Corbin rocked for record 11 runs in record-setting loss (updated)

PHOENIX – As he sat in his office this afternoon, a frantic and often emotional trade deadline period having finally been completed with four veterans dealt away, Davey Martinez took a deep breath and tried to turn the page.

"It’s over," the Nationals manager said. "Let’s go play baseball."

It was a nice thought, and surely for the 26 remaining players and the coaching staff, the idea of a ballgame to prepare for had to be refreshing. Until that ballgame began and disaster ensued.

Patrick Corbin, one of only two remaining players on the active roster due to become a free agent at season’s end along with reliever Jacob Barnes, took the mound for the 22nd time this season, the 160th time since signing a six-year, $140 million contract in 2019, and proceeded to do something no pitcher in Nationals history had ever done.

During the first three innings of what wound up a 17-0 spanking at the hands of the Diamondbacks, Corbin surrendered 11 runs. It’s not only the most runs he’s allowed in his career, it’s the most runs any pitcher has allowed in club history.

The 17-run loss, meanwhile, is the most lopsided in Nationals history, surpassing a 24-8 drubbing by the Padres on July 16, 2021.

"We dug ourselves a hole really early," Martinez said. "It was tough. They swung the bats well. That's a lot of runs to come back from."

This represented yet a new low for Corbin in a five-year stretch that has featured far too many low points. That it came on the same day the Nats theoretically could have traded the 35-year-old lefty if he had merely strung together more quality starts only made it sting worse.

The Nationals have long since accepted Corbin isn’t going anywhere. There was internal discussion about moving him to the bullpen earlier this summer, but then Josiah Gray tore his elbow ligament during what was supposed to be his final rehab start for Triple-A Rochester and Cade Cavalli’s return from his own Tommy John surgery was delayed yet again.

So Corbin remains one of the Nats’ five regular starters. And to be fair, his recent performances – a 3.88 ERA over his last eight starts – at least suggested he was capable of eating up innings and giving his team a chance to win.

"He's thrown the ball really, really well," Martinez said. "It's just one of those days."

Corbin gave them no chance tonight, digging his team into a 2-0 hole in the first inning, then completely imploding during a seven-run bottom of the second, an inning that included seven consecutive two-out hits by the Diamondbacks that left them 10-for-15 with 17 total bases for the game.

"Tough one tonight," Corbin said. "I've just got to move on from it. I feel like I've been throwing well. Today was just the total opposite."

Down 9-0, Martinez sent Corbin back to the mound for the bottom of the third, at which point he surrendered two more runs (albeit one of them unearned after left fielder James Wood bobbled a base hit to him). His pitch count at 67, Martinez opted not to make his starter go back out for the fourth, turning the rest of the game over to his bullpen.

"At that point, I would've gone back out," Corbin said. "It's just that the pitch count got a little up there."

The 11 runs Corbin allowed represent a career high for him, breaking his previous high of 10, also set against the Diamondbacks on April 15, 2021. And though there had been seven other pitchers (Joe Ross, A.J. Cole, Jeremy Guthrie, Gio Gonzalez, Jason Bergmann, Jason Simontacchi and Jerome Williams) in 20 seasons of Nationals baseball to surrender 10 runs in a game, none had ever remained on the mound to surrender an 11th run.

Though they saw Arizona rally from an 8-2 deficit to win in stunning fashion Monday night, the Nats never came close to threatening to return the favor tonight. CJ Abrams led off the game with a single. Ryne Nelson didn’t allow another hit until Alex Call’s leadoff single in the fifth. The Nationals did not put a runner in scoring position against the right-hander.

By night’s end, they had been shut out for the 13th time this season, tied with the 27-83 White Sox for most in the majors. Five of those shutout losses have come this month alone.

"We got (Nelson) up to 42 pitches the first couple innings," Martinez said. "Then he settled down, and he threw the ball well. We really couldn't get anything going all night."