Washington Nationals blow lead in ninth, San Diego Padres walk off with 5-4 win...

Washington’s Nationals fell behind 3-0 in the second of four with the San Diego Padres in Petco Park, but they rallied to tie it with a three-run seventh and went ahead in the top of the ninth, only to have Sean Doolittle give up a one-out triple and two-out RBI single that tied it back up, 4-4, before Austin Hedges won it with a walk-off single...

Fedde vs the Padres: Erick Fedde’s 2019 debut in the majors was a four-inning outing back on April 28th in which he held San Diego’s Padres scoreless, giving up two hits and a walk on the mound in the nation’s capital.

The key to his success in the relief appearance? According to his manager, it was throwing first pitch strikes.

“Strike one,” Davey Martinez told reporters. “We talked about him throwing strike one, and working on his tempo. If you noticed his tempo was really quick, and he did that today and it was awesome, just watching him throw strike one and get ahead of hitters and bury his pitches was phenomenal.”

“I was just like going to attack hitters and stay ahead, and however this team might need me,” Fedde said.

Back in the rotation now, Fedde took on the Padres again tonight in Petco Park, and gave up a run in the first with Fernando Tatis, Jr. singling to right field, moving up on a groundout by Wil Myers, stealing third base, and scoring on a weak roller to third by Manny Machado, 1-0.

Fedde allowed just three hits through five, retiring seven straight after back-to-back singles in the third, but Greg Garcia singled to start the Padres’ sixth and Tatis, Jr. followed with a two-run home run to left-center on a 3-2 cutter over the middle of the plate that the Padres’ 20-year-old rookie just crushed, 3-0.

Erick Fedde’s Line: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 5 Ks, 1 HR, 90 P, 57 S, 6/4 GO/FO.

M-a-r-g-e-v-i-c-i-u-s [ding!]: Nick Margevicius, 22, and a 2017 7th Round pick by the Padres, made his MLB debut back on March 30th, and in 10 starts before tonight, he had a 5.04 ERA in 48 ¹⁄₃ IP, over which he walked 16, struck out 34, and held opposing hitters to a combined .275/.340/.534 line.

Margevicius was winless in five starts heading into tonight’s outing, with a 7.33 ERA, nine walks, 11 Ks, and an ugly .327/.387/.653 line against in 23 ¹⁄₃ IP.

It was a relatively brief appearance for the lefty, who threw 54 pitches in 3 ²⁄₃ IP before the Padres went to the pen with Howie Kendrick on first base after a two-out single in the Nats’ half of the fourth...

Nick Margevicius’s Line: 3.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 Ks, 54 P, 38 S, 3/1 GO/FO.

Rendon is Streaking: Anthony Rendon started the night hitless in the last two games, (0 for 6), though he had managed to extend his on-base streak to 22-straight anyway, with walks in each, leaving him 27 for 78 (.346/.480/.679) with seven doubles, two triples, five homers, 20 walks, and 21 runs scored over that stretch.

Rendon extended the streak the first time up to the plate against Padres’ left-hander Nick Margevicius, singling to center with two out in the first. 23-game streak. The streak lives!!

BULLPEN ACTION: Padres’ righty Miguel Diaz inherited a runner when he took over on the mound in the top of the fourth, but he stranded the runner (Howie Kendrick) when Brian Dozier grounded out to end the inning.

Diaz returned to the mound with a 1-2-3 fifth to keep it a 1-0 game in the Padres’ favor, but Adam Eaton tripled with one down in the top of the sixth, and after the right-hander got a groundout from Anthony Rendon for out No. 2, Padres’ skipper Andy Green went the pen again for lefty Robbie Erlin vs Juan Soto. The southpaw got Soto for out No. 3 on a ground ball to third. Still 1-0 San Diego.

It was 3-0 Padres when Matt Wisler took the mound in the top of the seventh and gave up back-to-back singles by Howie Kendrick and Brian Dozier, and a one-out RBI hit by catcher Yan Gomes that got the Nationals on the board, 3-1.

Matt Adams K’d swinging at a 1-2 slider from Wisler for out No. 2, but after a wild pitch put runners on second and third, Trea Turner hit a soft fly into short-center field, where Wil Myers made a diving attempt but came up empty, 3-3.

Tanner Rainey took over for the Nationals in a tie game in the bottom of the seventh and issued a leadoff walk to Franmil Reyes, but got three outs on 18 pitches to keep it at 3-3.

Adam Warren retired the Nats in order in the top of the eighth.

Wander Suero needed 12 pitches to get three outs in the Padres’ half of the eighth.

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Warren returned to the mound in the top of the ninth and gave up a leadoff double to left-center by Brian Dozier on a 3-2 slider, and Dozier moved to third base on a bunt by Victor Robles.

Warren hit Yan Gomes with a pitch in the next at bat, putting two on, and threw a wild pitch which allowed Dozier to score to make it 4-3, but Gomes got thrown out trying to advance to third base on a fly to left by Gerardo Parra.

Sean Doolittle got the ninth and gave up a one-out triple to right by Eric Hosmer, who hit a first-pitch fastball off the base of the wall and had it bounce by both Adam Eaton and Victor Robles as Hosmer made his way around to third.

Doolittle threw a high two-strike fastball by Franmil Reyes for out No. 2, but Josh Naylor hit a first-pitch fastball back up the middle to tie it up at 4-4. Naylor took second without a throw, and came home on a two-out liner to left by Austin Hedges, 5-4.

Padres walk off with the win.

Nationals now 28-35.