Washington Nationals experience 3-4 defeat against Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field - MLB Update
Washington Nationals’ starter Jordan Zimmerman conceded six hits as they lose to Chicago Cubs 3-4 at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois on April 8, 2012 during their regular season encounter.
Nationals' batters found hits hard to come through right from the start and until the start of the sixth, they had scored none. Meanwhile, Cubs kept adding runs occasionally.
What enthralled the whole stadium in the game was a late upsurge by the Nationals. When in the ninth on the back of a three run lead, Nationals added two runs and bridged the deficit to one as it seemed they will be able to impose a lead.
However this did not happen as Cubs immediately replaced their tired starter Jeff Samardzija with Carlos Marmol who saved the game for Chicago.
Cubs’ starter Samardzija hurt Nationals’ offence immensely as in little more than eight innings he struck-out eight and allowed just four hits. Nothing better a team can expect from their starter than seeing him spend huge number of innings on the mound
while allowing not many hits.
"I've talked a good game about wanting to start and made it public," Samardzija said. "I didn't want to look like an idiot."
Even Nationals’ shortstop Ian Desmond will not stop praising Samardzija and acknowledging the way he employed his fastball, he pointed his contribution as becoming a decisive factor in their loss.
"He had three good pitches and he was out there grinding," said Ian Desmond. "He was anywhere from 98 (mph) to 90 with his fastball and had his split, the occasional cut. ... He was out there, he was pumping strikes."
Right fielder Jayson Werth did not connect any hit in three at-bats for Washington. When it comes to hitting distances, he is one of the most dependable. However in front of the quality pitches by Samardzija he also had to relent.
Neither did much come from Chad Tracy who was sent as a pinch hitter by the Nationals.
Adam LaRoche was the only player in the game hitting a homer off Samardzija's pitch.
The fact that the Nationals managed just four hits in the game is going to concern manager Davey Johnson. He will just hope that their defeat after two wins earlier will only serve to mitigate any complacency that may have taken place.
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