Denard Span, Yunel Escobar leave game (Nats lose 3-2)

Nationals center fielder Denard Span left tonight's game after the second inning. The Nationals don't provide injury updates during the game, but Span has been bothered by back spasms since June 7. Michael A. Taylor took over for Span in center field while Matt den Dekker entered the game in left.

The Reds and Nationals nearly made it through the first inning before heavy showers arrived. After a 29-minute rain delay, Bryce Harper stepped into the batter's box and launched the first pitch from Reds starter Anthony DeSclafani into the third deck - but unfortunately on the wrong side of the right field foul pole. DeSclafani ended up whiffing Harper on a slider on the eighth pitch of the at-bat to end the frame.

Sloppy play from the Nats led to a Reds run in the second. With one out, Brayan Pena hit a dribbler back to Nats starter Doug Fister, who fielded the ball but threw errantly to Clint Robinson at first, allowing Pena to take second base. It was Fister's third error on the season.

Eugenio Suarez followed with a sharp ground ball up the middle that Danny Espinosa made a sensational diving play on. But when Espinosa hopped up and fired to first, Robinson was off the bag, having started to move into position to take a cutoff throw in front of the mount. The mistake momentarily left the Reds with runners at the corners, as Suarez was caught sleeping at first and picked off by catcher Wilson Ramos shortly after.

Fister looked primed to get out of the jam with DeSclafani at the plate and two outs, but the rookie pitcher roped a double to left, scoring Pena. The run was unearned for Fister, who has yielded four hits without a walk and one strikeout through three innings.

After Taylor and Fister struck out to start the third, the Nationals got singles from den Dekker and Yunel Escobar and a walk by Harper to load the bases.

With Ramos at the plate, DeSclafani uncorked a wild pitch that caromed off Pena and bounced back toward the mound. den Dekker rushed home, aggressively sliding headfirst to just beat the toss from DeSclafani and the tag from Pena.

Update: Third baseman Yunel Escobar left the game after the top of the fifth inning with an apparent injury. Dan Uggla pinch-hit for Escobar but entered the game at second base. Danny Espinosa moved to third.

Update II: Marlon Byrd belted a cutter from Fister off the padding just above the out- of-town scoreboard to start the sixth. The umpires initially ruled it a double but then huddled and changed it to a home run. After Williams came out of the dugout for a discussion, the play went to a crew chief review, where it was switched back to a double for Byrd.

Suarez made it all irrelevant by knocking in Byrd moments later on a single to left.

Espinosa answered in the bottom of the frame, blasting a solo homer to right-center field to even the score. It was Espinosa's ninth homer on the season.

Update III: Fister allowed two runs (one earned) on eight hits with one walk and two strikeouts over six innings.

Right-hander Blake Treinen followed Fister to the mound and tossed a scoreless seventh inning.

Update IV: Right-hander Casey Janssen started the eighth for the Nats. With one out and ahead 0-2 in the count, Janssen hung a curveball to Suarez that ended up just over the wall in the left field corner for a solo homer.

Update V: Reds All-Star closer Aroldis Chapman finished off the Nats in the ninth for his 17th save.

The Reds beat the Nationals 3-2.