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Washington Nationals Rewind: Nats Drop 2-0 Decision; Lose 2 Of 3 To New York Mets In Citi Field

The Washington Nationals' offense didn't accomplish much against the New York Mets' Dillon Gee in the series finale in Citi Field, but their best opportunity of the game was wasted when Jayson Werth grounded into a double play on a 3-0 pitch in the eighth with runners on first and second and no one out.

By Patrick Reddington
Mike Stobe

Three hits off New York Mets' right-hander Dillon Gee, who entered the game with an (0-3) record, an 8.36 ERA and a 7.10 FIP in three starts and 14.0 IP. 0 for 4 w/ RISP and six left on base. One hit vs the Mets' pen in 3.1 innings. Three errors for a league-leading 18 total in 18 games, though none of the errors led to runs this afternoon. It's hard to single out one at bat in a game in which the Nats' offense as a whole was stifled, but Jayson Werth's eighth inning AB stood out in the Nationals' 2-0 loss to the Mets. With two on and no one out in the top of the inning, Jayson Werth grounded into a 6-4-3 DP on a 3-0 pitch from Mets' lefty Scott Rice, who had struggled to throw strikes up to that point. As Werth explained after the loss, he thought he had a chance to make a difference.

Steve Lombardozzi singled to start the frame and Denard Span walked on five pitches. The 31-year-old Mets' reliever started Werth with three balls and Bryce Harper loomed on deck. Werth decided to swing at the 3-0 offering, however and hit into a rally-killing 6-4-3 DP. Harper K'd swinging in the next at bat, stranding Lombardozzi at third and the Nats' best opportunity of the game was wasted. The Nationals ended up losing 2-0 and dropping two of three on the road in Citi Field.

"To be honest, I was a little surprised that [Werth] swung in that particular situation, but I've seen those big hitters do that and sometimes they hit them over the fence and sometimes they hit ground ball double plays." - Mets' manager Terry Collins on Werth's 8th inning DP grounder

Asked after the game what he thought of Werth's decision to swing in that 3-0 count, the Nats' 70-year-old skipper Davey Johnson declined to comment. "I'm not going to go into that," Johnson responded when asked specifially if he had a problem with Werth swinging. Mets' skipper Terry Collins told reporters he was surprised by Werth's decision. "Jayson Werth's a great player," New York's manager said, "He's a big time player. To be honest, I was a little surprised that he swung in that particular situation, but I've seen those big hitters do that and sometimes they hit them over the fence and sometimes they hit ground ball double plays."

"I felt like I could make a difference right there, and like I said, I got caught up in it. That's for sure." - Jayson Werth on grounding into DP in the 8th

"You live and learn," Werth told reporters after the game, "With [Harper] up behind me, in a two-run game... I was being aggressive and I was convicted. I felt like I could make a difference right there, and like I said, I got caught up in it. That's for sure." When Werth was asked if he felt that he had to win the game there, he said, "No. I just felt like I could. Like I said, I was convicted. I felt like I was doing the right thing. Looking back, obviously, it was not the right decision."

"Definitely let this one get away from us today," Werth said, "And I'm pretty sure I feel like it was my fault, so... tough loss."

The 2-0 loss left the Nationals 10-8 on the year and 3-3 on the six-game road trip through Miami and New York. Commenting on the way series finale with the Mets ended, Davey Johnson said, "It was disappointing. They pitched pretty good and we didn't swing the bats like we're capable of swinging them." It was one big hit by the Mets' John Buck off Nats' starter Jordan Zimmermann that made the difference:


The Nats return to the nation's capital on Monday to start a seven-game homestand against the St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds.

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