Following loss of Ramos, Lobaton and Severino spark Nats comeback

The Nationals began the day with the news that starting catcher Wilson Ramos is out for the season with a torn ACL in his right knee.

Manager Dusty Baker talked during pregame about the club's catching depth, and how important Jose Lobaton and Pedro Severino would be on the run the Nats hope to be on for the next month.

Then Baker watched as Lobaton and Severino sparked a four-run comeback that turned a two-run deficit into a 4-2 victory over the Diamondbacks on Tuesday night.

Lobaton led off the sixth with a single, the first hit for the Nationals all night. In the last 14 starts, Lobaton is hitting .310 with two doubles, three home runs and five runs. Severino replaced him as a pinch-runner and eventually came around to score the Nats' first run of the game on a Stephen Drew sacrifice fly, cutting the deficit to 2-1.

Anthony Rendon followed with a three-run homer that erased Arizona's lead and lifted the Nats to a 4-2 advantage.

"Those guys stepped up," Rendon said. "Loby got the big hit, and Sevy was out there running, probably a little faster than Loby, so that's probably a good thing. That's a great example, first day, stepping up."

Getting both catchers in the game and having both contribute to the win symbolizes what Baker was talking about prior to the game. He needs all of his catchers to make up for the loss of Ramos. Tuesday was that start.

"That's what they're going to have to do," Baker said. "Lobaton hit the ball well tonight, then the ball he didn't hit good found a hit. He started to rally, then I can run Sevy for Lobaton without wasting another player because Sevy has good speed for a catcher and good instincts on the bases."

After being subbed out, Lobaton then went to Severino to break down the game plan for calling the rest of the game and what each of the pitchers might look to do to finish off Arizona. As Lobaton spoke to Severino, he thought about the thousands of conversations just like this one he had with Ramos over the years.

"I always talk to Wily about the pitchers and what they are doing," Lobaton said. "When I'm catching, if I haven't caught that guy many times, I try to communicate more, like what he's been doing and what he's working on. So, I try to do the same with Sevy. This is working in the game, this is not. It can be more easy for him when he goes out."

Baker said the relationship between the catchers and their ability to communicate strategy in game is crucial for the chance to find a way to win the game.

"Sevy came in, did his thing right on time," Baker said. "Called a good game -- Loby was helping him on the sidelines with game calling, and he pays attention where he could see what they were doing for Max (Scherzer). That's what they're going to have to do to contribute."

Suddenly, Severino, who had played all of two games in the majors prior to 2016, takes on a much more important role. President of baseball operations and general manager Mike Rizzo said pregame that the 23-year-old Dominican has done a nice job advancing through the organization.

"He's a great young talent. He's a great prospect," Rizzo said. "Catch and throw, frame and block. He's got an outstanding arm. Controls the running game really, really well. Is really coming into his own offensively and his stroke is much more efficient now than it has been in the past.

"He's taken a big step forward this year in Triple-A. He's a bright-future guy. He's one of our best prospects, but he's young and inexperienced and we're throwing him into the deep end of the pool and expecting him to swim with the big boys."

Also playing what could be a big role against the Dodgers is left-handed reliever Sammy Solis, who says he is comfortable having Severino catch his game because of their built in experience together in the minors.

"It's huge. Losing Wilson was a huge blow but thankfully we have depth in this organization," Solis said. "Having Sevy as a guy we can call on is huge especially because I've worked with him before. He knows me well, I know him well. I think he's up to the task."