{"id":2063,"date":"2026-05-30T05:07:10","date_gmt":"2026-05-30T05:07:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=2063"},"modified":"2026-05-30T05:07:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-30T05:07:10","slug":"nationals-pitching-depth-betrays-them-in-loss-to-padres","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=2063","title":{"rendered":"Nationals\u2019 pitching depth betrays them in loss to Padres"},"content":{"rendered":"

Andrew Alvarez and Mitchell Parker each allowed three runs in a 7-5 series-opening defeat.<\/strong><\/p>

Read more Trump\u2019s doctor says he is in \u2018excellent health\u2019 after latest checkup<\/a><\/p>\n

\n
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Andrew Alvarez struggled in his first start of the season after a strong run in the bullpen. (Jess Rapfogel\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

The Washington Nationals have begun to turn around their season, in large part because of progress from their pitching. Friday would have been Jake Irvin\u2019s turn in the rotation, but with the right-hander on the injured list, the depth of their staff was put to the test.<\/p>\n

If the Nationals\u2019 7-5 loss to the San Diego Padres is any indication, they won\u2019t be able to survive any other starters going down. A pitching staff that had given up 14 runs on a six-game road trip allowed half that total in the opener of a six-game home stand.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt really just felt like we couldn\u2019t put guys away,\u201d Manager Blake Butera said. \u201cWhen we were ahead, we couldn\u2019t finish.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rookie left-hander Andrew Alvarez had been off to a solid start for Washington, allowing four earned runs and striking out 16 in 12\u2154 innings as a bulk reliever. On Friday, the rookie left-hander made his first start of the year but didn\u2019t have the same juice that allowed him to be successful in his first four outings.<\/p>\n

Pitching behind opener Paxton Schultz, who allowed one run in the first inning, Alvarez needed 74 pitches to make it through three innings. He retired only eight of the 15 batters he faced, with two walks to one strikeout, and his velocity was down on all of his pitches. His curveball, usually his best pitch, wasn\u2019t as effective.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust wasn\u2019t as sharp today,\u201d Butera said. \u201cFelt like when he was getting two strikes, it was just foul ball after foul ball. He wasn\u2019t able to get the swing and miss with two strikes.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Nationals provided four runs in the first three innings \u2014 on homers by Curtis Mead and Keibert Ruiz and a single by Dylan Crews for his second RBI of the year \u2014 but Alvarez couldn\u2019t hold the lead, and the Padres evened the score at 4.<\/p>\n

\n
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Curtis Mead slugged a two-run homer in the first inning, the first of two long balls for the Nationals. (Terrance Williams\/AP)<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

Alvarez\u2019s day ended after the fourth inning. With Irvin \u2014 who was placed on the injured list Sunday with a right shoulder strain \u2014 still not throwing, it\u2019s likely Alvarez will be given another opportunity in five days. Next time, he said he wants to get ahead early and control the running game better.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was my job to come in and provide some length,\u201d Alvarez said. \u201cIt\u2019s definitely frustrating. We\u2019re just going to keep going.\u201d<\/p>

Read more Judge probes whether deal creating Trump\u2019s $1.8 billion fund constitutes fraud<\/a><\/p>\n

After Jacob Young\u2019s two-out RBI single put the Nationals back in front, Mitchell Parker was tasked with getting them through another bulk of innings, but he made it just two. In the seventh, Ty France tied the game again with a solo shot over the visitors\u2019 bullpen in left-center field. An inning later, Xander Bogaerts reached on a throwing error from Nasim Nu\u00f1ez, and Maryland native Jackson Merrill went deep to right-center. Both runs were unearned, but the Padres still took a 7-5 lead.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust execution,\u201d Parker said. \u201cI like the pitch decision, I just have to execute it. He\u2019s a good hitter, leave him too good of a pitch and he\u2019s going to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Parker, primarily a starter in his first two seasons, was moved to the bullpen because, Butera said, the Nationals found he fatigues after two to three innings. He hasn\u2019t fared much better in his new role, with a 5.28 ERA in 29 innings.<\/p>\n

Thanks in part to aggressive managing, Washington had a chance to retake control in the bottom of the eighth. Jos\u00e9 Tena, pinch-hitting for Young, hit a single. Ruiz followed with the same, and Tena advanced to third on an error from Fernando Tatis. Ruiz was replaced by Millas at first base.<\/p>\n

After fellow pinch hitter Jorbit Vivas flied out, San Diego went to star closer Mason Miller, who walked James Wood on six pitches to load the bases. Luis Garc\u00eda Jr. worked another full count but flew out to Laureano to end the threat.<\/p>\n

Vivas is now 0 for 24 with runners in scoring position. Butera said that doesn\u2019t change how the Nationals plan to use him if they think the matchup is better.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe all know he\u2019s struggled with runners in scoring position, he knows that as well,\u201d Butera said. \u201cAt the end of the day, we trust him to put a good at-bat there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Note: <\/b>Right-handed pitcher Cole Henry was activated off the injured list Friday. He had been sidelined since April 13 with a right rotator cuff strain. Henry had a 6.43 ERA in seven innings.<\/p>\n

PJ Poulin was optioned to Class AAA Rochester after Wednesday\u2019s game to clear the roster spot for Henry.<\/p>

Read more Former AG Pam Bondi distances herself from Epstein files to lawmakers<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Andrew Alvarez and Mitchell Parker each allowed three runs in a 7-5 series-opening defeat.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2060,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2063","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"\nNationals\u2019 pitching depth betrays them in loss to Padres - Moving Insider USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=2063\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Nationals\u2019 pitching depth betrays them in loss to Padres - Moving Insider USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Andrew Alvarez and Mitchell Parker each allowed three runs in a 7-5 series-opening defeat.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=2063\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Moving Insider USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-30T05:07:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/24369c69b78411355b53228b10e4b9fb-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1707\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?p=2063#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?p=2063\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/22d40ab81790f6a361021763bb56ef03\"},\"headline\":\"Nationals\u2019 pitching depth betrays them in loss to Padres\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-30T05:07:10+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?p=2063\"},\"wordCount\":869,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?p=2063#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/e92cacb9f46bdbb089fc6a7d0515f7d8-scaled.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Interesting\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?p=2063#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?p=2063\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?p=2063\",\"name\":\"Nationals\u2019 pitching depth betrays them in loss to Padres - 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