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mlb.com
Nats have tough
task ahead as Reds visit
By Joey Nowak
Things aren't getting any easier any time soon for the struggling
Nationals.
The defending National League East champions are coming off a mid-week
sweep at the hands of the Cardinals, dropping them to 10-11 -- a
sub-.500 record for the first time since the last day of the 2011
season, when they ended the year at 80-81.
And now the Nats get the Reds, who just finished off a series win
against the Cubs and whose starting pitchers' collective ERA dropped to
2.99 after a 1-0 win Wednesday. Reds starters haven't allowed more than
two runs in any game since April 14, a span of 10 starts.
"I'm impressed by it," Reds manager Dusty Baker said. "It means they're
throwing a lot of pitches, though. I'm not impressed that we've had an
equal amount of strikeouts on our side. That's unimpressive."
It'll be up to Nationals lefty Gio Gonzalez to try to right the ship on
Thursday at Nationals Park in Washington.
Gonzalez had a meltdown in the fourth inning of his last start, against
the Mets, after being given a 3-0 lead in the first three innings.
He allowed five runs with two outs in the fourth. Ten hitters came to
bat in the inning.
Gonzalez, 1-1 with a 5.85 ERA this year, managed to escape the outing
with a no-decision as a pair of Bryce Harper homers aided his cause.
"It's one of those things you can't explain," catcher Kurt Suzuki said.
"[Gonzalez] threw some good pitches and started falling behind in the
count a little bit. The curveball started popping up. He threw two over
[Lucas Duda's] head. He threw a couple up to righties. It happened with
two outs. ... It happens, you learn from it and move on."
The Reds struck out just six hitters as a staff on Wednesday against
the Cubs, snapping a streak of six games with at least 10 combined
strikeouts.
"We have to increase our road record," Baker said of the upcoming trip.
"It's a very, very tough road trip we're about to go on."
Read the original article at mlb.com.
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