Facing the lineup that has battered him more than any other, Jordan Zimmermann found his most difficult opponent lurking behind him. On the rare day the Washington Nationals starter solved the St. Louis Cardinals, his defense unraveled during one critical inning and his offense provided scant support.
Zimmermann allowed only one earned run over seven innings in the Nationals’ 4-3 loss to the Cardinals on Saturday afternoon at sold-out Nationals Park. But the Cardinals took advantage of Anthony Rendon’s throwing error and two misplays by Jayson Werth to score three unearned runs in the second inning. The Nationals’ offense never recovered, despite Danny Espinosa’s rocket into the front row in the fifth inning and Rendon’s RBI double in eighth.
By the latter innings, the Nationals had more to worry about than Zimmermann’s fifth loss to the Cardinals in eight tries. Left fielder Bryce Harper exited after six innings. The Nationals offered no details, but Harper has been battling tightness in his quadriceps, which kept him out of the lineup Wednesday in Miami.
Harper sustained no apparent injury, although he made an awkward play in the top of the sixth. He chased down Jhonny Peralta’s flyball down the left field line and made the catch on the sliver of warning track between the chalk and the side wall. Harper fell to one knee as he made the catch, but he hopped up and made a strong throw to second base and stayed in for the remainder of the inning.
The Nationals mustered a rally in the ninth off dominant closer Trevor Rosenthal, but it fizzled once Harper’s spot in the order came up. Zach Walters drew a pinch-hit, one-out walk. Denard Span followed with a single he lined off Rosenthal’s backside.
Up came Kevin Frandsen, who had replaced Harper. He scored a run with a hard grounder to third base, leaving the rally — and the game — to Werth. Rosenthal blazed two chest-high, 99-mph fastballs past Werth to end it.
On Friday, the Nationals broke the team-wide spell the Cardinals cast over them, snapping an eight-game losing streak to St. Louis. Saturday afternoon, Zimmermann didn’t receive enough help to exorcise his personal Cardinals demon.
Zimmermann entered Saturday 0-4 with an 8.59 ERA against the Cardinals in seven starts, including Game 2 of the 2012 National League Division series. The Cardinals had mashed 51 hits off him in 36 2/3 innings.
“I don’t know if we make too much of it,” Manager Matt Williams said before the game. “It may be a question of them seeing him better than they see somebody else. If he makes his pitches and executes the pitch, he’s got a chance to beat anybody. History is good to look at. But it doesn’t mean today, and it doesn’t necessarily mean going forward. He just needs to throw the ball where he wants to, and he’ll be fine.”
Zimmermann breezed through a two-strikeout first in just 11 pitches, but he found trouble after his defense betrayed him in the second. Following a one-out walk to Allen Craig, Zimmermann induced a double-play ball to third base from Peralta. Rendon, flawless at two positions all season, pulled Espinosa off second base with a wide throw.
Rather than escaping the inning, Zimmermann faced a jam. With two outs, Tony Cruz smoked a single to right field. Werth could have ended the inning and prevented a run with a strong, or even adequate, throw. The ball sailed 20 feet up the third base line, and Peralta cruised home to push the Cardinals ahead, 2-0.
When one thing goes wrong for Zimmermann against the Cardinals, it seems, it all goes wrong. Lance Lynn, the opposing starting pitcher, smacked Zimmermann’s 2-2 fastball into the right field corner. Werth had no chance to catch it, but when the ball skipped under his glove and rolled to the wall, it allowed Cruz to score from first base. The Cardinals led, 3-0, all of the runs unearned on account of Rendon’s error.
Espinosa led off the fifth with a solo homer off Lynn over the scoreboard in right field, his first major league home run since last May.
Espinosa’s reemergence has been one of the most pleasant developments of the Nationals season, especially once Ryan Zimmerman’s broken thumb pressed him into everyday service. But in a more crucial situation, Espinosa just missed his chance to pull the Nationals back into the game.
The Nationals loaded the bases in the sixth inning against Lynn after Desmond drew a two-out walk. Cardinals Manager Mike Matheny summoned left-hander Kevin Siegrest, opting to make Espinosa bat from the right side of the plate. Espinosa just missed a 2-0 fastball, lofting it to center field to end the inning.