This game and this series came down to doing the little things right and winning on the margins. These two teams were very evenly matched and it came down to execution. In the end, the Marlins executed, and the Nationals did not. That is why the Fish came away with a series win today.
While the Nats have lost by bigger margins and have been overmatched in some series, this may have been the most frustrating series of the year. They could easily have won the series or even swept if they played smart. Between the errors, the base running mistakes and the bad play behind the plate, the Nats could not get it done.
Cade Cavalli was not as sharp as he was in the Braves or Mets starts, but he did a nice job getting through 5.2 innings and keeping the boys in the game. The offense had some chances, but they were mostly quiet this afternoon. Outside of a couple early series explosions, it was not the best showing for the offense this weekend.
However, the thing that really doomed the Nats was execution. We saw that play out in the disastrous bottom of the 8th inning. After striking a guy out and getting ahead 0-2, Gus Varland uncharacteristically lost the zone, walking two straight batters. Then the Marlins executed a double steal. After a base hit, the Marlins had the lead, but the Nats still had a chance to limit the damage.
On an 0-1 pitch to Heriberto Hernandez, Drew Millas foolishly challenged a pitch that was not even close to the plate. That meant the Nats were out of challenges because their light hitting catcher threw one in the garbage. Later in the at bat, Millas allowed a second double steal, throwing the ball on the wrong side of the bag. It was on a pitch that caught a lot of plate, but Millas could not challenge because he had already wasted his bullets.
With his catcher potentially robbing him of a strikeout, Gus Varland allowed a two run single two pitches later that sealed the game. It was not a good outing by Varland, but if he had a competent catcher behind the plate, things could have been different. Harry Ford has shown some signs of life, and the Nats need him to get going. It is very clear that Drew Millas is not the answer behind the plate.
While Keibert Ruiz has struggled at the dish, his defense and pitch calling has been much improved. Millas is not doing anything well right now. He is not hitting, he is awful at ABS challenges and he is one of the worst blockers in the game. Something has to change, and it has to happen quickly.
However, Millas was not the only guy to make mistakes in this one. The usually sure handed Nasim Nunez made a crucial error that also cost the Nats a run. It was just a very sloppy series from the boys.
This was a series that was decided on the margins, and that is why the Marlins won. They played clean, fundamentally sound baseball, while the Nats were constantly shooting themselves in the foot.
These last two games were really deflating because of how well they were playing leading into it. With .500 in reach, the Nats took their eyes off the ball and blew it. Hopefully this sloppy play does not carry over into the Reds series because these last two games have been very frustrating to watch.
