Nats show fight despite issuing 13 walks to Angels

WASHINGTON -- Three extra-inning games, two walk-off wins, and an opportunity for the Nationals to sweep the Angels and end the ten-game homestand with a victory.

Even as the Nats were close to making a comeback late in the ninth inning on Sunday at Nationals Park, walks were the obstacles in accomplishing the sweep. Washington plated two runs in the eighth inning to avoid a shutout and threatened again in the ninth, but the club couldn’t finish a comeback like it had the previous nights, resulting in a 6-4 series-finale loss.

"Sometimes, all of a sudden if one guy walks or you get a guy in scoring position, you’re trying not to give up that hit or that run, you put a lot of pressure on yourself,” manager Dave Martinez said. “That’s the only thing I can think of. Then, you’re forcing yourself to get the ball in play, try to get it early and that’s when all the balls start happening."

The Angels proved to be a challenge to Nationals starter MacKenzie Gore, while the offense couldn't find its footing against rookie right-hander Jack Kochanowicz.

Gore totaled 86 pitches (48 strikes) through four innings and allowed five unearned runs in the fourth. Of the 86 pitches he threw, 38 were out of the strike zone. Coming into Sunday’s contest, Gore issued 17 walks over his last six starts, but set a career high with six free passes against the Angels. His previous career high was five walks, allowed in St. Louis on July 6.

"[Each start] has been a little different, other than it’s been one big inning in each outing,” the southpaw said. “Going in, I felt great. It just didn’t work out again, so I’m going to figure it out."

"We've just got to keep working with him," said Martinez. "He’s got to understand that strike one for him is going to be his best pitch. He was 4-for-17 getting ahead of hitters today and he just falls behind ... and the fouls balls, he’s got to work ahead and stay ahead.”

After the messy five-run fourth, the bullpen was able to keep the Angels off the scoreboard for the remaining innings. In a combined effort, five Nationals relievers allowed one run, enough to keep the club in a position where it could make a comeback. Even so, the walks continued to pile up.

Reliever Jose Ferrer walked one batter, before Jordan Weems -- who was reactivated from the injured list on Saturday -- allowed four walks in two-thirds of an inning. Tanner Rainey walked two more in the ninth, capping a day in which 13 free passes were issued by Washington pitchers.

The Nats had previously walked 13 batters in one game on Aug. 10, 2008, against Milwaukee. Sixteen years later, almost to the day, they tied the franchise record and logged the second-most walks of any team this season, after the Dodgers drew 14 from the Padres on April 14.

The Nats' offense did not give up quickly, though, mounting threats in the eighth and ninth innings. After Jacob Young homered to lead off the eighth, Nasim Nuñez delivered a one-out single before advancing to second on a wild pitch. Luis García Jr. came through with a two-out single that scored Nuñez and chased Kochanowicz. García eventually found himself at third after Angels’ reliever Mike Baumann issued back-to-back walks to first baseman Juan Yepez and James Wood.

Ildemaro Vargas, who replaced José Tena at third base earlier in the game, was up to bat. The bases were loaded, but the utility player lined out to left field and ended the inning.

The game was not over there, however. Young and catcher Riley Adams delivered one-out singles in the bottom of the ninth. Then came more walks, this time by the Angels. Nuñez drew a walk to load the bases and bring the tying run to the plate. Outfielder Alex Call, who's been on a tear since his recent callup, reached on a run-scoring infield single to plate Young and tighten the score.

García then scored Adams with a walk of his own, but a double-play ball off the bat of Yepez quashed the comeback.

"I think we’ve done a really good job all year of fighting until the end, especially in the ninth inning,” Young said. "Just pass it back one at a time, whether it’s a walk or a hit. Right there, we were one swing away from walking them off three times in a row. If you give yourself a chance, you've gotta feel pretty good there.”