Rodriguez's blown save costs Nats

By Dan Kolko

Nationals

May 08, 2012, 5:54pm

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Adam LaRoche was all set up to be the hero tonight, as his two-run homer leading off the ninth - the 1,000th home run in Nationals team history - gave the Nats a 4-3 lead. Then Henry Rodriguez got the road jitters yet again. Rodriguez allowed a walk-off, two-run homer to Rod Barajas (a .141 hitter this season), giving the Pirates a shocking 5-4 win. It's Rodriguez's second blown save on the season, both of which have come on the road. Rodriguez hasn't allowed a run and has given up just one hit in eight innings at Nationals Park. On the road, however, the fireballing righty has now allowed five runs (four earned) on six hits over just 4 2/3 innings. He threw two wild pitches on bounced curveballs in the ninth, giving him six wild pitches already this season and allowing Alex Presley to move from first to third. Rodriguez then struck out Yamaico Navarro on a high fastball before giving up the first-pitch walk-off homer to Barajas. The Nats are now 18-11 on the season and have lost two straight.