Washington Nationals get thumped, 11-2 Arizona Diamondbacks tonight in D.C.

Early Runs For AZ In D.C.:

Erick Fedde made quick work of the Diamondbacks in the top of the first tonight, but the D-backs came out swinging in the second, with Christian Walker reaching on a throwing error by Alcides Escobar at short, and Seth Beer lining a single through the shift, and out to right field in Nationals Park, allowing Walker to run around to third base. With runners on first and third and no one out, Fedde issued a walk to Arizona’s right fielder, Pavin Smith, loading the bases, and one out later, Sergio Alcántara connected on a sac fly to right field, which gave the visiting club a 1-0 lead early in the 3rd of 4 in Washington, D.C.

A one-out double (by Ketel Marte) and back-to-back singles (by David Peralta and Christian Walker) added to the D-backs’ lead, 2-0, and Seth Beer connected for the 4th straight hit to drive in Peralta, singling to right field for a 3-0 advantage, and 4-0 on a sac fly to center by Pavin Smith.

In the fourth, Yonny Hernandez singled with one out, stole second, and scored on a 2-run shot to right field by Daulton Varsho, whose second of the series and third of the year put the D-backs up 6-0. A single in the next at-bat ended Fedde’s outing...

Erick Fedde’s Line: 3.1 IP, 8 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 1 BB, 3 Ks, 1 HR, 80 P, 55 S, 3/4 GO/FO.

Ring The Bell!!!:

Josh Bell’s 12-game on-base streak was snapped in Game 13 of 2022, in the nightcap of Tuesday’s doubleheader with the D-backs, when the Nats’ switch-hitting clean-up hitter went 0 for 3 with a K in the Nationals’ 1-0 win.

In those 12 games to start the year, Bell was 16 for 44 (.364/.472/.523) with a double, two homers, eight walks, and four Ks in 54 PAs.

He struck out four times in the first five games and 22 PAs this season, but K’d once in the next eight games and 35 PAs heading into tonight’s game.

Bell doubled to lead off the bottom of the second, after the visiting team took a 1-0 lead in the top of the inning, and he advanced to third on a Keibert Ruiz fly to right field, but then was tagged out on the way home on a Yadiel Hernández grounder to first that left Bell with no option but to surrender himself to the catcher for the second out of the inning.

Unfortunately, Bell left the game between the end of the third/ start of the fourth, with third baseman Maikel Franco moving from third to first and Lucius Fox taking over at third base.

No word why Bell was lifted, but we’ll hear from Davey Martinez after the game...

Bullpen Action:

Francisco Pérez, who was selected off waivers from Cleveland after making his MLB debut in 2021, was called up for yesterday’s nightcap of the doubleheader with Arizona, and the left-handed reliever was briefly, technically, returned to Triple-A Rochester, before he was called back up with Sean Doolittle going on the IL and outfielder Donovan Casey returning to the Nationals’ top minor league affiliate before the 3rd of 4 with the D-backs in D.C.

In his debut out of the Nationals’ bullpen, Pérez, 24, gave up a 2-out walk and 2-run double (to Christian Walker, and by Seth Beer), before he got out of the top of the fourth, with the Nats trailing 8-0.

Patrick Murphy gave up a single and a walk in the first two plate appearances after he took over in the top of the fifth inning, and a throwing error by Lucius Fox on Yonny Hernandez’s grounder and sac fly by Daulton Varsho made it 10-0, and 11-0 on an RBI groundout by Ketel Marte. Ugly.

Sam Clay needed just six pitches in a quick, scoreless top of the sixth.

Merrill Kelly’s 0.00ver:

Merrill Kelly tossed 9 ¹⁄₃ scoreless in his first two starts of the season, and the 33-year-old right-hander was up to 14 ¹⁄₃ after five scoreless innings before the Nationals got a run on the board in the bottom of the sixth, with Juan Soto doubling to start the inning and then scoring on a two-out single by Keibert Ruiz (2 for 3), 11-1 Arizona.

Back To The Bullpen Action:

Andres Machado tossed a scoreless, 12-pitch, top of the seventh, to keep it a 10-run game, and the Nationals’ cut into the D-backs’ lead with César Hernández, Juan Soto, and Nelson Cruz connecting for back-to-back-to-back two-out hits off reliever Corbin Martin when the home team came up to bat, with Hernández scoring on Cruz’s RBI single, 11-2. That’s how it ended...

Final Score: 11-2 D-backs

Nationals now 6-8