Washington at San Diego

Washington at San Diego

This is Missed It. Washington at San Diego, Wednesday, September 9, 95 and partly cloudy at Petco Park, with the Nationals. You missed it? Here's the whole game, as it happened.

Pregame

Washington Nationals at San Diego Padres. We are on the road tonight, and the Nationals are looking to make some noise against the Padres. It is a fresh start, a clean slate, and we have got a ballgame ahead of us.

Innings 1-3

Top of the first, and we are underway. The Nationals send three batters to the plate, and the Padres send them right back. No runs, no damage, score stays zero to zero. Then the Padres come up in the bottom of the first, and our guys return the favor. Three batters, no runs. We are still knotted up at zero. Top of the second, same story. Three Nationals batters, no runs. The Padres get a little more life in the bottom of the second, five batters coming to the plate, but they cannot push anything across. Score remains zero to zero as we head to the third. It has been a pitcher's duel so far, both sides trading quiet innings, and we are waiting for someone to blink.

The Sequence

Top of the third, and the Nationals finally get something going. Eight batters come to the plate, and we plate two runs. Two to nothing, Nationals. That is the kind of inning we have been waiting for, a little patience, a little pop, and suddenly we are on the board. But the Padres answer right back in the bottom of the third. Two outs, two on, and Ty France steps in. He singles on a ground ball to left fielder Daylen Lile, and Fernando Tatis Jr. scores. Manny Machado moves to second. It is two to one, and the crowd is stirring. Then, with two outs and two on again, Jackson Merrill steps up. He triples on a sharp fly ball to right fielder Dylan Crews, deflected by center fielder Jacob Young. Manny Machado scores. Ty France scores. Just like that, it is two to three, Padres. The lead we worked for is gone in a flash, and the momentum has shifted to their side. Top of the fourth, three Nationals batters, no runs. We cannot get anything going. Bottom of the fourth, and the Padres keep pushing. No outs, a runner on, and Samad Taylor lays down a soft bunt ground ball to pitcher Jackson Kent. Austin Hays scores. Samad Taylor moves to second on a throwing error by Jackson Kent. It is two to four, and the hole is getting deeper. Top of the fifth, four batters, no runs. Bottom of the fifth, six batters, two more runs for the Padres. It is two to seven now, and this one is slipping away. Top of the sixth, three batters, no runs. Bottom of the sixth, four batters, no runs, but the damage is done. We are down by five, and we need a miracle.

The Stretch

Where do we stand? We came out swinging in the third, took a two to nothing lead, and then the bottom of the third happened. That triple by Jackson Merrill, the one that deflected off Jacob Young's glove, that is the play this game turned on. It flipped the score, flipped the momentum, and we have not been able to flip it back. We need to find that spark again, the one we had in the top of the third, and we need to find it fast. There is still baseball left, but the mountain is steep.

Innings 7-9

Top of the seventh, and the Nationals send three batters to the plate. No runs. We are still down two to seven, and the clock is ticking. Bottom of the seventh, and the Padres add on. No outs, bases empty, and Jackson Merrill steps in again. He homers on a fly ball to center field. Two to eight. That man has had our number all night, and he is not done yet. Top of the eighth, four Nationals batters, no runs. We are running out of chances. Bottom of the eighth, and the Padres keep their foot on the gas. Two outs, two on, and Jackson Merrill singles on a ground ball to second baseman José Tena, deflected by first baseman Andrés Chaparro. Xander Bogaerts scores. Ty France moves to second. It is two to nine now, and this one is all but over. Top of the ninth, three batters, no runs. The Nationals go down quietly, and that is the ballgame. Two to nine, Padres. It is a tough one to swallow, but we take it on the chin and we move on.

Wrap-up

Final score, Washington Nationals two, San Diego Padres nine. The Padres take it by seven, and it stings. We had a lead, we lost it, and we never got it back. Jackson Merrill was the difference, and tonight, he was just too much. We go again tomorrow. That is all we can do.

Outro

That was Washington at San Diego, from the Nationals side. This has been Missed It. Every game, both sides, at missed it dot net. Produced by James Barrett.

Washington at San Diego

This is Missed It. Washington at San Diego, Wednesday, September 9, 95 and partly cloudy at Petco Park, with the Padres. You missed it? Here's the whole game, as it happened.

Pregame

The Washington Nationals are in town, and the San Diego Padres are ready to get after it. We've got a fresh ballgame ahead of us, nothing decided yet, and our guys are looking to put together a complete night. The Nationals have the first crack at the plate, and we've got the home crowd behind us. Let's see what tonight brings.

Innings 1-3

Top of the first, and it's a quick one. The Nationals send three batters to the plate, and we send them right back. No runs, no drama, score stays zero to zero. Then we come up in the bottom half, and it's the same story. Three batters, right back to the dugout. Nothing doing for either side in that first inning. Second inning rolls around, and it's more of the same from Washington. Three batters, no runs. We're still knotted at zero. Then we get our turn, and this one's a little longer. Five batters come up for us in the bottom of the second, but we can't push anything across. The scoreboard still reads zero to zero, and we're heading to the third with everything still on the table. Now the third inning, and this is where things start to move. Washington comes up first, and they put together a real inning. Eight batters step in for them, and they scratch out two runs. Just like that, we're down two to nothing, and the home crowd is getting restless. We need an answer. And do we ever get one. Bottom of the third, two outs on the board, and we've got two runners on. Fernando Tatis Jr. is standing on third, Manny Machado on first. Ty France steps in, and he delivers. A ground ball to left fielder Daylen Lile, and Tatis Jr. comes home. Machado moves up to second. We're on the board, two to one, and the place is starting to wake up. But we're not done. Two outs still, two runners still on. Jackson Merrill steps to the plate, and he launches one. A sharp fly ball to right fielder Dylan Crews, and it gets deflected by center fielder Jacob Young. That ball is in the gap, and it's rolling. Machado scores, France scores, and Merrill is standing on third with a triple. Just like that, we've flipped it. Three to two, our lead, and the crowd is on its feet. That's how you answer.

The Sequence

This is where the game gets decided. It's the top of the third, and Washington has just taken a two to nothing lead. They've got the momentum, they've got the runs, and they're feeling good. But we've got the bottom of the inning coming up, and we're about to take it all back. Two outs, two runners on. Ty France at the plate, and he singles on a ground ball to left. Tatis Jr. scores, Machado to second. Two to one, and we're breathing again. Then Jackson Merrill steps in, and he hits that sharp fly ball to right, deflected by Young in center. It's a triple, and both runners come home. Machado scores, France scores, and just like that it's three to two, our lead. That's the moment. That's the swing. Washington had all the momentum, and we took it away in two swings. From that point on, we never look back. Top of the fourth, three batters for Washington, no runs. Bottom of the fourth, and we add more. No outs, a runner on. Samad Taylor steps in and lays down a soft bunt ground ball to pitcher Jackson Kent. Austin Hays scores, and then it gets even better. Kent throws it away, a throwing error, and Taylor moves up to second. Four to two now, and we're rolling. Top of the fifth, four batters for Washington, no runs. Bottom of the fifth, six batters for us, and we push two more across. It's seven to two now, and this one is effectively over. Top of the sixth, three batters, no runs. Bottom of the sixth, four batters, no runs. We've got a five-run lead, and we're cruising.

Innings 7-9

Top of the seventh, and Washington sends three batters to the plate. No runs. We're still up seven to two, and the game is firmly in our hands. Then we come up in the bottom half, and Jackson Merrill decides he wants a little more. No outs, bases empty. Merrill steps in, and he gets all of one. A fly ball to center field, and it's gone. Home run. Eight to two, and the crowd is loving every second of it. That's Merrill's second big hit of the night, and it puts an exclamation point on this one. Top of the eighth, and Washington tries to mount something. Four batters come up, but they can't push anything across. No runs, still eight to two. Then we get our turn in the bottom half, and we're not done adding on. Two outs, two runners on. Xander Bogaerts is on second, Ty France on first. Jackson Merrill steps in again, and he's having himself a night. He singles on a ground ball to second baseman José Tena, and it gets deflected by first baseman Andrés Chaparro. Bogaerts scores, France moves to second. Nine to two now, and this one is well and truly put to bed. Top of the ninth, and Washington has one last chance. Three batters come up, and we send them all back. No runs. The game ends right there, nine to two, and we've got ourselves a win.

Wrap-up

That's the ballgame. We came from behind, we took control in the third, and we never let go. Ty France got us going, Jackson Merrill was the star of the night with that triple and that home run and that single, and the pitching held Washington down when it mattered. Nine to two, a seven-run win, and a night the home crowd won't forget. That's how you take care of business.

Outro

That was Washington at San Diego, from the Padres side. This has been Missed It. Every game, both sides, at missed it dot net. Produced by James Barrett.