Nats, Kuhl frustrated with another early lead lost

WASHINGTON -- A couple of unfortunate trends continued for the Nats in their 6-4 loss to the Guardians on Saturday at Nationals Park: an inability to hold an early lead and starter Chad Kuhl giving up costly extra-base hits.

The Nationals raced out to a 3-0 lead for the second game in a row, scoring three runs on four hits in the first frame. But after that, the club managed just one run over the final eight innings.

"The fact that we are not tacking on runs [is critical],” manager Dave Martinez said. “We have one or two good innings, and then we just don't tack on runs. We've got to get better at that.”

Joey Meneses’ single to left field plated Alex Call to start the Nats' rally in the first inning against Cleveland starter Zach Plesac.

Jeimer Candelario added a line-drive double down the right-field line that scored Meneses. Keibert Ruiz followed suit with an RBI single toward right fielder Will Brennan that pushed the lead to three.

But for the second consecutive game in the series, Washington watched that lead evaporate when the Guardians answered with three consecutive runs to tie the game at 3.

Cleveland put pressure on with good jumps on Kuhl and Ruiz, tallying three stolen bases the first time through the order. Ruiz was able to catch José Ramírez, but he knows how good the Guardians are at taking those extra bases: They have five stolen bases in the series.

"It's not because I'm throwing the ball bad,” Ruiz said. “I feel good from yesterday, too. They are fast, and we've got to make an adjustment -- maybe being a little quicker on the mound or something different -- but it's not because I am throwing the ball bad."

Martinez said before the game that for Kuhl to be successful, he had to get ahead in the count. Early on, he did, but in the fourth, a pair of free passes set the stage for a Cleveland rally. The skipper felt Kuhl sped up when the walks began to add up.

"There is really no time to reset,” Kuhl said. “You are just kind of up there, and you kind of fall into that trap of, you see the pitch clock and throw another bullet. That's always tough. You've just got to make better pitches. [I've] really got to focus in on slowing it down."

Will Brennan and Myles Straw delivered run-scoring singles following a pair of walks from Kuhl. Straw later added another RBI knock off Kuhl.

The Nats quickly answered. Luis García singled and Ruiz doubled to the gap in right-center field to put the Nats back on top, 4-3.

Kuhl could not capitalize on the rally. The right-hander had allowed three extra-base hits in each of his first two starts, a combined three doubles and three homers over 10 innings.

That trend continued Saturday when he surrendered a double, triple and a home run -- all in the fifth inning -- as the Guardians took a 5-4 lead.

"It's just kind of frustrating to kind of be in this situation where even if you execute, things aren't going your way, and [I'm] not making it easier on myself by letting guys on base, [the] walks,” Kuhl said. “[It's a] frustrating spot to be in. But I'm only three starts in, so I've got a good idea of how to get back on track and go from there."

Ramírez’s two-run homer over the right-field wall erased the Nats' advantage and put Cleveland ahead to stay. His first home run of the season came on a 3-0 pitch and left the yard at 110 mph.

“It was just back door, and it just kind of flattened out,” Kuhl said of the slider. “I figured he was taking, but he put a good swing on it. I tried to back-door it, and it ended up right down the middle."

Ruiz finished 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. Meneses finished with two singles, an RBI and a run scored. The Nats need their big hitters like Ruiz and Meneses to get on track to create more scoring chances and win more games.

"I feel really good,” Ruiz said. “I wasn't trying to do too much. Staying to the middle with the fastball. I have a good result, but [I feel] bad for the loss. So [we'll try to] get the win tomorrow."