Tough Day at the Office for the Nats 
Hey Nats fans! Today’s game against the Padres was definitely a rough one. We couldn’t manage to get any runs across the board while the Padres, methodically, put four on the score sheet. Let's break it down inning by inning.Pitchers Duel in the Early Innings 
The game started quietly with Jake Irvin holding off the Padres’ batters in the first inning while Lane Thomas reached base due to a fielding error by Manny Machado. Although Thomas showed some hustle with a stolen base, we couldn’t capitalize. Both teams had a tight defensive game and remained scoreless through the first four innings.Padres Break Through in the 5th Inning 
Things started to unravel in the top of the 5th with back-to-back homers from Luis Arraez and Jurickson Profar. That put the Padres up 2-0. The Nats couldn't answer back in the bottom of the inning as Keibert Ruiz flied out to center and Luis García Jr. flied out to left.Adding Insult to Injury: Padres Add Two More Runs 
We couldn’t prevent the Padres from extending their lead in the 6th and 8th innings. After Manny Machado doubled to start the 6th, a single from Jackson Merrill pushed the score to 3-0. Merrill would strike again in the 8th, grounding out to second but allowing Xander Bogaerts to score. Despite some notable plays like a double from Thomas in the 6th and Yepez's double in the 7th, we couldn’t deliver the much-needed runs.Final Push Falls Short 
Our hopes for a comeback were dashed in the 9th inning. While Juan Yepez managed to single to right, both Jesse Winker and James Wood struck out swinging, and Thomas grounded out to third to end the game.What’s Next Nats? 
While today’s game didn’t go our way, let’s keep our heads up! We have the talent and determination to turn things around. The diamond can be unpredictable, and our boys will surely rally back in the next game.Keep the faith, Nats fans!
Let's go Nats!
Scoreboard for Padres @ Nationals (July 23rd, 2024)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 2 |