10-30-2018, 09:12 AM
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Nationals just can’t sustain any momentum in their attempt to get back into the National League playoff chase.Saturday night’s loss to the Marlins was a microcosm of their recent struggles.Isaac Galloway hit a two-run single in the 10th inning http://www.indiansfanproshop.com/authent...lin-jersey , JT Riddle homered and drove in four runs and Miami beat Washington 7-5.Following two singles and a fielder’s-choice grounder, the Nationals intentionally walked Riddle to load the bases with two outs in the 10th. Galloway delivered with a hit to center off Koda Glover (0-2). The Marlins ended a streak of 12 consecutive road losses and six in a row overall.Both teams scored in the ninth. Riddle’s drive into the right-field stands off Nationals reliever Justin Miller put Miami up 5-4. Washington’s Adam Eaton tied it with a homer off Drew Steckenrider leading off the bottom of the inning.The Nationals trailed 1-0 after Derek Dietrich’s second-inning homer and were down 4-2 in the sixth. They came back each time before the Marlins finally finished them off.Trea Turner homered and drove in three runs for the Nationals, who wasted a chance to pick up a game on the first-place Atlanta Braves in the NL East.Washington won six of seven to move four games above .500 on Aug. 7, but has since lost eight of 12.“If you give those guys more chances and don’t capitalize on your chances, then you’re not going to put yourself in a good spot to win,” Turner said. “That’s kind of been the problem lately.”With two runners on in the sixth, the Marlins benefited from second baseman Daniel Murphy’s fielding error that loaded the bases with one out. Two batters later, Riddle lined a two-run, two-out single over a leaping Murphy.“It felt good, honestly. It’s been a while,” said Marlins manager Don Mattingly Carlos Carrasco Jersey , who was ejected from Friday’s 8-2 loss.Washington rebounded in the seventh with two runs. Video review determined that Tayron Guerrero hit Matt Wieters with a pitch, loading the bases. Guerrero’s next offering was a wild pitch, scoring Murphy. Turner’s bloop single to center drove in the tying run, but Juan Soto hit into a double play to end the threat.Riddle had two hits in Friday’s loss. His RBI double in the fifth scored Miami’s second run, and Riddle put the Marlins up 4-2 in the sixth with a two-run single.The shortstop, who entered the series with a .211 batting average and five homers, isn’t the usual candidate for an intentional walk.“I can’t remember,” he said of his last free pass. “I might have had one last year.”Nationals manager Dave Martinez, dealing with a shorthanded bullpen beset by injuries and the decisions to unload Brandon Kintzler and Shawn Kelley, called for the intentional pass with Riddle up in the 10th. Glover could not keep the game tied.“It’s not easy,” Martinez said of handling his current bullpen Roy Oswalt Jersey , “but I’m confident in those guys.”Steckenrider (4-2) blew the save but finished the ninth to pick up the win. Brett Graves recorded the final three outs for his first career save.Miami starter Wei-Yin Chen allowed two runs — both on Turner’s homer in the third — and five hits in 5 2/3 innings.The Nationals recalled Jefry Rodriguez from Triple-A Syracuse for Saturday’s start while placing Jeremy Hellickson on the disabled list with a cervical nerve impingement. Rodriguez allowed four runs, two earned, in five innings.TRAINER’S ROOMMarlins: INF/OF Garrett Cooper (right wrist sprain) played for the second straight day for Single-A Jupiter on Saturday. Cooper went 1 for 3 in five innings at first base. … RHP Kyle Barraclough (lower back stiffness) threw a live session on Saturday.Nationals: RHP Stephen Strasburg, on the DL retroactive to July 22 with a cervical nerve impingement, threw more than 40 pitches in a bullpen session Saturday. He is expected to make a start somewhere on Tuesday. “We’ll talk to him (Sunday),” Martinez said. “We don’t know if it’s Tuesday here, or Tuesday in a rehab stint.” … Reliever Kelvin Herrera (right rotator cuff impingement) tossed 15 pitches in a simulated game earlier Saturday.UP NEXTMarlins: Jose Urena (3-12, 4.74 ERA) starts while appealing his six-game suspension for intentionally hitting Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. with a pitch in Thursday’s loss at Atlanta.Nationals: LHP Gio Gonzalez (7-9, 4.12) has a 2.25 ERA in two starts against Miami this season. ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Rays found success with a new pitching formula.Ryan Yarbrough got his rookie-leading 16th win and the Rays turned another bullpen game into their 90th victory, beating the Toronto Blue Jays 9-4 on Sunday.The Rays (90-72) went to the unconventional plan of using relievers to open games in addition to traditional starters in mid-May because of injuries.The results were about equal http://www.astrosfanproshop.com/authenti...lee-jersey , as Tampa Bay went 46-38 with regular starters and 44-34 when utilizing the bullpen, and the trend began to take hold around the majors. But no team did it as often as the Rays.“I don’t think you can really argue with the results we’ve had with it, and not just with me but with other guys too,” Yarbrough said. “For it to work that well was a big blessing, and you never know, if it didn’t work that well, we’d never know where we could be right now.”Ryne Stanek was Tampa Bay’s “opener” for the 29th time and went two scoreless innings. Yarbrough (16-6) followed and gave up two runs and four hits over three innings to get his 14th relief win.Austin Pruitt went the final 3 1/3 innings to pick up his fourth save. He’s gone three or more innings in four of his five career saves.The Rays went 87-60 after losing 12 of their first 15 games.“Hopefully the groundwork has been laid,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “The core group that has gotten some opportunities, played at a really high level, learned how to win together.”Outgoing Blue Jays manager John Gibbons decided to have some fun in the finale and let 35-year-old catcher Russell Martin manage the game.Martin said he “thought about it for a couple seconds” before deciding to keep himself on the bench, declining the opportunity to serve as a player-manager.“It was fun J.R. Richard Jersey ,” Martin said. “Didn’t realize how much went into it. A cool experience. It’s tougher than it looks.”Toronto announced Wednesday that Gibbons will not be back as manager next season.“He’s one of my favorites,” Martin said. “I’m going to miss him. He’s a special guy. He’s kind of like having a second dad.”Over two stints totaling 11 seasons, Gibbons went 793-789 with the Blue Jays.Toronto finished 73-89, a three-game drop from 2017.Tampa Bay improved 10 games from last year and joined the 2012 Rays (90) and 2013 Texas Rangers (91) as the only 90-win teams since the second wild card was introduced in 2012 to miss the postseason.Joey Wendle and Jake Bauers both had two RBIs for the Rays, who went 13-6 against Toronto. Tampa Bay has dominated the series at home, going 111-74.Sam Gaviglio (3-10) allowed five runs and six hits in 5 2/3 innings.SEATS AVAILABLEDespite the strong on-field showing, the Rays’ announced home attendance of 1,154,973 was their lowest since 2005 (1,141,699). Tampa Bay drew 1 http://www.astrosfanproshop.com/authenti...uve-jersey ,253,619 last season. Sunday’s crowd was 13,313. Only Miami (811,104) drew fewer fans.STAYING THE COURSEThe Rays are happy with the progress of two-way player Brendan McKay at Single-A Charlotte this season and plan to continue the experiment. “Where this ends up going I think we don’t know exactly still, but we’re really encouraged,” Tampa Bay senior vice president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom said.Bloom said McKay, whose season ended prematurely because of an oblique injury, has been working in the instructional league and has gotten back “to where he’s a healthy player.”RAYS’ HOT STREAKSTommy Pham walked in the third to extend his on-base streak to 32 games, the longest active streak in the majors. Johnny Damon holds the team record with 39. … Wendle set a club rookie record by hitting .300. … Mallex Smith stole 40 bases.UP NEXTBlue Jays: Open the 2019 season at home against Detroit on March 28.Rays: Host AL West champion Houston on opening day of 2019.