Nationals fall short in San Diego, lose fifth straight 3-2 to Padres

SAN DIEGO — The Washington Nationals dropped their fifth consecutive game Monday afternoon, falling 3-2 to the San Diego Padres at Petco Park despite a late push sparked by Dylan Crews. Washington dug itself an early three-run hole, struggled to solve Nick Pivetta in his return from the injured list and never completely recovered. The Nationals had chances late, but San Diego’s bullpen finished the job and sent Washington to another frustrating loss on its West Coast trip. citeturn909625news0turn909625search13

MLB Schedule

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Final

Yesterday

The Nationals entered the game dealing with a difficult turnaround after Sunday night’s loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers and an overnight trip south to San Diego. According to The Washington Post, the club did not arrive until the early morning hours before Monday’s Labor Day matinee, leaving players with only limited rest before facing a Padres team still fighting for a National League Wild Card position. Washington also had to adjust to another bullpen injury, as Orlando Ribalta landed on the injured list with forearm tightness. citeturn909625search13

Jake Irvin got the start for Washington and had to work through trouble almost immediately. James Wood lost a two-out fly ball in the sun in the first inning, allowing Manny Machado to reach second base, and Irvin then walked Ty France before Jackson Merrill delivered an RBI single. Irvin escaped further damage by striking out Luis Campusano, but he needed 30 pitches to survive the opening inning and put Washington behind 1-0. citeturn909625search13

Irvin settled down in the second, retiring San Diego in order on just 10 pitches, but the Padres struck again in the third. Fernando Tatis Jr. singled to begin the inning, and San Diego benefited when a fielder’s-choice call was overturned following a replay challenge. Machado then singled Tatis home, and Merrill added another RBI single to extend the Padres’ lead to 3-0. citeturn909625search13turn909625search16

Merrill was one of the biggest offensive differences in the game, finishing with three hits and two RBIs. Tatis also recorded three hits, giving San Diego consistent traffic against Irvin through the early innings. Merrill drove home Machado twice, while Machado accounted for San Diego’s other RBI in the third. citeturn909625search16

Washington’s offense, meanwhile, could not generate anything against Pivetta.

Making his first start since April after a long stint on the injured list with right elbow inflammation, Pivetta looked sharp from the beginning. He threw five scoreless innings, allowing only two hits while striking out two and walking none. Pivetta needed just 63 pitches, 39 of them strikes, and earned his first victory since April 1. citeturn909625search16turn909625search12

That efficiency made Washington’s slow offensive start even more costly. The Nationals managed only five hits in the entire game and did not score until the sixth inning, by which point Pivetta had already turned the game over to San Diego’s bullpen. For a team trying to stop a losing streak, Washington simply gave itself too little margin for error. citeturn909625search14turn909625search16

Crews finally changed the energy in the sixth.

With Washington trailing 3-0, Crews blasted a two-run home run off Kyle Hart, suddenly cutting the deficit to one. The homer gave the Nationals their first runs of the afternoon and turned what had been a fairly comfortable Padres lead into a 3-2 game. Manager Blake Butera later emphasized how important the swing was in giving Washington a legitimate chance to steal the game. citeturn909625search13turn909625search15

Irvin deserves some credit for preventing the game from getting away from Washington after the rough opening three innings. He kept San Diego scoreless through the fourth and fifth and recorded two outs in the sixth before issuing a walk to Xander Bogaerts. Butera then pulled Irvin despite the right-hander appearing to want to remain in the game, turning to rookie Jared Simpson. citeturn909625search13

The move worked.

Simpson retired pinch hitter Austin Hays on a lineout to preserve the one-run deficit. Irvin finished with 5 2/3 innings pitched, allowing three earned runs and striking out three while taking the loss. His record fell to 2-9 with a 5.52 ERA. citeturn909625search14turn909625search13

Washington’s bullpen then did everything necessary to give the offense an opportunity. Simpson and Jack Sinclair combined to keep the Padres off the scoreboard for the remainder of the game, which was particularly important considering how much criticism Washington’s relief pitching has absorbed this season. On Monday, the bullpen was not the problem. citeturn909625search13

Crews also delivered one of the defensive plays of the game in the eighth inning.

With San Diego threatening and the bases loaded, Bogaerts hit a hard line drive to left field. Crews made the catch and threw back to second base before the runner crossed home plate, completing a double play and preventing the Padres from adding an insurance run. The play kept Washington within 3-2 entering the ninth. citeturn909625search20turn909625search21

That gave the Nationals one final opportunity against one of baseball’s hardest-throwing relievers.

Mason Miller entered for San Diego in the ninth and shut Washington down, striking out two in a scoreless inning to record his 34th save. The Nationals could not manufacture the tying run, leaving Crews’ sixth-inning homer as their only offense of consequence. Washington finished with two runs on five hits and did not commit an error. citeturn909625search14

San Diego finished with nine hits and also played error-free baseball. Pivetta earned the win to improve to 2-2 with a 3.43 ERA, while Irvin dropped to 2-9. The Padres’ bullpen protected the one-run advantage over the final four innings after Pivetta’s strong return. citeturn909625search14

The loss extended Washington’s skid to five games and continued an ugly West Coast stretch. The Nationals were swept by the Dodgers before arriving in San Diego and once again found themselves trying to play from behind. Even though Washington made the game competitive late, falling behind 3-0 against a postseason contender made the comeback much more difficult. citeturn909625search13

For San Diego, the victory carried considerably different implications. The Padres remained only a half-game behind Arizona for the final National League Wild Card spot, making every September victory crucial. Pivetta’s return also potentially gives San Diego another important rotation option during the stretch run. citeturn909625search16

Washington can at least take some positives from Crews’ performance and the bullpen’s work. Crews supplied the club’s only runs, made a potentially game-saving defensive play in the eighth and continued showing why he remains such an important piece of the Nationals’ long-term core. The relief group also kept the game within reach after Irvin departed, which is exactly what Washington needed in a one-run game. citeturn909625search20turn909625search13

However, the Nationals have to find more consistent offense. Five hits and essentially one significant swing are rarely going to be enough to win on the road, particularly against a team with the Padres’ bullpen. Washington’s lineup gave itself almost no opportunities during Pivetta’s five innings, and once Miller entered the ninth, the margin for error disappeared completely. citeturn909625search14turn909625search16

MSB Take

The frustrating part about this loss is that Washington actually did enough on the mound after the third inning to win the game. Irvin recovered from a shaky start, and the bullpen shut San Diego down completely over the final innings. The Nationals simply waited too long to generate offense, and once they finally did, they could not find one more run.

Crews continues to be one of the biggest reasons to watch this team during the final month. His two-run homer gave Washington life, and his eighth-inning double play prevented San Diego from creating additional separation. Those are exactly the kinds of impact plays the Nationals need to see from players who are supposed to become major pieces of the next competitive Washington team.

The bigger concern is the losing streak. Five straight losses at this point in the season are another reminder that Washington still has significant work ahead before this roster is ready to contend consistently. There have been encouraging individual performances, but the Nationals continue struggling to put together complete games.

Monday was absolutely winnable. Washington’s pitching kept the deficit at one for the final three innings, but the offense never found the hit that mattered after Crews went deep. For a rebuilding team, competitive losses can still provide lessons, but eventually this group has to start converting close games into wins.