Rockies Crush Nationals 13-1 as Washington Bullpen Unravels Late
The Washington Nationals held an early lead Wednesday night, but the Colorado Rockies completely took over the game in the middle and late innings.
Colorado scored 13 unanswered runs and defeated Washington 13-1 at Nationals Park, handing the Nationals their second straight loss. Connor Norby delivered the biggest blow with a grand slam, while Troy Johnston, Cole Carrigg and Hunter Goodman each added two-run home runs. citeturn181944view0turn181944view1
Washington dropped to 62-73 with the loss, while Colorado improved to 52-81. citeturn181944view0
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Chaparro Gives Nationals Early Lead
Washington actually struck first.
Andrés Chaparro put the Nationals ahead 1-0 with a solo home run in the bottom of the second inning. It would be the only run Washington scored all night. citeturn181944view0
For the first four innings, the Nationals appeared to be in position to play another competitive game against Colorado.
That changed quickly in the fifth.
Rockies Break Through in Fifth
Colorado’s offense finally got to Washington in the top of the fifth inning.
Troy Johnston put the Rockies ahead with a two-run home run, turning Washington’s 1-0 advantage into a 2-1 deficit.
Cole Carrigg followed with another two-run homer, extending the Colorado lead to 4-1. citeturn181944view0
The Rockies had gone scoreless over the first four innings before suddenly scoring four in the fifth.
Washington never recovered.
Norby Blows Game Open
The Nationals were still within striking distance entering the seventh inning.
Then Connor Norby ended any realistic chance of a comeback.
Hunter Goodman and TJ Rumfield singled, while Willi Castro walked to load the bases.
Norby stepped in and launched a grand slam 402 feet to center field.
The home run gave Colorado an 8-1 lead and completely broke the game open. It was Norby’s sixth home run of the season. citeturn181944view0
Norby finished the game with two hits and five RBIs.
He has also made an immediate impact since being promoted from Triple-A Albuquerque on Aug. 11. Norby has reached base in each of his first 14 games with Colorado and extended his hitting streak to 11 games Wednesday. citeturn181944view0
Five More Runs in the Eighth
Colorado was not finished.
The Rockies scored five more runs in the top of the eighth inning, turning the game into a complete rout.
Goodman hit his team-leading 36th home run of the season, a two-run shot that pushed the lead even further.
Norby added another RBI single before Ezequiel Tovar drove home two more runs with a single to make it 13-1. citeturn181944view0turn127854search20
Colorado finished with 15 hits and scored four runs in the fifth, four in the seventh and five in the eighth. Washington finished with seven hits and did not score after Chaparro’s second-inning homer. citeturn181944view1
Gordon Shuts Down Washington
While Colorado’s offense exploded, Tanner Gordon delivered his best start of the season.
Gordon pitched seven innings and allowed just one run on six hits.
He struck out five and earned his first victory of the season, improving to 1-4. citeturn181944view0turn181944view1
After Chaparro’s home run in the second inning, Gordon completely shut Washington down.
Zach Agnos handled the final two innings, allowing only one hit and keeping Washington off the scoreboard. citeturn181944view0
Colorado pitchers combined to hold the Nationals to one run on seven hits.
Dion Takes the Loss
Will Dion was charged with the loss for Washington.
Dion allowed four runs on four hits over 2 2/3 innings while striking out three.
He fell to 1-1 on the season. citeturn181944view1
The Nationals’ pitching staff kept Colorado scoreless through four innings, but once the Rockies broke through, Washington could not stop the momentum.
Colorado scored all 13 of its runs over a four-inning stretch from the fifth through the eighth.
That included nine runs over the seventh and eighth innings alone.
Nationals Offense Goes Quiet
Washington’s offense was almost completely silent after Chaparro’s home run.
The Nationals managed seven hits overall but never produced another run.
That became even more damaging once Colorado’s offense began piling up runs.
Washington needed traffic on the bases and sustained rallies to have any chance of answering the Rockies’ late surge. Instead, Gordon continued attacking the strike zone and prevented the Nationals from building momentum.
The result was one of Washington’s most lopsided losses of the season.
Nationals manager Blake Butera summed up the performance afterward simply: “Bad. Really bad.” citeturn127854search21
Rockies Take Control of Series
The loss also gave Colorado a 2-1 advantage in the four-game series.
Washington opened the series Monday with an impressive 13-3 victory.
Colorado answered with a 3-1 win Tuesday and followed it with Wednesday’s 13-1 blowout. citeturn181944view0
That leaves Washington needing a victory Thursday afternoon to earn a series split.
Right-hander Jake Irvin is scheduled to start for Washington against Colorado right-hander Gabriel Hughes.
Irvin enters the game 2-8 with a 5.82 ERA, while Hughes is 0-5 with a 6.54 ERA. citeturn181944view0
MSB Take
This game got away from Washington incredibly fast.
The Nationals actually had a 1-0 lead after four innings and were in position to win another low-scoring game.
Then everything collapsed.
Colorado scored four in the fifth, four more in the seventh and five in the eighth. By the time the damage stopped, a one-run Nationals lead had turned into a 12-run loss.
Norby’s grand slam was the defining moment, but Washington had already started losing control before that swing.
The Nationals also received almost no offensive response after Chaparro’s home run. When an opponent starts putting crooked numbers on the scoreboard, there has to be some kind of counterpunch.
Washington never provided one.
The Nationals still have an opportunity to salvage the series Thursday, but they will need a much cleaner performance after one of their roughest nights of the season.
