Patrick Corbin makes mistake on 3-run HR that’s the difference in Nationals’ 3-2 loss...

Patrick Corbin gave up as many earned runs in five innings of work on the mound last time out before facing Miami on Friday night as he’d allowed in 18 IP in his first three outings of the 2020 season.

Corbin allowed five runs on eight hits in what ended up a 7-3 loss to the Orioles on the road in Baltimore, throwing a total of 94 pitches before the Nationals went to the bullpen.

“Was falling behind I wasn’t getting ahead of batters like I normally do,” Corbin said of his struggles on the mound vs the O’s.

“When you’re not doing that you just put yourself in tough situations. And kind of really didn’t figure it out all night, really.

“Just kind of one of those games. I felt pretty good warming up and coming into it, so just try to continue to build off of that.”

This time out, Corbin gave up a 3-run home run by Miguel Rojas after falling behind 2-0 with two on and two out in the top of the second in the series opener with the Marlins.

That was all Corbin gave up through four as he struck out six of the 22 hitters he faced, and the home team chipped away at the early lead with solo home runs by Yan Gomes and Trea Turner to make it a one-run game, 3-2 Fish.

Corbin picked up a K in the fifth, then two more in a 16-pitch, 1-2-3 sixth, which left him with nine Ks and 90 pitches, but a one-out single and double in the top of the seventh ended his outing...

Tanner Rainey walked the first batter he faced after taking over, loading the bases, but got a swinging K and a line drive to left to end the threat and keep it a one-run game.

Patrick Corbin’s Line: 6.1 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 9 Ks, 1 HR, 102 P, 66 S, 5/2 GO/FO.

That’s how it ended, however, as the Nationals failed to generate any offense outside of the two home runs in a 3-2 loss.

“I felt pretty good,” Corbin said of his outing. “That pitch that was a homer was a heater, just fell behind 2-0 and that was right down the middle.

“So, just a mistake there, but I felt like I was in the zone better today, felt under control, two-seamer was working well, slider was there, threw some slow breaking balls as well.”

“He had really good stuff tonight,” manager Davey Martinez said after the loss. “He made one bad mistake it cost him the three runs, but other than that he was really, really good. But that was great to see.”

“He was kind of nitpicking a little bit with some guys,” catcher Yan Gomes said, “and we had to make some pitches, but he was able to get out of some big innings.”

“I know that that three-run [homer] early,” Gomes added, “... with the way we can play, we usually try to make a comeback and stuff like that. He kept it going. To go into the seventh inning, that’s pretty impressive on his own.

“He kept us in the ballgame. At any point like that where you give up a three-run early, you can kind of lose your rhythm and kind of go short. He gave us a heck of an outing, we wish we could’ve picked him up.”

Corbin, oddly for him, had more strikeouts with his sinker (5) than his slider (4), and he got 18 swinging strikes overall on night (11 with his slider, five with his sinker, and two with his four-seam fastball), with 15 called strikes (four with his slider and five each with his sinker and four-seam fastball, plus one with his curve).

“Did I do it today?” Corbin asked after a reporter noted he struck out more with his sinker than his slider this time out.

“Maybe it was the first time I’ve ever done it. I don’t know. Usually it does come from sliders, but some teams do a good job of laying off that, so you got to mix it up and was able to locate some fastballs in, pitch above the zone at times, so you just try to keep them guessing. That was the game plan we had, they are an aggressive team, just got in trouble when I did fall behind a couple times tonight, and they can do that, they can put up some runs, they’re over there trying to get hits too.”