Nats Lose Another ST Game, 3-2

Twice the Nats took one-run leads, twice the Marlins answered to tie, but Washington had no answer for Miami’s final salvo in the 7th for another 3-2 loss in Spring Training.

As is common with road games in the spring, five of “our guys” filled the starting lineup and accounted for two (2) of the five (5) Nats hits, with youknowwho connecting for a first-inning single that led to the first Washington run, aided by a Marlins error, and Taylor Gushue leading off the 2nd with a single.

The Nats left five on base and just one runner in the final two frames – a two-out walk by Matt Reynolds, his second and the final of three drawn.

Jefry Rodriguez (1IP, 2H, R, ER 0BB, K) was charged with the blown save for coughing up the second run in the 6th while Bryan Harper was charged with the loss as he let in the game-winner on an HBP-2B-1B sequence before getting an out between third and home on a grounder to 3B and rolling a 6-4-3 DP.

Here’s a rundown of how the watchlist players did:
   ●   Victor Robles batted second and played CF, going 1-for-3
   ●   Kelvin Gutierrez was the cleanup hitter, but didn’t get dirty with a 0-for-3 game and a whiff
   ●   Jose Marmolejos was the #5 batter and went hitless in 3 AB’s
   ●   Gushue was the DH and the #6 hitter and went 1-for-4 with two K’s
   ●   Andrew Stevenson batted 7th and was 7 on the scorecard but went 0-for-2
   ●   Rafael Bautista subbed for Stevenson in the lineup and Robles in the field but was also 0-for-2
   ●   Osvaldo Abreu followed Adrian Sanchez at 2B but did not bat

Tomorrow, the Nats return home to host the Barves in a 1 p.m. game that will be televised by MASN. And will be live, too. Max Scherzer gets the start while Robles, Stevenson, and Abreu are expected to come off the bench.