Fast Start for the Nats 
The game started with a bang for our Washington Nationals. After a scoreless top of the 1st inning, C.J. Abrams grounded out, but Lane Thomas got the ball rolling with a single to center. That's when Jesse Winker came up clutch with a single to left, bringing Thomas home and securing the first run of the game
. The momentum didn't stop there; Juan Yepez launched a homer to left center, bringing Winker in and giving us a solid 3-0 lead early on. What an electric start! 
Padres' Furious Comeback 
Unfortunately, our early lead was soon challenged. The Padres came roaring back in the top of the 2nd inning. Luis Arraez and Jurickson Profar were instrumental, with Profar hitting a two-run homer to change the score dynamics quickly. As the dust settled, we found ourselves down 4-3 by the end of the inning. 
The Padres didn't stop there; they piled on more runs in the 3rd and 4th, leading 11-3 by the middle of the 4th inning. Tough stretch for our bullpen and defense. 
Struggling to Recover 
The Nationals couldn't quite regain that early-game spark as the Padres continued to bear down. The few offensive highlights were sparse as the innings progressed. Luis García Jr.'s single in the 1st and his clutch triple in the 7th were notable, but other than that, the bats were mostly silent. It seemed every time we had a glimmer of hope, the Padres' defense shut us down fast. The 8th and 9th innings were no different as we couldn't mount a comeback. 
Final Thoughts 
It was a rough game after such a promising start. We saw some bright spots, including Juan Yepez's homer and some solid at-bats from Luis García Jr., but ultimately, the Padres had our number today. Final score: Padres 12, Nationals 3. Let's hope for a bounce back in the next game! 
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#GoNats
Scoreboard for Padres @ Nationals (July 24th, 2024)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 0 |
| 0 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 20 | 0 |