Gonzalez on loss to Padres: "You got to make a better pitch"

The Nationals got down early against the Padres with left-hander Gio Gonzalez on the mound.

San Diego led 4-0 after three innings and 5-1 after four. The Padres would eventually hold on for the 6-5 win. It marked Gonzalez's third straight loss.

Unfortunately, this trend of early deficits has been repeated in his three most recent starts.

Gonzalez has now allowed four or more earned runs in those three starts since August 15. He has been unable to record more than five innings of work in six of his last seven outings.

In his last three losses, Gonzalez has allowed the opponent to jump out ahead before the fourth inning begins.

On August 15 at San Francisco, Gonzalez left after 2 2/3 innings and the Giants eventually led 6-2 after three. The Giants went on to win 12-6.

On August 21 versus Milwaukee, Gonzalez was down 2-1 in the third and 5-1 in the fifth. The Brewers ended up 10-3 victors.

Wednesday night, Gonzalez got into trouble in the third. The Padres scored four times on a double and a home run. Suddenly, it was 4-0 San Diego.

Manager Matt Williams watched as Gonzalez gave up a walk to Yangervis Solarte to start the game and then a single to Melvin Upton Jr. He was able to wiggle out of the two-on, no-out jam by recording three outs, including a pair of strikeouts.

But in the third inning, Matt Kemp ripped a two-run double and Justin Upton followed with a two-run shot.

"Tonight, he worked through the first inning," said Williams. "Had a little trouble, worked through. Couldn't get through the next time around with those guys in the middle of the order. Kemp hit a fastball to right center for the double and then Upton picked up a fastball, too. There's four right there."

Gonzalez was asked about the double by Kemp in the third that put San Diego up 2-0.

"The double was a good pitch, the ball was hit to right field, so I think the double was down and away where I wanted it to be," Gonzalez said, visibly upset. "Good hitter. Tip your cap."

Did Gonzalez feel like his outing was feeling any different on this night?

"Not really anything," Gonzalez said. "I was pounding the strike zone, I was getting ahead of the hitters. Maybe walked two guys, other than that, typical start."

Gonzalez did struggle getting the first batter in each inning out.

Solarte walked to lead off the game. In the second, Derek Norris singled. In the third, Tyson Ross recorded a base hit. In the fourth, another single, this one from Austin Hedges, to begin the inning.

Williams said allowing San Diego early baserunners in each inning was a problem.

"We talk about it all the time," Williams said. "It's traffic. It's traffic for the pitcher out of the stretch, rhythm is certainly different. We talk about it with regard to our offense all the time. It just makes it more difficult. Puts pressure on."

But Gonzalez didn't believe pitching out of stretch with nobody out was any kind of handicap to finishing the inning.

"You got to pitch either way. It's a team that's going to put runners on base," Gonzalez said. "You still got to pitch whether from the wind up or the stretch.

"You got to make a better pitch. Got to get an out."

It was the first career loss for Gonzalez against the Padres. Reliever Doug Fister came in after Gonzalez for 2 1/3 innings, allowing only another Justin Upton homer.

Having Gonzalez and Fister pitch in the same game is certainly not what the Nationals envisioned to begin the season.

The duo has combined for 14 losses so far this season. Fister and Gonzalez were expected to be a major part of a five-man starting rotation that controlled games and kept the score down.

Fister's ERA is 4.66 through 19 games (15 starts), while Gonzalez is currently running at 4.11 through 24 starts.

Fister hasn't reached an ERA above 4.00 for a season since 2010 when he reached 4.11 in 28 starts for Seattle. Same goes for Gonzalez, whose ERA has not been above 3.57 since posting a 5.75 in 20 games for Oakland in 2009.

The Nationals will need these two veteran hurlers to get back to recording outs on a consistent basis down the stretch to stay in the postseason race.