Washington Nationals lose 3-0 to Arizona Diamondbacks in rain-shortened affair...

Gio Gonzalez took the mound with a heavy heart, with plans to attend his good friend Jose Fernandez’s funeral tomorrow in Miami, after the 24-year-old Marlins’ ace died in a boating accident over the weekend, shocking the baseball world.

It wasn’t that long a night on the mound for the Washington Nationals’ lefty, who threw 100 pitches total in 3 ²⁄₃ IP, giving up eight hits, three walks and three runs before he was lifted with the Nats down, 3-0.

Shelby Miller tossed five scoreless for Arizona and the Diamondbacks were up 3-0 when heavy rain started to fall in the nation’s capital and the game was eventually called an hour or so after the delay began. Final score, 3-0 D-Backs.

Here’s how it happened:

Jean Segura and Chris Owings hit back-to-back singles to center off Gio Gonzalez to start the first, then pulled a double steal with Paul Goldschmidt at the plate, setting the slugger up with two runners in scoring position. Goldschmidt hit a groundout to short to bring Segura in, 1-0, but Owings was stranded at third two outs later.

With two out in the third, and runners on first and third, Gonzalez gave up an RBI double to right by Brandon Drury, whose 30th two-base hit of the season brought infielder Chris Owings in from third for a 2-0 lead over the Nationals.

Segura collected his 200th hit on the season with a two-out single in the fourth, and he scored on an RBI single by Goldschmidt that made it 3-0 D-Backs. Gonzalez was up to 100 pitches at that point, and done for the night.

Gio Gonzalez’s Line: 3.2 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 Ks, 100 P, 56 S, 4/1 GO/FO.

Shelby Miller was up to 56 pitches after he completed scoreless, 13-pitch fourth inning and he completed five scoreless on 74 pitches.

With the D-Backs up in the sixth, the rain, which had been expected all night, finally arrived and sent the game into a delay... and they never came back.

At 10:43 PM EDT in D.C., the game was officially called with the D-Backs ahead, 3-0. That’s how it ended.

Nationals now 92-66

NATS NOTES:

• Washington’s 92-65 record after last night’s win is the second-best mark in the NATIONAL LEAGUE, behind only the Chicago Cubs (101-56).
• Washington’s +151 run differential is the second-best in the NL as well, behind only, again, Chicago’s +252 run differential.
• In today’s Nationals-themed “Fun with Arbitrary End Points” segment, the Nationals are 22-9 against the Arizona Diamondbacks... since 2012, with wins in 13 of the last 17 games between the two teams.
• Max Scherzer collected his 277th strikeout last night, breaking his own record of 276 Ks set in his first season in D.C. in 2015.
• Anthony Rendon’s big three-run home run last night was his 19th of the season and also his 500th major league hit.
• Trea Turner ranks 1st in triples (7), second in total bases (159), second in stolen bases (29), third in hits (96) and is fifth in run scored (tied, 51)... since the All-Star break
• Gio Gonzalez started the night (2-0) with a 2.97 ERA in five career starts vs the D-Backs.
• In his career in Nationals Park, Gonzalez was (33-19) with a 3.25 ERA heading into tonight’s matchup with the Diamondbacks.

Nationals now 92-66