Unfortunately, the Nats never got close enough to let Ryan Zimmerman try to play hero on yet another Father's Day, but considering Zimm's 0-for-5 day with two strikeouts and six left on base, maybe he was a big part of why his team was never in this ballgame.
Zimmerman went 0-for-15 in the series against the Blue Jays with six strikeouts. Since his average peaked on May 16 at .364, Zimmerman has hit .214 over his last 31 games, droppin his average to .293.
To make matters worse, the Jays scored all but one of their runs with two outs, and all but two runs having two outs with no men on base.
"You've got to be able to smell the blood in the water when you've got two outs with nobody on and finish up the hitters and get out of there," said Nationals manager Manny Acta.
Washington starter Shairon Martis (5-2, 5.13) struggled through five innings, allowing six earned runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out just one.
The Takeaway: The Nats took two series in a row from AL East teams, and continue interleague play with the Boston Red Sox this week. The team is showing signs of life, but today's game was all too familiar from early on.
The Good: Josh Bard. He went 3-for-4 with a run scored and two RBI and really hit the ball hard every time up.
The Bad: Joel Hanrahan. He pitched one inning, but gave up three earned runs on three hits and a walk. Yuck.
The Ugly: Zimm. He has to find a way out of this slump. As good as he was for a month and a half, he's been every bit as bad for a full month now.
Next Game: Off Monday, then a three-game set with Boston. Nationals Park will be full of invading chowda-heads and bean-eaters, so I'll try to keep a level head and just repeat this mantra: "They're paying for Strasburg's signing bonus."
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