Gonzalez walks five in 4-1 loss, but "felt good"

PHILADELPHIA - For only the third time this season, left-hander Gio Gonzalez walked five batters in a game. Two walks to begin the third inning came around to score, igniting a three-run outburst that helped to lift the Phillies past the Nats, 4-1.

Gonzalez had walked seven against the Diamondbacks May 3 and five against the Cubs June 26. It was a rare sight to see Gonzalez not commanding his pitches. Maybe it had something to do with the way home plate umpire Roberto Ortiz was calling the game, but for Gonzalez, it was only the fifth time in 31 starts this season that he had surrendered more than three walks in an entire outing.

In the third, with the Nats up 1-0, Freddy Galvis and Aaron Altherr were walked. After a strikeout of Rhys Hoskins, Gonzalez allowed a single by Tommy Joseph that scored Galvis to tie the game at 1-1.

Gonzalez battled to force a popup to shortstop off the bat off Odúbel Herrera. It looked like he had a chance to get out of the frame until Cameron Rupp sent a long fly ball that went over Michael A. Taylor's glove in center field. The hit plated both Altherr and a sliding Joseph, who was able to get under the tag of Matt Wieters.

The Phillies tacked on another run in the seventh on a sacrifice fly by Hoskins.

The Nats welcomed back right fielder Bryce Harper, who went 0-for-2 in three at-bats with a walk and a strikeout. Victor Robles replaced Harper in the bottom of the fifth.

Howie Kendrick crushed a solo home run early, his ninth of the season, giving the Nats an early 1-0 lead.

Gonzalez finished five innings, allowing three runs on five hits with those five walks, and striking out seven. He fired 109 pitches, 55 for strikes.

"Fine. I felt good," Gonzalez said. "I felt like just trying to get a rhythm was kind of key, but as far as that I felt fine. I felt great. Just the rhythm."

And what about those five walks? That was an issue that had plagued Gonzalez since he arrived from Oakland in 2012. His command sometimes got away from him. But in 26 of 31 starts this season, he had done a very good job of keeping the ball in or near the edges of the strike zone.

"It's hard to explain. There were some pitches ... it is what it is, I should've done a better job of attacking the strike zone. If I was more in the strike zone, I think it would've been a different outcome. I can't put it on anything else but myself and say 'Throw more strikes.' That's pretty much it."

Baker saw how close Gonzalez was to getting pitches placed well. The two walks in the third changed the complexion of that inning. If he hadn't given the free passes, the game might have turned out very differently.

"Yeah, he had a lot near misses," Baker said. "His breaking ball was backing up and backing up out of the zone, and usually his fastball inside he can command it big-time for strikes, but he was just missing tonight."

After the game, and a rare loss for Gonzalez (15-8), did he think he might get one more start before the postseason begins? If so, five days' rest would be Sunday against the Pirates. But that game would seem to be pegged for Max Scherzer. Either way, Gonzalez will get ready for the second season.

"Just stay throwing. Keep the same routine, whether I am pitching or not," Gonzalez said. "Doesn't mean I shut it down. I still got to go with the running, the workouts, the preparation for it.

"I'm sure they'll have some way, if I don't pitch, some way of me throwing to hitters or something like that, or guys that just want to see some pitching. I'm sure they'll find a way for me to go out there and try to keep pitching."