The Arizona Diamondbacks struggled once again against the Washington Nationals.
The Arizona Diamondbacks suffered a 6-1 loss to the Washington Nationals on Saturday at Chase Field in Phoenix.
The defeat on Saturday means that the Diamondbacks have lost the series, and they have also been outscored 20-2 over the last two games. What went wrong this time?
Lack of Offense
When the Nationals were producing an offensive onslaught on Friday, Arizona simply could not get anything going in response.
The Diamondbacks mustered only six hits in 34 at-bats, and their lone run came in the eighth inning. Meanwhile, Washington notched 16 hits en route to 14 runs.
The Nationals’ offense was not nearly as potent on Saturday, but Arizona’s was arguably worse than it was the day before. In 28 at-bats, the Diamondbacks had just two hits.
The first of their two hits came off the bat of Pavin Smith in the form of a leadoff single in the bottom of the fifth inning. Later in the frame, LuJames Groover singled to center field to score Pavin. At that point, the Diamondbacks were only down 2-1.
However, the offense would not produce anything else as Arizona would go without a hit the rest of the way. The Diamondbacks only struck out once through the remainder of the game, and contact was abundant, but they could not break through the Nationals' defense.
Not Enough Stops
After Diamondbacks right-hander Merrill Kelly and the Diamondbacks’ bullpen was terrorized by the Nationals’ batting order on Friday, Eduardo Rodriguez and the relief arms were able to limit Washington more in the second game of the series, but not nearly enough.
Rodriguez provided 6.1 innings and five strikeouts for Arizona, but he allowed six hits, four earned runs, and a walk. Juan Morillo was the first reliever to step on the mound for the Diamondbacks, and he finished out the seventh before being replaced by Jonathan Loaisiga in the eighth inning.
Morillo and Loaisiga did not allow any hits or runs in their appearances, but once Drey Jameson took the bump, he allowed two hits, two runs and two walks in one inning.
The Diamondbacks have now lost four of their last five games, and they still retain their third-place standing in the National League West Division. Slumps are natural over the span of a 162-game season, but the recent slump, paired with the news that Corbin Burnes will miss more time, is causing adversity at the moment.
The Diamondbacks will aim to bounce back and avoid the sweep when they host the Nationals on Sunday at 12:15 P.M. MDT.
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