The rookie left-hander sets career highs in innings and runs in a 6-3 loss.
To offset a beat and battered bullpen, Washington Nationals Manager Blake Butera let rookie left-hander Andrew Alvarez face the Houston Astros’ order three times Tuesday.
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The result: a night of milestones, both good and bad. Alvarez went 5⅔ innings for his longest outing in the majors, allowed just four hits and retired the side in order in three of his innings. But he also gave up a career-high five runs and tied his career high with five walks.
The Nationals have overcome bigger hurdles this season — this series, even — but on this night at Nationals Park, the offense didn’t have enough juice in a 6-3 loss.
“Four hits aren’t going to beat us,” Butera said. “When we’re walking five, and then you add the four hits, that’s when we are going to run into trouble. Honestly, we don’t deserve to win if we are going to walk that many guys.”
Alvarez sailed through the first inning, making quick work of the top of the Houston order, and James Wood led off with his 25th home run to put Washington in front.
In the second, Alvarez plunked Christian Walker, walked Cam Smith and gave up an infield single to Brice Matthews, and a sacrifice fly by Nick Allen tied the game.
The Nationals responded an inning later, Wood drawing a walk and scoring on a sacrifice fly from CJ Abrams, but from there, the Astros took over. Walker led off the fourth with another infield single, a grounder to short that could have been an out had Nasim Nuñez fielded it cleanly. The Astros were able to load the bases, with two batters reaching on walks, and scored two runs on a single from Allen and another on a sacrifice fly from Christian Vázquez.
They added one more in the sixth, with Alvarez issuing two more walks before Vázquez hit a two-out RBI single.
Butera said Alvarez was pitching scared, a phrase he has used often throughout the season when his pitching staff isn’t being aggressive enough. As the staff has done with other pitchers, Butera will reiterate to Alvarez that his stuff is capable of playing in the majors, but he has to limit the walks and force opponents to chase pitches.
Alvarez said he needs to be better at adjusting in between hitters and not letting one walk cascade into more damage.
“I just think I need to be better attacking the zone,” Alvarez said. “I thought I matched up well with the hitters. Five walks and a hit-by-pitch, four runs coming off of those, I just have to be better. I have to give the team a chance.”
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Vázquez’s single chased Alvarez for Justin Lawrence, who ended the inning by striking out Jose Altuve.
With a new left-handed reliever available, Butera sent Matt Krook, whom Washington claimed off waivers from the Athletics on Saturday, out for the sixth inning instead of continuing with Lawrence.
The Nationals are again reevaluating which pitchers and scenarios they will send a reliever out for a second inning. On Monday night, Butera left Cole Henry in after he pitched a scoreless seventh. It backfired, as he allowed four runs, and Butera took responsibility Tuesday afternoon for the position he put Henry in.
“I will 100 percent wear Cole Henry’s poor second inning last night,” Butera said. “To be very transparent, I think we did Cole a disservice because we didn’t have him throw multiple innings in AAA.”
Moving forward, the Nationals plan to stretch out relievers in Class AAA Rochester in case they are asked to pitch multiple innings in the majors, which they often are. Given the way the Nationals’ system is set up, if they bring up a reliever, it’s because they need innings covered, not necessarily because they have a prospect ready to be a main contributor.
Getting relievers ready to pitch multiple innings will take time. So on Tuesday, Butera was forced to work with what he had. Krook, who came in with a career ERA of 16.50 in 12 innings, struck out Yordan Alvarez, then gave up a single to Isaac Paredes and hit Walker with a pitch.
Smith hit a grounder to Curtis Mead, who got the out at third but stumbled as he tried to turn a double play. Krook then walked Zach Dezenzo to load the bases with two outs, ending his Nationals debut.
Riley Cornelio struck out Matthews to end the seventh — a welcomed sign that he’s taking notes and being more aggressive, Butera said — but gave up a two-out solo shot to Altuve in the eighth.
Carson Palmquist made it through the ninth, and José Tena hit a home run in the bottom half. The Nationals then loaded the bases with two outs and pinch-hit Dylan Crews with the game on the line. He stayed patient on the first two pitches to get ahead 2-0, but he fouled off a center-cut sinker before swinging and missing twice to end the game, dropping the Nationals to 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position.
“Flush it and move on,” Crews said. “It sucks, it stings. Any time your name is called you have to be ready for it. I was ready, just wasn’t my time.”
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