Comeback falls short, Nats lose 6-5

Gio Gonzalez labored through a 26-pitch first inning that included a hit and a walk before finally escaping with back-to-back strikeouts of Justin Upton and Jedd Gyorko.

Denard Span drilled a leadoff double in the first and then advanced to third on Jayson Werth's groundout. But Span was stranded as Padres starter Tyson Ross fanned Anthony Rendon and Bryce Harper to end the inning.

Ross singled off Gonzalez to start the third. After Yangervis Solarte popped out, Melvin Upton Jr. hit a grounder that took a weird hop and seemed to handcuff Yunel Escobar. Escobar fumbled the ball for a second and then rushed a wild throw to Ryan Zimmerman, allowing Upton Jr. to reach on the error.

Matt Kemp followed with a double to the right-center field gap, scoring Ross and Upton Jr. Upton then drilled a 93 mph fastball over the wall in left-center for a two-run homer.

Gonzalez has allowed four runs (three earned) on five hits with with one walk and three strikeouts through three innings.

Update: Gonzalez gave up a base hit to Austin Hedges to start the fourth and then walked Clint Barmes. A sacrifice bunt from Ross advanced both runners, and then Hedges tagged and scored on Solarte's foul popout to Zimmerman.

Harper drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the frame and then moved up to second on Escobar's groundout. With Zimmerman at the plate, Harper got caught off second when Hedges threw behind him. Harper ended up stealing third as the throw was bobbled. Zimmerman followed with a groundout to Gyorko, scoring Harper easily for the Nationals' first run.

Update II: Nationals manager Matt Williams ended Gonzalez's night after the left-hander yielded a two-out single to Gyorko in the fifth.

Right-hander Doug Fister came out of the bullpen to get Norris to ground out to end the inning.

Gonzalez threw 86 pitches over 4 2/3 innings, allowing five runs (four earned) on seven hits with two walks and six strikeouts.

Update III: Ross surrendered consecutive one-out singles to Rendon and Harper and then walked Escobar in the sixth. Zimmerman followed with a deep sacrifice fly to right-center field, scoring Rendon.

Update IV: Upton belted a solo homer off Fister in the seventh.

Update V: With one out in the seventh, Ross hit pinch-hitter Clint Robinson. Span followed with his second double, ending Ross' night.

Right-hander Shawn Kelley then issued back-to-back walks to Werth and Rendon, giving the Nats a run.

Padres interim manager Pat Murphy called on left-hander Marc Rzepczynski to face Harper. The Nats slugger belted a two-run single to center, drawing the Nats within one.

But the rally ended when Escobar chose to swing at a 3-0 pitch, grounding into an inning-ending double play.

Update VI: The Nats went quietly in the eighth and ninth.

The Padres beat the Nationals 6-5.