Nationals let game, series slip away late (updated)

In this shortened, 60-game season, the outcome of any tight ballgame is going to be magnified, all the more so when the lead flips late.

Under normal circumstances, the Nationals might not feel terrible about a 3-2 loss to the Yankees in a well played game between two powerhouse clubs that could've gone either way. But these are not normal circumstances. Every win is precious, especially those that were right there for the taking.

Despite getting a dominant start from Patrick Corbin in his season debut and just enough early offense to hand a lead to their bullpen, the Nationals could not finish off the Yankees today, done in by a couple of runs off veteran relievers and a squandered rally by a lineup once again lacking its best hitter.

And because of it, they opened their season with an interleague series loss, a 1-2 record that easily could've been 2-1 had they executed a little bit better in critical late-game situations.

They almost did. Corbin was brilliant for 6 1/3 innings, carrying a one-hit shutout into the seventh, but was pulled after he surrendered a solo homer to Gleyber Torres. Asked to close it out, frontline relievers Will Harris and Sean Doolittle couldn't do it, turning a 2-1 lead into a 3-2 deficit.

"Obviously, we're really frustrated that we weren't able to close that game out and clinch the series," Doolittle said. "That's a really good team over there. That series could've gone either way. I think more times than not, we find a way to win the game today."

The Nationals did give themselves a golden opportunity to rally in the bottom of the eighth - they had two runners in scoring position with one out - but they watched as new No. 3 hitter Starlin Castro and new No. 5 hitter Eric Thames each struck out on changeups from Yankees reliever Tommy Kahnle, the latter after Howie Kendrick was intentionally walked to load the bases.

"I feel like nobody really likes that situation; it's kind of insulting," Thames said. "But it is smart baseball. Howie's hit .340-something the last two or three years. And I'm not really seeing the ball well right now. It was smart on their behalf. When I was up there, I was fired up. Let's go. Get a ball up the middle and execute. And then I swung like three light-years ahead of the pitch."

Back in the D.C. residence he's still forced to quarantine in, Juan Soto surely muttered something to himself, wishing he could've been at the plate in that oh-so-important situation.

Even after the botched eighth inning rally, the Nationals had another golden opportunity in the bottom of the ninth after Asdrúbal Cabrera chugged out an infield single and pinch-runner Emilio Bonifácio advanced to second on a passed ball. But then, disaster: Bonifácio surprisingly tried to steal third on ball four to Victor Robles, and though he beat the throw he was called out after oversliding the bag, a killer mistake.

"He had the base stolen," manager Davey Martinez said. "He just came off the base. He's safe. It's a good, aggressive play. I liked it. He just couldn't stay on the base."

The Nats went down quietly after that, trudging back to their clubhouse after an ultimately disappointing opening series.

As is often the case with his rotation mates Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg, first-inning command is an essential indicator of things to come. Scherzer struggled with it Thursday night. Strasburg (who was scratched from his scheduled start Saturday) dealt with that problem last October. But Corbin was on point from the get-go today, and that was an especially encouraging sign.

The left-hander cruised through the top of the first on 12 pitches, inducing two ground balls to go along with a strikeout. That would be the recurring theme of his entire outing.

If Corbin wasn't giving up grounders, he was striking guys out. The Yankees didn't reach the outfield once until Torres' two-out single to center in the fourth. A Nationals outfielder didn't record a putout until Adam Eaton caught Kyle Higashioka's flyball to right in the sixth.

It was as crisp, efficient and effective a performance as anyone could've expected for a season debut under the circumstances, all the moreso that it came against the Yankees.

"I thought we did a good job getting ahead of these guys with our fastball, throwing it inside, outside, mixing it up, up and down, and throwing some straight sliders and then getting them to chase later on," Corbin said. "I was in a rhythm with (catcher Yan Gomes) all day. Felt good for the first time out there."

Corbin's teammates didn't give him a whole lot of room for error, though, even though they did give him a lead.

Trea Turner got it started with a 421-foot blast to left in the bottom of the third off Jonathan Loaisiga, the first in a parade of relievers the Yankees sent to the mound in this game. Castro (double) and Thames (RBI single) combined to add another run in the fourth off David Hale and extend the lead to 2-0.

But that's as far as the Nationals could take it. They had another chance to add on in the sixth with runners on the corners and two outs, but Thames struck out against Chad Green, and so the game proceeded to what loomed as a critical top of the seventh with Corbin back on the mound and the heart of the New York order coming up.

Sure enough, that stretch did prove critical, though not necessarily because of the names most would've expected to be involved.

Corbin managed to strike out Aaron Judge with a 3-2 fastball, but seconds later he left another fastball over the plate to Torres, who hammered it to left for a solo homer to break up the shutout.

Now with Giancarlo Stanton at the plate in a one-run game, Martinez strode to the mound and after a lengthy conversation with Corbin signaled for the bullpen, his starter having thrown 75 pitches.

"I was pretty gassed," Corbin said, adding: "I don't think it was necessarily the pitch count. It was more so getting up seven times, getting back out there on your feet. I feel I could easily go out and throw 90-plus pitches. I think it was just getting up the seventh inning there."

"We had our guys in the bullpen locked in," Martinez said. "I thought that was the perfect opportunity. He gave us all he had for as long as he could."

Martinez had things set up exactly how he wanted today, with all three of his top arms available after not appearing either Thursday or Saturday. But those arms still needed to perform to make the plan work.

Harris started off his Nationals career with a bang, striking out the fearsome Stanton on a 3-2 curveball in the dirt. But the veteran righty then fell behind in the count to Luke Voit and proceeded to serve up the game-tying homer to left to the Yankees' No. 5 hitter.

One inning later, New York had its first lead, thanks to a rally off Doolittle. The left-hander rediscovered some of the velocity he was lacking in his last exhibition outing, but he didn't find his command. Doolittle walked Aaron Hicks, struck out Gary Sánchez and gave up an opposite-field single to D.J. LeMahieu, fulfilling the minimum three batters he was required to face under Major League Baseball's new rules.

Martinez let the lefty stay in to face Judge, though, and while that encounter resulted in a scorched line drive right at Michael A. Taylor in left field for the second out, it was the next guy in the lineup that delivered the go-ahead hit. Torres, who started everything off with his homer one inning earlier, lined a Doolittle fastball to left-center for an RBI single, and now the Nationals were down for the first time today.

"My execution and fastball location wasn't as crisp as I would've liked," Doolittle said. "Against that lineup - any lineup, but especially that lineup - you can't give them a leadoff walk. And that was the run that came around to score. They're a really good lineup, really deep, and giving them a free 90 feet to start the inning, you're putting yourself behind the 8-ball and kind of opening up Pandora's box."