On a six-game losing streak, the Nationals needed a stopper. Stephen Strasburg does not pitch until Wednesday. This meant it was up to Livan Hernandez, the best pitcher in the rotation not wearing the number 37.
“He was really good,” Manager Jim Riggleman said. “He’s been good just most times he’s been out there.”
Hernandez looked strong in his traditional, subdued fashion. Not one to crack the 90 mph mark on the radar gun, Hernandez crafted a victory where he was able to last seven innings while striking out five and giving up Kansas City’s lone run in the third.
The Cuban righty managed to get his ERA to dip even farther below the 3.00 mark. He has been one of the more consistent parts of the Nationals team this year. Losers of six in a row, the Nationals needed Hernandez to be at his best.
“It’s been a little grind here lately,” Riggleman said. “The guys have been playing hard. Just having trouble breaking it open a little bit. It’s going to turn for us if we keep staying together.”
The Nationals faced Bruce Chen, a journeyman lefty who does not have particularly impressive stuff. But the Nationals got the few hits they needed (stress on the few) and were able to scrape by and get the win.
Home runs off the bats of Michael Morse and Cristian Guzman provided virtually the entire offense last night.
“It’s only four hits, but take a lot out of the walks we got the good at bats,” Riggleman said.
Morse, playing in right field against the left-handed Chen, hit his fourth home run of the season in the second inning. When Morse has been in the starting lineup this season he has excelled and Riggleman has taken notice.
“He takes advantage of his opportunities,” he said. “I haven’t been able to get him in there as much as I know a lot of people want him in there and I like to have him in there.”
Morse is aware that there is a group of outfielders ahead of him on the depth chart so he has tried to embrace his limited roll the best he can.
“I’ll do whatever it takes to get in the lineup,” Morse said. “Whatever my job is for the team I’m going to try to do it the best I can.”
Through the first seven innings the Nats could only manage three hits total off Chen and reliever Robinson Tejeda. But two of those three were big hits, something Washington has missed desperately in their current slide.
To wrap up the game, the Nats went to the familiar bullpen tandem of Tyler Clippard and Matt Capps. Both did their job by shutting down the opposition in the eighth and ninth innings, respectively. Capps, however, looked a bit shaky in the early going of the ninth.
“I had a hard time getting into that groove,” he said. “In the middle of that second at bat I kind of settled down and started getting the ball down and doing what I wanted.”
Capps sent the last Royals hitter back to the bench on a swinging strike three to strike out the side. The Nationals were able to end their slide, but the question now is can they turn around and win. If they get pitching like they did Monday night, they’ve got a good shot.
You can reach this staff writer at slindauer@theeagleonline.com.
