The Nationals’ pitching staff couldn’t take the heat. Washington’s bullpen turned a close game into a blowout by allowing seven runs in the last two innings of Sunday’s 11-5 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Nationals manager Blake Butera said after the disappointing loss that the District’s ongoing heat wave was at least partially responsible for Sunday’s pitching struggles.
The late collapse — combined with a lackluster start by Nationals pitcher Cade Cavalli — created an insurmountable deficit for Washington’s typically high-scoring lineup.
Cavalli allowed six hits and four runs across just 2 1/3 innings of work.
“The heat just got to him,” Butera said after the game, noting that Cavalli reported a headache during his outing. “He got pretty dehydrated out there, just ran out of gas.”
“I don’t know why my body reacted the way it did to [the heat,]” said Cavalli. “In the second inning, I threw a pitch where I kind of got after one and got a little lightheaded. … Just a really weird feeling that I was having. It’s no excuse for how I threw the ball.”
His fastball velocity dipped each inning. After a scoreless first, Cavalli allowed three runs off singles in the second and a solo home run to lead off the third. Butera pulled his starter after another batter reached base on a groundball into the outfield.
But the Nationals rallied after Cavalli’s early exit, despite the 4-0 deficit. Washington’s relievers posted five scoreless innings while the offense found its spark.
First baseman Luis Garcia Jr., whom manager Blake Butera called Washington’s “Barry Bonds” before the game, slapped a two-run homer in the bottom of the third to cut Pittsburgh’s four-run lead in half.
It was Garcia’s 19th home run of the season, a new career high for the infielder who debuted in 2020. No major leaguer has hit more homers than Garcia since May 24; he’s added 16 to his total over the last six weeks.
The Nationals cut into the Pirates’ advantage again an inning later, when outfielder Dylan Crews scored from third base on a groundout by second baseman Jorbit Vivas.
In the bottom of the fifth, shortstop C.J. Abrams took the plate with the bases loaded and no outs. His pop-fly necessitated a diving grab by Pirates shortstop Konnor Griffin, allowing James Wood to score the tying run from third base.
But Washington’s bullpen, as it has throughout the season, couldn’t hold onto a lead.
Reliever Brad Lord allowed five runners to reach base after starting his outing with four consecutive outs. Each of the five batters faced two-strike counts before ultimately heading to first baseman.
“Maybe it was trying to do too much with two strikes,” Lord said.
Butera again cited the heat — the game-time temperature started at 92 degrees with Washington’s signature humidity pushing the heat index toward triple digits — as a potential cause of Lord’s struggles.
“The weather was tough,” the manager said. “He just wasn’t able to put guys away when he was ahead in the count. His second inning out there, started to run out of some gas. The heat was real.”
Griffin took advantage of a bases-loaded opportunity with a two-run single.
The next batter, second baseman Brandon Lowe, cleared the bases with a three-run homer to give Pittsburgh a 9-4 advantage.
The Pirates added two more runs in the ninth to seal the win.
Sunday was the latest disappointment in Washington’s ongoing bullpen struggles, a flaw that has threatened to tank an upstart Nationals squad that is aiming for a postseason berth. Washington leads the league with 51 save opportunities on the season. The relievers have converted just 26 of those chances.
The Nationals’ bullpen ranks fifth-worst in the majors in ERA and has allowed eight more homers than any other MLB group.
Butera couldn’t offer any solutions to the ongoing problem on Sunday.
“These guys were asked to give us multiple innings out of the bullpen,” he said. “It’s tough to do that normally. It’s even harder to do it when it’s this hot, but those guys competed.”
The 46-45 Nationals continue their homestand with a three-game set against the Houston Astros that begins on Monday night. Washington currently trails the NL East-leading Atlanta Braves by 7 1/2 games. The Nationals are three games behind the St. Louis Cardinals for the final wild-card spot.
Contact the author
Please read our comment policy before commenting.