PHOENIX — The Washington Nationals had been searching for three clean outs from a relief pitcher seemingly for a week. They didn’t get it during a miserable, four-game sweep in Colorado over the weekend, and they didn’t get it from setup man Jon Rauch last night in Arizona.
But thanks to one last rally, the Nationals put closer Chad Cordero in position to pitch a 1-2-3 ninth inning and record a much-needed save. Much-needed for Washington, which snapped its losing streak with a 7-6 victory over the Diamondbacks, and much-needed for the bullpen, which has enjoyed few positive moments during an abysmal second half of the season.
Cordero, though, has been the one constant out there, posting a 1.99 ERA and 11 saves since the All-Star break. He added another save to the tally last night, his 25th of the season, when he got Chris Young to ground out and then struck out Orlando Hudson and Luis Gonzalez to cap a dominant performance and send a Chase Field crowd of 29,610 home disappointed.
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Cordero found himself in position to earn the save thanks to a ninth-inning rally by the Nationals. Felipe Lopez and Ryan Zimmerman led off against Luis Vizcaino with singles, and after Nick Johnson struck out, Austin Kearns was issued an intentional walk. That loaded the bases for Jose Vidro, and the veteran second baseman responded by drawing a five-pitch walk of his own, forcing Lopez home with the go-ahead run and giving Vidro four RBI for the night.
Washington (62-82) scored five of its seven runs in the final three innings, coming back strong to win for the first time in five days.
Held in check for most of the night by ex-teammate Claudio Vargas, the Nationals finally struck in the seventh. Trailing 4-2 when the inning began, they loaded the bases with one out against reliever Brandon Lyon and then got a clutch, two-run, base hit up the middle from Johnson to tie the game.
Lyon, who walked four Washington batters in the 11th to lose a game earlier this month at RFK Stadium, followed the Johnson single with four straight balls to Kearns and thus found himself in another bases-loaded jam.
This time the batter was Vidro, and the veteran second baseman responded with a two-run single up the middle, putting the Nationals ahead 6-4 with his third RBI of the night.
Of course, that lead was now entrusted to the Washington bullpen, a much-maligned group that just experienced a horrific weekend in Colorado.
Youngsters Saul Rivera (two innings) and Ryan Wagner (one inning) did their part, keeping the Diamondbacks off the scoreboard and giving their teammates a chance to rally.
But setup man Rauch failed miserably in adding the latest bullpen blowup to Washington’s growing resume. Rauch entered in the seventh with a freshly minted, two-run lead and promptly walked the leadoff hitter on four pitches (which makes him subject to a $25 fine per the club’s new rules).
If not for catcher Brian Schneider’s sprawling, over-the-rail catch of Eric Byrnes’ foul pop, Rauch might not have escaped the inning unscathed. Not that it mattered in the end, because the big right-hander imploded in the eighth.
Rauch (who actually wound up getting the win) again walked the leadoff batter, prompting manager Frank Robinson to bury his head in his hands in disbelief. Moments later, Damion Easley belted a 3-2 offering from the right-hander into the left-field bleachers, a two-run homer that left this game tied.
The late offense from both clubs rendered Billy Traber’s shaky performance moot.
Traber had not pitched since a Sept. 2 no-decision against these same Diamondbacks because of off-days and the Nationals’ attempt to squeeze six starting pitchers into a five-man rotation. He may not find himself back on the mound for a while after failing to pitch deep into a ballgame again last night.
Traber’s problem previously was an inability to retire opposing batters — he put 20 men on base over 6-2/3 total innings his last two starts. His problem last night was an inability to keep the ball in the park.
Three of the Diamondbacks’ first four hits were home runs, all solo, all towering shots. Conor Jackson and Chris Snyder each connected in the second inning, with Snyder launching his ball into the second deck down the left-field line.
One inning later, rookie Chris Young deposited a solo blast of his own onto the overhang above the left-center fence, putting the Nationals in a 3-0 hole. With that, Traber had surrendered more homers (three) in this game than he did in his seven previous starts this season (two).
And by the time he served up three straight singles to open the fourth, his night was over. Robinson strolled to the mound and asked for the ball from the young left-hander, who then did his customary sprint back to the dugout.
The question now is when he will next sprint back to the mound. After failing to last more than four innings in three straight starts, Traber could have a tough time convincing Robinson to give him the ball again.
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