On last night and today

A 15-inning, nearly five-hour game that results in a loss might seem like it would sting more than your standard, nine-inning, three-hour defeat.

You scratch and you claw for that long, use up so many relievers and expend that much energy, and don't come away with a victory, and it's bound to leave you that much more frustrated, right?

Think again, according to the Nationals, who were on the losing end of a 4-3 ballgame that carried past midnight and into this morning.

"Nah, you can't go there," manager Matt Williams said after the loss. "You have to understand it's just one game. Just because you play more innings than normal doesn't make it any more gratifying to win or less gratifying to lose. A loss is a loss and a win is a win. The key for us is being ready to go tomorrow. We've got a tough guy to face. Get the guys some rest and we'll get back at it."

"It sucks to lose," Kevin Frandsen said. "It lights something under you. But it was a great game. You can't get down on that."

Added Anthony Rendon: "It still counts as one. It's all good."

Last night's game might have just resulted in one loss, but it is slightly tougher to take when you consider that the Reds are sending Johnny Cueto and his 1.25 ERA to the mound today.

Cueto has made nine starts this season. He's worked at least seven innings in all of them, allowed two runs or fewer in all of them and surrendered no more than five hits in all of them.

Three of Cueto's last six outings have resulted in compete games, two of which were three-hit shutouts.

Yeah, the guy is locked in.

Shockingly, Cueto has just four wins on the season despite how well he's pitched. If you needed any more evidence that the pitcher's win is an overvalued stat, you've got it right there.

Doug Fister will make his home debut tonight opposing Cueto, looking to build off his strong outing last time out against the Diamondbacks, when Fister allowed one run over seven innings in a no-decision.

He'd love to go deep into tonight's ballgame to give the Nats' relievers a rest after they worked eight innings last night.

Ryan Mattheus and Aaron Barrett each delivered two scoreless frames, while Rafael Soriano, Drew Storen, Tyler Clippard and Ross Detwiler each went an inning.

Craig Stammen and Jerry Blevins were the only two Nats relievers not to appear last night.

Williams said that he thinks his bullpen will be in good shape tonight despite all the extra frames in the series opener, largely because the late-inning guys only worked one inning apiece.

Stammen might be available three days after throwing 54 pitches over four scoreless innings, and while Mattheus and Barrett could probably use a day off, they might be available in a short stint. Everyone else is likely an option, as well.