Gonzalez returns with no-decision, couldn't quite locate curveball against Orioles

BALTIMORE - It is difficult to look back at good pitching in a game that a team loses in walk-off fashion, but the Nationals' 3-2 loss to the Orioles wouldn't have been close early on if not for the pitching of left-handed starter Gio Gonzalez. Gonzalez allowed a solo homer to Adam Jones which gave the Orioles a 1-0 lead in the fourth. But he took a 2-1 lead into the seventh before walking Jimmy Paredes and being relieved by Aaron Barrett. Jones hit a changeup to put the Orioles on the board. Gonzalez continued to try to locate the curveball, but could never quite get it exactly where he wanted. Catcher Jose Lobaton advised to alter his strategy with the breaking pitch. "I mean it was there," Gonzalez said. "I was getting some swings and misses but then I was trying to do too much to it. That's what it was and Loby was explaining that to me was just 'you were fine, you didn't have to do too much.' It was bottoming out in the bottom of the strike zone. And then I was just trying to over throw it and over throw it." "More of the same. Lots of curveballs," said Nationals manager Matt Williams. "Didn't really have the feel for it as much. So he went to the changeup a little bit more. He got us into the seventh. He walked the first guy so we had to go get Barrett, but (overall) pretty good." At the start of the seventh, Gonzalez spoke about the discussion with Williams to head back out and try to get three more outs. He lasted one hitter as Paredes walked. "It's the American League, I can see Matt's situation, where you don't have to hit," Gonzalez said. "So there's no tough situation, bunt or do anything like that. So, I think that him giving me the opportunity to go out there means he's trusting me deeper in games. I was a little flat. I wish I could've made a difference on that pitch." When Gonzalez arrived on the mound in the seventh he was stretching out his left arm, using ninety-degree-angle elbow swings to keep loose before pitching the inning. Even with that extra stretching, Gonzalez could tell from the first pitch to Paredes, he wasn't getting the same movement. "I was a little flat at the end," Gonzalez said. "In my mind I was thinking, alright, let's keep pounding that strike zone. Obviously, I was up and away, I just missing out on my pitches. I had a nice curveball that was down and all of sudden I just couldn't find it after that. Loby worked his tail off to give me a nice strike zone. It sucks that's how I finish that inning with a walk." Gonzalez said he wanted to go after the Orioles hitters early on, but he also knew they could swing the bats to get on the board. "I think that I was being aggressive but at the same time it's a great hitting team," Gonzalez said. "It's a tough ballpark to pitch in. Making the adjustment, and going along with a great lineup like that you have to keep the ball down." Gonzalez left after six innings plus one batter, allowing only one run on six hits with three walks and five strikeouts, plus the lone homer to Jones. So leaving up 2-1 and then watching it all unravel was hard to take. True to his nature, Gonzalez would never blame anything on the bullpen. "It's a tough loss," Gonzalez said. "We have so many great guys, especially everyone in that bullpen. Love them to death, I wouldn't change anything about it, these guys bust their tail for us. They've gotten me out of big situations. What Aaron Barrett did, he got me out of that inning, coming back he looks great. These guys compete. It's not like they want to go out there and lose this game. My hearts out to them. They're fighting, they're doing their job. It was just a tough loss."