Maybe Milwaukee Brewers catcher Omar Narváez illegally blocked dwelling plate. Maybe he missed Thomas’s again whereas swiping the tag. Yes, it was an overaggressive ship from third base coach Gary DiSarcina, pushing too arduous for a run with the Nationals down two. But in a vital spot, Martinez needed to see whether or not, given a couple of further seems from the umpires, the Nationals would possibly catch a break.
Moments later, although, crew chief Jeff Nelson advised Martinez he didn’t request the assessment throughout the allotted 20 seconds. Martinez contended postgame that the Nationals took solely 17 earlier than asking. And whereas the sequence didn’t resolve Washington’s 7-0 loss to the Brewers, it certain did thicken the membership’s “How to Fall or Stay Behind” file.
There has been no scarcity of entries by way of 40 video games.
“I definitely didn’t think I had a clear lane to slide,” Thomas mentioned, pointing to what the Nationals needed reviewed. “I know that rule is kind of finicky ’cause they can say the ball takes you into the lane. So I don’t know, but I thought it was weird we weren’t allowed to challenge. I know we were trying to.”
“We have a clock, too,” Martinez added. “As soon as the play is over, we start the clock. It was 17 seconds.”
For 5⅔ innings, Erick Fedde restricted Milwaukee with a stream of cutters, cracking solely when Rowdy Tellez rocked a first-pitch cutter for a second-deck, two-run homer. Fedde recorded yet one more out for the Nationals (13-27) and exited at 97 pitches.
Before he did, the offense was so stumped by Brewers lefty Eric Lauer that Victor Robles, Alcides Escobar and César Hernández every squared to bunt in a one-two-three fifth. Robles and Hernández bought theirs down, main to routine outs. Escobar pulled again and went on to strike out swinging on a excessive fastball. Lauer’s seven scoreless included 5 hits, 5 strikeouts and no walks.
“Re-watching it, it was a ball … but I personally wanted it up more,” Fedde mentioned of the cutter to Tellez. “And I mean, I hate to say it, but when you get a guy out with that pitch twice and then he comes and he makes an adjustment, that’s on me to probably try to get him out a different way.”
After Fedde left the sport, the Nationals erased a seventh-inning rally with an around-the-horn triple play, the second in membership historical past. Carl Edwards Jr. was in a jam earlier than Luis Urías skipped a tough grounder to Maikel Franco at third. Franco stepped on the bag and threw to Hernández at second, then Hernández turned and fired to Josh Bell at first. Edwards yelled and clenched his proper fist. Washington, nonetheless trailing by two, had an opportunity.
The greatest alternative, although, was when Thomas squared that ball into the right-center hole. In want of a couple of run, DiSarcina might have held Thomas at third and hoped for a sacrifice fly from catcher Riley Adams, who adopted the play with a single. But he took a danger that, in the tip, yielded nothing however confusion across the ballpark.
“It’s a situation where Gary is looking at it, we’re trying to score runs, we haven’t scored any runs, it’s the bottom of the order,” Martinez mentioned of the ship. “What he saw and what I saw, the cutoff man didn’t have the ball yet, he was going to touch third and he thought he may have had a shot. But when you don’t score any runs, you’re trying everything you can to get a run across the plate.”
What occurred after the action-filled seventh? In the highest of the eighth, Nelson Cruz rocketed a ball foul to left, simply lacking a two-run homer that may have tied the sport. In the underside half, the Brewers stretched their lead towards reliever Austin Voth, driving hits from Christian Yelich, Tellez, Hunter Renfroe (a two-run single) and Tyrone Taylor (a three-run shot to left). Voth notched one out and allowed 5 runs.
What’s the most recent with third baseman Carter Kieboom? The 24-year-old will endure season-ending Tommy John surgical procedure in Cincinnati on May 27, Martinez advised reporters Friday afternoon. Kieboom has been sidelined since spring coaching with a flexor mass pressure in his proper elbow. And because the membership headed north from West Palm Beach, Fla., he had been slowly making an attempt to rehab the harm and keep away from a serious process.
But after feeling discomfort in a current throwing session, Kieboom and the Nationals determined Tommy John was the perfect path ahead. The restoration interval is often shorter for place gamers, that means Kieboom might return by February and compete for a job in camp. Before hurting his elbow, he was supposed to accomplish that with Maikel Franco in March — although Franco, who has performed in all 40 of the Nationals’ video games, is now much more solidified in that spot.
The surgical procedure is one other step again for Kieboom, who has been unable to set up himself in the majors. The former high prospect appeared in components of the 2019, 2020 and 2021 seasons. He has a .589 on-base-plus-slugging share in 414 profession plate appearances.
What’s the most recent with Stephen Strasburg and Joe Ross? Much extra encouraging news. Both right-handers, who’re on the identical schedule, threw three innings and 43 pitches in a simulated sport Thursday. If their bullpen classes go properly Saturday in West Palm Beach, they may make their subsequent appearances in rehab assignments with one among Washington’s minor league associates.
Strasburg continues to be working again from the thoracic outlet surgical procedure he underwent final summer time. Ross is recovering from having a bone spur faraway from his elbow in early March. From right here, Martinez desires them to throw 5 innings, six innings and 90 pitches earlier than becoming a member of the Nationals.
“It’s tough when you have those injuries and you’re in Florida, but the end is coming,” Martinez mentioned. “Hopefully they’ll both be here sometime in the near future.”
