Lineup betrays Nats in 2-1 loss to Mets

NEW YORK – It was easy to focus on the manner in which the Nationals lost Thursday night’s game to the Mets, 2-1. Both runs allowed came off the bullpen, which had to adjust on the fly after a sudden downpour halted play with the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth inning before Kyle Finnegan could throw his first pitch.

Davey Martinez, though, recognized the larger problem with Thursday’s game. It had nothing to do with the Nats pitching staff. It had everything to do with their lineup.

“We’ve got to start swinging the bats,” the manager said. “We’ve got guys on third base with less than two outs, in games like this, those runs are important. We’ve got to have better at-bats, any way you can to get the ball in the outfield. We’ve got to do a better job of that.”

The only run the Nationals scored in this game came in the top of the sixth, and it wasn’t exactly a rousing rally that made it possible. CJ Abrams drew a leadoff walk and then stole second. Jeimer Candelario reached on catcher’s interference. Joey Meneses singled through the left side of the infield to load the bases. And Keibert Ruiz then lofted a ball to right field for the sacrifice fly that scored Abrams.

That’s all they managed all night. Even though there were opportunities for more.

“Once we scored and had a little bit of momentum there, first and third, less than two outs, we’ve got to try to get that run in,” Martinez said. “You’re playing at Citi Field, and you’re playing against a good team, one run … it can be done. But if you get another run, a tack-on run, it definitely helps.”

The best opportunity for that tack-on run came in the top of the seventh, after Alex Call beat out an infield single and Abrams singled as well to reach base for the third time in the game. Up stepped Lane Thomas with runners now on the corners and one out. Anything hit to the outfield would likely have scored the insurance run. Instead, Thomas took a whack at the first pitch he saw and grounded into a killer, inning-ending double play.

No member of the Nationals’ regular lineup has been more productive this season than Thomas, but he’s not immune to shaky games on occasion, and this one qualified. He finished 0-for-4 with two strikeouts to go along with the aforementioned double play.

“Look, it happened to be Lane today, but it’s been quite a few guys not being able to drive in a run from third base,” Martinez said. “He’s been unbelievable all year long for us. And he knows. He was frustrated when he grounded out. He’ll have a better day tomorrow.”

The Nats’ most consistent performer Thursday might have been Abrams, who in addition to his single also drew two walks and stole a base (his 18th consecutive successful steal attempt).

But even in the case of Abrams, there was something left to be desired. Standing at the plate with two outs in the ninth and the tying run on first, Abrams battled back from an 0-2 count to even it up. But Brooks Raley’s sixth pitch to him – an 82-mph sweeper right over the heart of the plate – left Abrams standing with the bat on his shoulder as the final strike of the game whizzed right past him.

“I kind of froze,” he said. “I’m always looking fastball, but I just kind of froze on that last one.”