Washington Nationals’ Aníbal Sánchez falls to (0-6) in 5-0 loss to Los Angeles Dodgers...

Aníbal Sánchez was winless in seven starts heading into Friday night’s outing against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Chavez Ravine. Sánchez was (0-5), with a 5.15 ERA, a 4.39 FIP, 22 walks, 36 Ks, and .258/.351/.430 line against in 36 ²⁄₃ innings pitched in the first season of the 2-year/$19M contract he signed with Washington this past winter.

Sánchez gave up two runs (both unearned) in the first inning of his last outing before the second of four with the Dodgers, then settled in with 3 ²⁄₃ scoreless, before he was lifted, having thrown 108 pitches total in a relatively brief outing against Philadelphia’s Phillies in Citizens Bank Park.

“After the first inning, Sánchez pitched really, really well, kept us in the game, but he had to come out because he had 108 pitches,” skipper Davey Martinez said after what ended up a 7-1 loss.

Sánchez gave up a solo home run in the first inning of his outing against the Dodgers, on a 3-2 changeup (or splitter according to MLB.com’s Gameday) to Joc Pederson that ended up in the seats in right-center in Dodger Stadium, 1-0, and a second run scored on a fly to short right with a runner on first in the fourth inning, when a diving attempt by Adam Eaton came up short and led to an RBI triple for Chris Taylor, 2-0.

It was 3-0 Dodgers after Joc Pederson hit a 2-1 sinker from Sánchez out over the wall in the corner in right field in the first at bat of the fifth, and the Nationals’ right-hander was lifted with one down in that inning...

Aníbal Sánchez’s Line: 4.1 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 Ks, 2 HRs, 89 P, 57 S, 5/0 GO/FO.

Sánchez threw 29 of his 89 pitches in the first, after needing 44 in the first last time out.

“We’ve got to start paying attention to that,” Martinez said after what ended up being a 5-0 loss to the Dodgers.

“But I look at him, he settles down, and he had 45 pitches in three innings. To me, I watch him, he really threw just two bad pitches all game and both to Pederson.”

The two mistakes that left the yard were enough for the Dodgers to even things up after the Nationals’ 6-0 win on Thursday.

“He missed his location and he knows that,” Martinez told reporters.

“He’s a veteran guy, but he keeps us in the game, and today we just couldn’t get nothing going with our bats.”

The run that scored in the fourth, Martinez added, was just bad luck.

“He’s veteran guy. He understands the game, knows how to pitch, I just think later in the game he’s gotta make his pitches, and he knows that, but like I said, he was really good.

Nats’ GM Mike Rizzo talks state of the Nationals with the Junkies:

Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images

LINK: “We’ve played bad baseball, just in general.” - Mike Rizzo

“He gave up two home runs, two mistake pitches, the one hit, the guy stole and [the batter] got jammed, I know Eaton made a heck of a try trying to catch it, so the ball got by him.”

Sánchez told reporters he wasn’t happy at all with the results.

“I’m totally disappointed,” he said, as quoted by MASN’s Byron Kerr.

“I’m working to go deeper in the game, and unfortunately I don’t know what’s going on. I think every pitch that I throw, my pitch count goes high so quick, and even when we try to attack the hitters.”

Sánchez finished the night with a 5.27 ERA, a 4.89 FIP, 24 walks (5.27 BB/9), and 39 Ks (8.56 K/9) in eight starts and 41 innings pitched, with an (0-6) record overall on the year.