Nationals rally to beat Royals

As dominant as the Washington Nationals have been over the last six weeks, there are times when old problems for the club can rear their ugly head.

For instance, Washington’s bullpen squandered a scoreless gem from starter Patrick Corbin in the eighth Sunday — an inning that has been toxic for the Nationals. 

But these days — unlike earlier in the season — the Nationals still find a way to win. 

The Nationals scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth to storm back to a 5-2 win Sunday over the Kansas City Royals. The Nationals now enter the All-Star break having won 28 of their last 39 games. 

Third baseman Anthony Rendon’s double scored Adam Eaton and pinch-hitter Howie Kendrick knocked in two more runs with a double to make the difference in Sunday’s contest. 

 

The Nationals’ starting pitching has been a key reason for their surge over the last six weeks. Entering Sunday’s game, Washington’s starting rotation posted just a 3.59 ERA — fourth-best in MLB and third-best in the National League. Collectively, Washington’s starters also lead FanGraph’s Wins Above Replacement (WAR) metric with 11.9.

They’ve been even better since May 24, the beginning of Washington’s turnaround. Since then, the Nationals’ starters have a 3.21 ERA — trailing only the Los Angeles Dodgers’ core as the best in baseball. Further, Washington’s starters have been reliable — pitching 229 ⅔ of 340 innings, per FanGraphs.

Cobrin, meanwhile, has helped Washington’s rotation become stable. Dating back to last season, Washington suffered from not having a dependable, quality starter beyond Max Scherzer. Gio Gonzalez’ performance declined and the veteran was later traded. Stephen Strasburg again went through an injury-riddled year.

That’s why the Nationals wasted no time in the offseason in signing Corbin, the top pitcher available in free agency, to a six-year, $140 million deal.

“He’s been great,” manager Dave Martinez said before the game. “He’s been everything we hoped he could possibly be.”

Corbin delivered another quality start Sunday. He made quick work of Kansas City’s lineup in the first, striking out the side. Relying on his slider, Corbin routinely got ahead of the count and kept Kansas City at bay for most the afternoon.

Corbin’s only sign of trouble occurred in the fourth when the 29-year-old allowed two men to get on base. But the Nationals escaped the jam. Victor Robles threw a laser from center field to home plate that allowed catcher Yan Gomes to tag out Alex Gordon. Then, Corbin struck out Nicky Lopez to end the inning.

Robles added additional run support for the Nationals in the seventh, sending a pitch deep to left to put Washington up 2-0.

With Corbin exiting in the seventh, the Royals got on the board in the eighth. Royals shortstop Adalberto Mondesi hit an RBI-single off reliever Fernando Rodney, cutting Washington’s lead to one. Martinez then inserted closer Sean Doolittle in an attempt to get Washington out of the jam, but the Royals tied the game when Gordon smacked an RBI double off the wall. Doolittle recorded an out the next at-bat, although the damage was already done.

But Washington’s offensive rally in the bottom of the inning saved them. 

The Nationals will now head into the All-Star break looking to recover from various nagging injuries. Washington initially had two players — Scherzer and third baseman Anthony Rendon — named to the All-Star Game, but both withdrew to rest.

Scherzer’s withdrawal came as a bit of a surprise as the Nationals had planned for their ace to play in Tuesday’s event as recently as Saturday. But hours after Washington’s 6-0 win Saturday — in which Scherzer threw 103 pitches — MLB announced Cincinnati Reds starter Sonny Gray as Scherzer’s replacement.

On Sunday, Scherzer revealed he had been dealing with back tightness since his start last week in Detroit. Though he didn’t seem overly concerned about the injury, Scherzer and the Nationals decided it would be wiser for the 34-year-old to take advantage of the break rather than pitch on two days notice. Scherzer said his back tightened up again in Saturday’s start against the Royals.

Scherzer still plans to participate in the All-Star Game’s off-the-field activities in Cleveland.

“I know my body pretty well,” Scherzer said. “I just know I’m not going to be at my best if I pitch on two days rest and I would really jeopardize our season if I were to do something like that.

“For me, right now, I know my body needs rest. That’s all I need.”