Nationals lament missed late scoring opportunities

Though the Nationals were upset about the application (or, more specifically non-application) of Major League Baseball's new slide rule during last night's 5-4 loss to the Tigers, they admitted it would've been moot had they managed to take advantage of either of their golden opportunities to tie (or even win) the game in both the bottom of the eighth and ninth innings.

"I would preface this whole conversation by saying that I had an opportunity there in the ninth inning to tie the ballgame, or do more," second baseman Daniel Murphy made a point of saying while discussing the controversial slide play. "We definitely had chances tonight."

They certainly did. Trailing by a run in the bottom of the eighth, the Nationals got a leadoff single from Wilson Ramos (the fourth time he reached base in the game) and later a one-out double to deep center from pinch-hitter Clint Robinson.

Third base coach Bob Henley waved Ramos around third, but the Tigers narrowly cut him down at the plate with a well-executed relay from center fielder Anthony Gose to shortstop Austin Romine to catcher James McCann.

Afterward, manager Dusty Baker took no issue with Henley's decision to send Ramos.

"I don't have any problem with that, because that was a heck of a relay," Baker said. "I mean, that ball was way the heck out there. They had to make two perfect relay throws to the plate. You gotta give them credit on making a perfect relay play."

Baker did, however, blame himself for not replacing the slow-footed Ramos with a pinch-runner at that moment.

"That was a poor decision on my part not to run for Ramos," the manager said. "But in that situation, that was the only thing that could happen. I was hoping he got to second base, then I was going to run for him. He never got to second base, he got past second base. Boy, that's tough to take."

It would've been glossed over, however, had the Nationals taken advantage of another opportunity in the bottom of the ninth, when Anthony Rendon roped a one-out double to left-center off Francisco Rodriguez, who then intentionally walked Bryce Harper.

That brought Ryan Zimmerman to the plate with the tying and winning runs on base and only one out. Zimmerman, who had homered in his two previous at-bats to snap out of a recent slump, couldn't deliver in his final at-bat. He struck out on a 2-2 changeup from Rodriguez.

Moments later, Murphy sent a lazy fly ball to center field for the final out of a frustrating loss.

"I was feeling real good about (the opportunity)," Baker said. "Murph's been swinging the bat great. He can't do it every time. Zim swung the bat awesome tonight. Big-time. That was a situation where regardless of who was behind Harper, they would've walked him with first base open probably. But that's a dangerous thing, too, because you're putting the winning run on base."

On this night, the Tigers didn't pay the price for doing just that.