to make it 4-2 (Nats).
-In the seventh inning, with Victor Robles and Anthony Rendon on the base pads, Matt Adams absolutely crushed one out of the park to make the score 7-2. Less than five minutes later, after a Howie Kendrick base hit, Kurt Suzuki hit a home run to make it 9-2 and this inning completely changed the complexion of the game, or so it seemed.
-Rendon extends his hitting streak to 15 games.
-A night where the bullpen went almost perfect, Austen Williams gave up a two-run home run to Gerardo Parra which made the score 9-4. Steven Duggar with a carbon copy, put the Giants within three runs of a tie game, 9-6, and zero outs. The bullpen continues to be this team’s downfall.
-Kyle Barraclough got one out and Dave Martinez opted to bring closer Sean Doolittle in to complete the job. With two men on base, he struck out Brandon Crawford then in a 3-2 count Brandon Belt popped up to end the game.
Nationals win this one 9-6, getting back to .500 (8-8). This bullpen is statistically the worst in the league as of right now and tonight was no exception. Overshadowing so many highs this game held, it is a monumental issue that needs a fix. The Nationals will go for the series win tomorrow at 1:05pm EST.
