Washington Nationals lose 6-9 to Cincinnati Reds as Edwin Jackson gives up two homers - MLB Update
Relief pitcher Henry Rodriguez gives up a grand slam hit in the ninth as the Washington Nationals lose 6-9 to Cincinnati Reds in the third game of three match series at Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati, Ohio on May 13, 2012.
Nationals’ starter Edwin Jackson became their exception in series, which saw their aces spending lengthy time on the mound and horrifying batters.
He spent just five innings and much to his frustration, he was slammed two homers.
Admitting how Reds’ first baseman Joey Votto thrashed four hits and added six RBIs, Jackson said, he rightly justified with huge money he is being given to by his club.
"He did today what he's been known to do," Jackson said. "That's what he got paid a lot of money to do."
While the Nationals’ third-baseman Ryan Zimmerman remained hitless, right fielder Bryce Harper did manage to relinquish the decline he saw in last few games.
Harper completed two runs and struck two hits. With this, he takes his batting average to .231.
It was one of rarest games of the season for the Nationals in which their pitchers played a major role in their defeat.
Their offence was even better than the Reds’ in many ways. The Nationals had 16 hits in 41 at-bats while the Reds managed just 9 hits in 34 at-bats.
The fact the Reds hit three home runs in the game swung everything to their favour in the end.
Short-stop Ian Desmond is slow and steady in the season with a .260 batting average and a .420 slugging percentage. He faced six at-bats and struck two hits in the game.
One of the greatest positives for the Nationals was two hits by their new catcher, Jesus Flores after an injury by Wilson Ramos in last game. This proves an existence of strong back-up with the Nationals.
At the moment the Nationals are one of the most injury-plagued teams and yet they are going perfectly.
Only reason behind this is the smart manager they have. Davey Johnson had foreseen the problems and had adjusted roster accordingly.
No wonder, every substitute they are employing turned out to be an equally reliable one.
How far this loss can affect the Nationals in their upcoming matches will be an interesting point of observation ahead in the season.
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