There was a certain admirable quality to what the Nationals bullpen did Thursday afternoon. After a 1-hour, 43-minute rain delay forced MacKenzie Gore’s start to end after only 1 1/3 innings and 17 pitches, Davey Martinez had to ask six relievers to churn out a combined 8 2/3 innings in a game that wasn’t decided until the 10th.
Of course, the bullpen’s performance would’ve been appreciated even more had Kyle Finnegan not surrendered the game-tying run in the eighth and Hunter Harvey surrendered the game-winning runs in the 10th.
But given the circumstances, and what was asked of them, Martinez couldn’t get too down on the group as a whole.
The key figure in the proceedings was Mason Thompson, who was summoned to take over when the rain delay ended, thrust into a jam in the top of the second. The right-hander proceeded to induce an inning-ending, 6-2-3 double play, then returned to pitch the third and fourth innings, ultimately allowing one run to the Reds.
“It starts with the first guy and wondering how far he can go,” Martinez said. “Mason did a great job. You’re hoping for an inning and two-thirds, and he gave us more than that. So that set the tone. Then the rest of the guys just followed suit. I thought they did really well.”
Jordan Weems went 1 2/3 innings following Thompson, though he also was charged with a run that scored when Elly De La Cruz doubled off just-inserted left-hander Jose A. Ferrer with two outs in the sixth. Ferrer would come back to pitch a 1-2-3 seventh, but then Finnegan gave up the tying in the eighth on a leadoff double and a one-out RBI single by Joey Votto.
With the game tied, Martinez entrusted the top of the ninth to Hunter Harvey, who retired the side with a pair of strikeouts. But with only long reliever Cory Abbott remaining among available pitchers, Harvey was asked to return for the top of the 10th and immediately served up a two-run homer to Nick Senzel that proved the difference in the game.
All of this leaves the Nationals in something of a precarious position entering this weekend’s series with the Rangers. Thompson and Weems would seem to be unavailable tonight after their heavy workloads Thursday, and Martinez might prefer to stay away from both Finnegan (23 pitches) and Harvey (22 pitches) given how much each threw.
“The big question is tomorrow,” the manager said. “We’ll see how everybody is tomorrow.”
* Riley Adams continues to produce despite limited playing opportunities. And the Nationals’ backup catcher isn’t just hitting; he’s hitting for power.
Adams, who started behind the plate Thursday while Keibert Ruiz served as designated hitter, went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles.
This was nothing new for Adams, who now has 20 hits in 71 at-bats this season, 10 of those for extra bases. His .535 slugging percentage and .881 OPS actually lead the team, though he doesn’t have nearly enough plate appearances to qualify for official league leaderboards.
* Adams’ ninth-inning double looked like it would jumpstart a game-winning rally. Instead, he wound up the only member of the lineup to reach base that inning.
After the 260-pound catcher reached base with one out, all eyes turned to the home dugout in search of a pinch-runner. The Nats’ most common choice for that role all season has been Michael Chavis, but he was sent home sick earlier in the day, leaving the team with only a three-man bench. And because both Dominic Smith and Corey Dickerson had already been used, the only person left standing was Luis Garcia.
Martinez elected not to pinch-run in that moment, a move that may have raised eyebrows but didn’t ultimately cost the Nationals. Adams had to hold up on CJ Abrams’ deep drive to right, then retreat to second base when Reds right fielder Nick Senzel made a leaping catch at the wall to rob Abrams of at least a walk-off double.
Garcia would eventually pinch-run the following inning after Jeimer Candelario was hit by a pitch on the right knee and went down to the ground in pain. Candelario tried to walk it off and remain in the game, but he was pulled in favor of Garcia. Afterwards, Candelario was seen in the clubhouse without any ice or wrap on the knee.
* Thursday’s official paid attendance of 10,064 was the smallest crowd of the season at Nationals Park, and the second-smallest crowd in club history (excluding games with COVID-related attendance restrictions).
The only crowd smaller than that came April 19, 2022 when the Nats faced the Diamondbacks in the opener of a day-night doubleheader, a makeup game from a previous rainout. Official paid attendance that day was 9,261.
Thursday’s small crowd aside, the Nationals haven’t had a significant attendance problem this year. Despite coming off a 107-loss season, they have averaged 21,634 fans per game so far in 2023. That ranks 21st in the majors and represents a minimal drop from last year’s average crowd of 21,827.