“Uncharacteristic” walks lead to rough fifth for Patrick Corbin in Nationals’ 6-3 loss to Cardinals...

Patrick Corbin was up to 60 pitches after four scoreless innings vs St. Louis with a 3-0 lead, but it all went wrong for the Washington Nationals’ lefty in a rough, 32-pitch top of the fifth in which he gave up five hits, two walks, and six earned runs.

Harrison Bader started the scoring for the Cardinals with a solo shot to right field on an 0-1 fastball up and out over the plate.

A five-pitch, two-out walk to Matt Carpenter kept the inning alive for the Cards, and a single by Paul Goldschmidt and second walk, to Paul DeJong, loaded the bases before a wild pitch to Marcell Ozuna allowed Carpenter to score, 3-2, and a two-run single to center by Marcell Ozuna, on a 3-2 fastball, put the visitors on top, 4-3.

An RBI double to left by Jose Martinez and an RBI single by Yadier Molina followed, driving in the fifth and sixth runs of the inning, and pushing Corbin up to 92 pitches before he got the final out of the frame.

Patrick Corbin’s Line: 5.0 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 4 BB, 5 Ks, 1 HR, 92 P, 52 S, 5/2 GO/FO.

What went wrong for Corbin in the fifth?

“The uncharacteristic walks,” manager Davey Martinez said after the 6-3 loss.

“I just spoke to him a little bit and he said he just — the walks got to him and he couldn’t find the plate and then when he did he said, ‘I left the ball pretty much down the middle.’”

“The two walks didn’t help,” Corbin told reporters when he spoke after the game. “Just was frustrated with that Carpenter at bat there, at least try to let him put it in play and see what happens, but I felt good today, just ... the walks, two in that fifth inning, then they had a couple of ground balls that got through there, but just have to forget about this one, move on, and just take the positives.”

“He’s been really good,” Martinez said of the left-hander, who started the night (2-0) in five starts with a 2.48 ERA and a .200/.244/.367 line against in five starts and 32 ²⁄₃ IP overall in the first year of his 6-year/$140M deal with the Nationals.

“It’s just one of those nights for Pat, and I just told, I said, ‘Hey, you’ll be right back out there in five days, and don’t worry about it.”

He was sharp in the first four innings if Corbin is looking to take the positives.

“I thought the ball was coming out good,” Corbin said.

“I thought I had a sharp slider, I was happy with how my stuff was, just with two outs there, a lefty up, got to just do a better job there, kind of didn’t really throw too many close pitches there and they were able to start a rally. It’s a good offense over there, and they have a lot of guys with some power, so you’ve got to minimize mistakes there and I put myself in trouble with those couple walks there in that inning, and kind of just led to a big inning for them.”