The Nationals’ missed opportunities come back to haunt them in 3-2 loss to Diamondbacks

In a matchup between two teams separated by just a few games in the wild-card standings, missed opportunities are magnified even more than usual.

And, on Friday night at Nationals Park, the Nationals couldn’t overcome their missed chances in a 3-2 loss to the Diamondbacks.

In the seventh inning, after Zack Littell provided the Nationals with one of his better performances of the season, Tom Cosgrove entered in a tie game with a runner on and faced three batters. The results? Single, walk, go-ahead sacrifice fly.

That three-batter sequence alone wasn’t the sole reason the Nationals lost. They finished 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position and left seven runners on base.

“We want to play loose. We want to play free,” manager Blake Butera said. “But there’s just like a little bit of an extra edge, understanding the importance of these games.”

The Nationals returned home following a six-game road trip after the All-Star break with an opportunity to play meaningful games, something this stadium and its fans haven’t seen much of in the 2020s.

The Diamondbacks clung to the final National League wild-card spot entering Friday’s game. Four teams were within two games of that spot, including the Nationals.

Results over the next 10 days could dictate whether teams in both leagues decide to be buyers, sellers or a mix of both before the Aug. 3 trade deadline.

In most cases around this time of year, teams insist the only result they can control is their own, even if they check the box scores of those above them every day.

Rarely does the schedule line up so that a team has an opportunity to beat someone ahead of it in the standings. But facing the Diamondbacks this weekend presents the Nationals with a prime chance to do just that.

Yet the importance of this series varied depending on who was asked in the clubhouse. Butera said his team was treating the three games like a playoff series.

“We’re going to do everything to win these games, to match up the best we can, do whatever we have to do to come out of these with wins, because we know how important it is with these guys we’re going up against in the standings,” Butera said.

Littell, on the other hand, implied that, although the team wants to win and it’s an important series, one three-game stretch won’t make or break the season. There are plenty of games left.

“I know it feels big and it feels like a big series because they’re right there, but I think there’s what, four or five teams all grouped up right now,” Littell said. “We’re treating it as keep doing what we’ve done all year. If we win every series from here to the end, or 90% of series here to the end, we’re going to be in a good spot.”

Carson Palmquist opened for the Nationals but was inefficient, throwing 41 pitches and recording just four outs. He left Littell with two runners on base in the second when he entered, and both scored on a squeeze bunt and a fielder’s choice, allowing Arizona to grab a 2-0 lead.

Littell did everything the Nationals could’ve hoped for. He pitched five innings, allowing one run and four hits while striking out five. He threw 70% of his pitches for strikes.

His pitch mix on Friday was unique compared to his overall season averages; he threw more splitters (27) than any other pitch, especially his first time through the order.

Littell said, in his last few outings, teams were sitting on his fastball early. So he threw his splitter 50% of the time his first time through the order. The Diamondbacks swung and missed, often chasing the pitch outside of the zone. The only run he gave up was the inherited runner Cosgrove allowed to score in the seventh.

The only run support he received came when Dylan Crews launched a two-run homer off Eduardo Rodriguez to level the score. Crews entered Friday’s contest with a .900 OPS against lefties. That homer helped to elevate that number even further.

Outside of that swing, the Nationals had multiple opportunities they couldn’t take advantage of.

“It’s an uncharacteristic one on our end,” Butera said. “But Eduardo is a good pitcher. His numbers are really good for a reason. ... Crews got him for a two-run shot, which was huge. Outside of that, we just couldn’t get much going.”

In the first inning, the Nationals had two runners in scoring position, giving them a prime opportunity to add to their league lead in first-inning runs. But CJ Abrams struck out and Crews flied out to center.

In the sixth, Washington found itself in the same spot. The result was similar: a strikeout and, after a walk, a groundout to end the frame. The best offense in baseball wouldn’t get a better opportunity the rest of the way.

“To get to where we want to get to, we have to win one-run ballgames,” Crews said. “We got to come up with some big hits in some big innings to win these one-run ballgames. That’s what good teams do. I have faith in this team that we can do that, for sure.”

This article has been updated.