Nationals burned by their process in 5-3 loss to Yankees

In the ninth inning with a chance to knock off the Yankees, the Nationals sent lefty Matt Krook to the mound.

Krook was activated before Tuesday’s game against the Astros and recorded two outs in his team debut. Now, he would be tasked with recording three outs against the Yankees with the Nationals holding a one-run lead.

It was a curious decision by manager Blake Butera. Right-hander Clayton Beeter had recorded the final out of the eighth inning on just seven pitches. He’s a right-hander, but left-handers are slashing a paltry .200/.373/.222 against him.

Instead, with Cody Bellinger, Jasson Domínguez and Jazz Chisholm Jr. due up, Butera went with Krook because he is better against right-handers than PJ Poulin, which would be necessary with Domínguez being a switch-hitter sandwiched between two left-handed-hitters.

After inducing a groundout then allowing a single, Krook gave up a two-run shot to Chisholm — who has a .658 OPS against left-handers in his career — that gave the Yankees the lead.

Butera’s decision backfired.

“I’m sitting here wondering if that’s the right thing to do or not,” Butera said after Friday’s 5-3 loss to the Yankees. “Whenever you lose and get beat that way, you definitely question what we’re doing. Sitting here talking with our group after the game tonight, we all believe the process was right and the outcome was not.”

Friday’s loss was the Nationals’ 26th blown save of the season. In a season full of crushing losses, this one had to hurt.

The Nationals were coming off a day off with a fresh bullpen. Knowing they were facing a lefty-heavy Yankees lineup, they stocked their bullpen with left-handers (Tom Cosgrove, Poulin, Carson Palmquist and Krook).

The organization believes in the advantage of going with a left-handed pitcher against a left-handed hitter, and the data supports the decision more times than not.

But, after another crushing loss, it’s fair to question the brain trust’s process when it keeps backfiring. Despite numerous tough losses this season, there doesn’t seem to be any dissension within the roster.

“I trust those guys,” All-Star James Wood said. “I’m gonna let them do their job, and I’m gonna do my job.”

Krook’s sweeper got too much of the plate, which is prime real estate for a hitter as good as Chisholm.

Right after the homer, Butera replaced Krook with right-hander Justin Lawrence.

Lawrence began by striking out José Caballero, but he allowed a solo homer to Austin Wells that gave New York an insurance run. The Nationals’ search for high-leverage bullpen arms will continue after Friday’s loss.

“We’re gonna try to put our best arms on their best hitters and try to make it as difficult as possible for their hitters,” Butera said. “We liked our matchup with a left on left against Jazz. Historically, he’s a lot better against righties than he is lefties. And then he hits a home run against us to beat us, and you’re sitting here wondering if that was the right thing to do. You sit here wondering, like, what happened?”

In a flash, the Nationals went from celebrating Wood and Keibert Ruiz recording back-to-back homers — becoming the second pair of Nationals to achieve the feat this season — to wallowing in another gut-wrenching loss.

Even with the frustrations that could simmer after a loss like Friday’s, Butera is confident in the resiliency of the group, which has shown a penchant for bouncing back after tough losses.

“[You] just look yourself in the mirror and see what you could have done better,” Wood said. “If there’s something you could have done better, learn from it and just take it forward the next game.”

Butera said the team is clear on the organization’s plans heading into the game and the roster is clued in to why a decision is made.

The Nationals (48-47) try to avoid deviating from their plans to prevent confusion among their pitchers. Although Krook had an impressive at-bat against Astros star Yordan Álvarez on Tuesday, he’s thrown just 13 innings at the major league level. Pitching in the ninth inning, particularly against a lineup as formidable as the Yankees, can be daunting.

“The game matters more in the ninth inning,” Krook said. “Trying to get the last three outs, so just trying to do my best to execute and slow the game down a little bit.”

Instead of Natonals fans enjoying the bliss of Wood delivering a clutch hit, they went home with a bitter taste after the bullpen showed its inability to hold a lead.

This outcome left the Nationals more conflicted than convicted.

“We believe in our process. ... Feels like we keep getting burned,” Butera said.

This article has been updated.