MIAMI — Tuesday was a day the Washington Nationals hope to soon forget. Stephen Strasburg started but too often found the heart of the plate and the Miami Marlins’ bats. He put the Nationals in an early deficit that mounted dramatically in the middle of the game under reliever Craig Stammen. The Nationals made committed two errors. The lineup was utterly dormant and produced one hit through the first seven innings the day after a successful performance.
And by the fourth inning of the 11-2 blowout loss, the benches cleared after Ian Desmond and Marlins catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia jawed at each other when starter Tom Koehler fired a wild fastball too high and too close to the Nationals shortstop. In Game 14, the Nationals suffered their most lopsided loss of the season and it was against an opponent they should be battering. In fact, since the start of the 2013 season, the Nationals are 18-6 against the Marlins, which makes Tuesday’s beatdown more unsettling. The Marlins entered with an eight-game losing streak.
Good teams hoping to win a division shouldn’t lose games by such a wide margin. And if they do, they wash them away as quickly as possible. But there are small trends to keep an eye on two weeks into the season. Despite a focus in spring training on defense under new Manager Matt Williams, the team has committed 15 errors in 14 games. The starting rotation, the supposed backbone of the team, has a 5.06 ERA, which would rank them fifth worst in the majors. They have looked strong at times then difficult to watch other times.
For seven innings Tuesday night, the Nationals’ only hit was Anthony Rendon’s single to right field to begin the game. Koehler, Miami’s fifth starter, was still wild at times and walked five batters, but the Nationals could convert none of them into runs. The Nationals finally added another hit with two outs in the eighth inning off reliever Dan Jennings with Bryce Harper’s single, and then a run after rookie Steven Souza Jr.’s first major league hit. Another rookie, Zach Walters, entered as a late-game substitute and drilled his first major league home run in the ninth inning.
The Nationals, on the other hand, were done in by their pitching. Strasburg’s command was off from the start and the Marlins pounced on him. He allowed a leadoff single to Christian Yelich to begin his outing. Then he allowed another single to Marcell Ozuna. Then he served up a booming three-run shot to center, a blast of more than 420 feet, to slugger Giancarlo Stanton. Since the start of the 2010 season, Stanton has 20 homers against the Nationals, nine more than the next hitter.
Stanton’s influence overNationals pitching continued in the second inning when, after a Strasburg wild pitch allowed two runners to move into scoring position, Williams elected to intentionally walk the slugger to load the bases instead of facing him with one out. The tactic worked at first when Garrett Jones hit a groundball to Adam LaRoche, who fired home for a force out. But in the next at-bat, Casey McGehee singled to left field and drove into more runs. Five outs into the game, the Nationals trailed 6-0.
For all of his ability and talent, Strasburg has yet to master pitching in humid Marlins Park. He entered the game with a 3.69 ERA over 15 career starts against the Marlins, but he has struggled in this stadium that opened in 2012. After allowing six runs on eight hits over four innings on Tuesday, Strasburg now has a 7.58 ERA over four starts at Marlins Park.
The Nationals deficit turned ugly when Stammen entered in the fifth inning for Strasburg and surrendered five runs on six hits and a walk. His throwing error to third to try and cut down a base runner allowed two runs to score. Tyler Clippard, a valuable reliever, and Rafael Soriano, the closer, pitched the seventh and eighth innings of a lost game.
The game’s biggest fireworks occurred in the fourth inning. Desmond appeared to have reason to bark back at Saltalamacchia, but frustration may have played a part.
With the Marlins leading 6-0, Koehler’s second pitch to Desmond ran high and inside. On replays, Desmond appeared to say something to the effect of “Throw the ball over the plate.” Two batters earlier, Koehler threw a fastball high and inside to Jayson Werth, who drew a six-pitch walk.
Desmond didn’t like the pitch running inside to him and didn’t take it lightly. As Desmond adjusted his batting gloves after making his remark, Saltalamacchia talked back to Desmond. The exchange heated up and home plate umpire Marty Foster stepped between them. Saltalamacchia removed his helmet, and then both benches and bullpens emptied. An umpire pushed a heated Koehler away from the mass of bodies.
Umpires warned both benches. After a few minutes, players returned to their places peacefully and play resumed. And when it did, the Nationals turned in an ugly performance they hope to wash away quickly.