Heartbreaking Loss in Arizona: Nationals Fall 5-4 
We had a rollercoaster of a game out in Arizona tonight, but ultimately, our Nats couldn't overcome the Diamondbacks' mid-game surge. Here's how it all went down.Struggles Early On
The game started off slow for both teams. CJ Abrams grounded out to third to begin the 1st inning, and Juan Yepez struck out swinging. James Wood managed to reach on an infield single, but Harold Ramirez was also unable to capitalize, grounding out to first to end our half of the inning.Similarly, the Diamondbacks couldn't make much headway against our pitching. Josiah Gray had a solid start, and we managed to keep Arizona off the board through the first two innings.
Third Inning: Diamondbacks Strike First
The Diamondbacks finally broke the deadlock in the 3rd inning. Jake McCarthy tripled to center, then scored on a wild pitch by MacKenzie Gore. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. followed with a double, adding pressure to our defense, but Gore managed to close out the inning without further damage.Fourth Inning: Nationals Respond
The 4th inning saw some action from our lineup! James Wood led off with a single to center, and Harold Ramirez doubled to right, allowing Wood to score and tie the game at 1-1. Though we left Ramirez at third, it felt good to get on the board.Sixth Inning: Diamondbacks Pull Ahead
The 6th was tough to watch. Eugenio Suarez started with a single, followed by Randal Grichuk's double. This set up a scoring opportunity that Pavin Smith and Geraldo Perdomo did not miss, giving the D-Backs a significant lead. Smith’s ground-out and Perdomo’s single made it 3-1. A throwing error allowed Perdomo to steal second and advance to third, and Corbin Carroll brought him home with a single. Jose Herrera doubled to center, bringing Carroll home, and suddenly it was 5-1.Late Inning Push
In the 8th inning, Juan Yepez doubled to left, and Luis Garcia Jr. brought him home with a single, cutting the deficit to 5-2. We had Alex Call on base too but couldn't convert more.The 9th inning provided a glimmer of hope. Jacob Young walked and advanced to third on fielder’s indifference, later scoring on an Abrams double. Abrams then scored on a passed ball. Suddenly, it was 5-4 with Luis Garcia Jr. getting an intentional walk to load the bases, but Riley Adams grounded out to end the game. What could have been!
Final Thoughts
This one stings, but there were some bright spots. James Wood had a great game, and we saw some resilient at-bats in the late innings. However, those mid-inning defensive lapses and missed opportunities at the plate cost us dearly.Let’s hope we can bounce back in the next game. Go Nats!
Scoreboard for Nationals @ Diamondbacks (July 31st, 2024)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 12 | 0 |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 10 | 2 |