NEW YORK — In the split-second between diving for the ball and rising to one knee, Ian Desmond’s instincts were his guide.
With two outs in the seventh inning, the Washington Nationals shortstop saw Ramon Flores sprinting from second base to third. He knew he had an opportunity. Third base was his best shot. So he threw. The ball was headed for third baseman Anthony Rendon before its trajectory was interrupted by Flores’ back, skipping past the bag and into Washington’s dugout. Flores trotted home. Manager Matt Williams paced in the dugout. Desmond remained motionless in the infield, still on one knee.
The error knocked starter Max Scherzer out of the game and proved to be the decisive moment in Washington’s 6-1 loss to the New York Yankees on Tuesday night. It was a split-second decision, and, in that way, hardly a decision at all. It was more of a reaction, the product of instincts and experience, than a decision.
All that, of course, did not make it any less costly, or any easier for Desmond to stomach.
“I looked up and saw that he wasn’t to third,” he said. “And I thought there was an out.”
And, in reality, there was. A perfect throw — and quick reflexes by Rendon — could have ended the inning there. But video replays of the play show that the easier out was at first base. Alex Rodriguez, who hit the grounder, is not winning any races at 39 years old. And a throw to first base would have had an unobstructed flight path for the ball.
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“Well if the throw is to the left side of the runner, we’ve got a chance,” Williams said. “But we’ve also got a slower runner in Alex at the plate. He’s not a speeder, speed demon. So if he dives and catches that, he’s got a play at first, as well. Depends on the angle, of course, and where he’s going. But Desi’s got a play at first, too.”
Scherzer credited Desmond for keeping the ball in the infield in the first place. Off Rodriguez’s bat, he thought it was an RBI single. Instead, it was Desmond’s 14th error of the season.
“It’s just one of those things,” Scherzer said. “Desi made a great play and was just trying to get the runner at third, made it easy and the ball hit the runner. So that’s where we’re just not getting a break. He’s making a great break and trying to do the right thing. He’s busting his butt out there to make those type of plays. It’s just we didn’t catch a break, and that’s the difference in this game.”
Rodriguez’s grounder required Desmond to dive to his right, moving him closer to third base and the lead runner. He also only had a clear vision of third base as he rose to one knee.
“Both plays, looking back, would’ve been close,” Desmond said.”It would’ve been a close play at third. If I would’ve gotten up and threw across to first, it probably would’ve been a close play over there. It wasn’t like I was straight-up there. I was pretty far in the hole. It’s not a throw that I can’t make, but neither is the one to third. But ultimately we’ve got to score more runs. I don’t think that play decided the game. I think we had other opportunities. [Masahiro] Tanaka pitched a good game.”
The Nationals have missed plenty of opportunities over the past two weeks. They have now lost nine of their past 11 games, a stretch filled with poor situational hitting, poor bullpen performances and, at times, unlucky breaks.
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“But at the same time, you also have to make your breaks,” Scherzer said. “When you are losing, you have to find a way to dig deep and fight through it. We can’t sit here and say we have to have breaks to win ballgames. No. We’re a talented group. We can go out there and win a ballgame with or without breaks. It’s just something as a whole, myself included, we’ve got to find ways to execute better. Find a way to do your best and bring your ’A’ game tomorrow. That’s the only way to bust out of losing streaks.”
• Tom Schad can be reached at tschad@washingtontimes.com.
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