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Markakis homers in 11th, Orioles beat Nats 2-1

info — Sat, 19 May 2012 09:31:50 +0000

WASHINGTON (AP) – The Washington Nationals are short-handed – and it shows.

With 10 players on the disabled list, the Nationals had a punchless offensive performance Friday night, falling 2-1 in 11 innings to the Baltimore Orioles on Friday night.

Nick Markakis’ homer into the second deck in right field sent the Nationals to their first two-game home losing streak this season.

Washington is missing three starting position players – outfielders Michael Morse and Jayson Werth, and catcher Wilson Ramos – and their absence was particularly glaring Friday.

“When you’re missing some key guys, it puts pressure on some other guys to be more aggressive and be more run-producing,” manager Davey Johnson said. “We need to have patience when we get in those situations.”

Washington had six singles, and a home run from Ian Desmond. The Nationals were 0 for 5 with runners in scoring position, and had two runners thrown out attempting to steal second by Baltimore catcher Matt Wieters.

“A lot of times, we got ourselves out being overly aggressive,” Johnson said.

An outstanding effort from starter Edwin Jackson was wasted. He came into the game with a 5-1 career mark against the Orioles. He threw eight innings, limiting Baltimore to five hits, striking out eight and walking one, but for the fifth straight time, he left without a decision.

“Offense comes and goes,” Jackson said. “More times than not, if we keep pitching the way we have, we’ll win.”

Markakis’ blast off Nationals reliever Ryan Mattheus (2-1) helped the Orioles improve to 6-2 in extra innings with all six victories coming on the road.

Mattheus threw him a slider, and it didn’t go where he wanted it.

“I would have liked it a little bit more elevated, but he put a good swing on it and hit it out of the park.”

The first-place Orioles have won four straight.

Four Orioles relievers followed starter Jake Arrieta, including Kevin Gregg (2-1) in the 10th inning. Pedro Strop allowed two runners to reach in the 11th inning before finishing off the Nationals for his third save.

Arrieta matched his career high with nine strikeouts. He allowed one run and six hits, walking one in seven innings.

Adam Jones drove home the Orioles first run with a first inning infield single against Jackson. Washington’s Ian Desmond tied the game with a solo home run in the sixth inning against Arrieta.

Arrieta entered the game having allowed 13 earned runs over his last two starts, including seven runs in 3 2-3 innings against Tampa Bay on Sunday. No signs of that pitcher existed in the series opener.

Wieters helped his pitcher by throwing out Bryce Harper and Jesus Flores attempting to steal second base.

The 19-year-old Harper was 2 for 3 with a walk.

Xavier Avery led off the Orioles first inning with a walk and one out later moved to third on Markakis’ double to left center. Jones sent a sharp grounder off Jackson’s left heel. The ball caromed behind the mound, allowing Avery to score from third.

Jackson escaped further damage by inducing Wieters into an inning-ending double play grounder. He then settled in, striking out the side in the second inning.

Held scoreless by Arrieta through five innings, the Nationals tied the game in the sixth on Desmond’s sixth home run of the season, landing deep in the left-field stands.

Notes: Jones extended his hitting streak to 10 games for third time this season. Morse (back) is expected to begin an extended spring training assignment on Monday at the Nationals camp in Viera, Fla., Johnson said. Morse has not played in a game this season. … The Nationals’ game against the Miami Marlins that was rained out on April 22 has been rescheduled as part of a doubleheader on Aug. 3.

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Starter Edwin Jackson shows some of best stuff

info — Sat, 19 May 2012 09:10:27 +0000

Washington Nationals starter Edwin Jackson walked the first batter he faced on Friday night. The third batter doubled, and the cleanup hitter singled in a run.

It was hardly a way to begin what would become among Jackson’s most commanding starts this season, yet that’s exactly how it ended when he left the game after eight innings and 95 pitches during a 2-1 loss to the Baltimore Orioles on Friday night at Nationals Park.

During five of his final seven innings, Jackson retired the side in order. He finished with eight strikeouts, allowed five hits and walked one in lowering his ERA to 3.31 before watching reliever Ryan Mattheus surrender an 11th inning homer to Nick Markakis that was the difference.

“I was just able to come out and locate pitches when I needed to,” Jackson said. “Having great defense behind you, it always makes the game a little easier.”

The offensive support, however, was virtually non-existent behind Jackson, who has no-decisions in six of eight starts this season. He’s yielded three runs or fewer in five of those outings, and he’s pitched at least five innings in every start.

In the Nationals most recent trip, Jackson started twice and left each game with the lead. Washington was one out from winning each time but gave up game-ending homers.

“Like I said a thousand times, offense comes and goes,” Jackson said when asked about his teammates’ lack of production. “More times than not, if we keep pitching the way we’re pitching, we’ll win more games. Theses guys here, they practice real hard, and everybody’s out there having the best ABs they can.”

The Nationals managed one extra-base hit against the Orioles, that coming on Ian Desmond’s sixth-inning homer to tie the score at 1. It was the sixth time this season Washington has scored one run or been shutout.

This latest case of offensive failure comes with the Nationals missing several starters who potent bats, including outfielder Michael Morse, and right fielder Jayson Werth.

“Through nine innings or so, I think we hit one ball hard,” Manager Davey Johnson said. “We had chances. A game like that’s frustrating. That was a tough one. [Jackson] pitched good. I thought the bullpen pitched good. One pitch, ballgame.”

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Markakis homers in 11th to beat Nats; O's stay…

info — Sat, 19 May 2012 08:24:52 +0000

WASHINGTON (AP) — Nick Markakis homered into the second deck in right field to give the Baltimore Orioles a 2-1 win in 11 innings over the Washington Nationals on Friday night.

Markakis’ blast off Nationals reliever Ryan Mattheus (2-1) helped the Orioles improve to 6-2 in extra innings with all six victories coming on the road.

The first-place Orioles have won four consecutive games.

Arrieta matched his career-high with nine strikeouts. He allowed one run and six hits, walking one in seven innings.

Edwin Jackson matched him, allowing one run in eight innings with eight strikeouts and one walk.

Adam Jones drove home the Orioles first run with a first inning infield single against Jackson. Washington’s Ian Desmond tied the game with a solo home run in the sixth inning against Arrieta.

Matt Wieters helped his pitcher by throwing out Bryce Harper and Jesus Flores attempting to steal second base.

The 19-year-old Harper was 2 for 3 with a walk.

Jackson escaped further damage by inducing Wieters into an inning-ending double play grounder. He then settled in, striking out the side in the second inning.

Held scoreless by Arrieta through five innings, the Nationals tied the game in the sixth on Desmond’s sixth home run of the season, landing deep in the left field stands.

NOTES: Jones extended his hitting streak to 10 games for third time this season. Nationals OF Michael Morse (back) is expected to begin an extended spring training assignment on Monday at the Nationals camp in Viera, Florida, manager Davey Johnson said. Morse has not played in a game this season. The Nationals game against the Miami Marlins that was rained out on April 22 has been rescheduled as part of a doubleheader on August 3.Saturday’s pitching matchup pits Orioles RHP Jason Hammel against Nationals LHP Ross Detwiler.

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Markakis homers in 11th, Orioles down Nats

info — Sat, 19 May 2012 08:11:19 +0000

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON — Nick Markakis homered into the second deck in right field to give the Baltimore Orioles a 2-1 win in 11 innings over the Washington Nationals on Friday night.

Markakis’ blast off Nationals reliever Ryan Mattheus (2-1) helped the Orioles improve to 6-2 in extra innings with all six victories coming on the road.

The first-place Orioles have won four straight.

Arrieta matched his career-high with nine strikeouts. He allowed one run and six hits, walking one in seven innings.

Edwin Jackson matched him, allowing one run in eight innings with eight strikeouts and one walk.

Adam Jones drove home the Orioles first run with a first inning infield single against Jackson. Washington’s Ian Desmond tied the game with a solo home run in the sixth inning against Arrieta.

Matt Wieters helped his pitcher by throwing out Bryce Harper and Jesus Flores attempting to steal second base.

The 19-year-old Harper was 2 for 3 with a walk.

Xavier Avery led off the Orioles first inning with a walk and one out later moved to third on Markakis’ double to left centre. Jones sent a sharp grounder off Jackson’s left heel. The ball caromed behind the mound, allowing Avery to score from third.

Jackson escaped further damage by inducing Wieters into an inning-ending double play grounder. He then settled in, striking out the side in the second inning.

Held scoreless by Arrieta through five innings, the Nationals tied the game in the sixth on Desmond’s sixth home run of the season, landing deep in the left field stands.

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Nationals vs. Orioles: Nick Markakis’s homer in…

info — Sat, 19 May 2012 07:44:04 +0000

The blast sent Washington (23-16), which left two runners on base in the bottom of the 11th, to its second straight loss and third in four game and left starter Edwin Jackson the victim of another hard-luck no-decision despite one of his most robust outings this season.

After allowing a run in the opening inning, Jackson handcuffed the Orioles (26-14) during the rest of his outing. Jackson completed eight innings, surrendering five hits and an earned run with one walk and eight strikeouts on 95 pitches, his second highest total this season.

Along the way, Jackson got a highlight-reel assist from third baseman Ryan Zimmerman, who reacted in time to catch Robert Andino’s sharp line drive that was destined for extra bases.

Baltimore right-hander Jake Arrieta was cruising as well, striking out eight over the first five innings and benefiting from the arm of catcher Matt Wieters, who after allowing a stolen base to Ian Desmond in the third threw out two runners at second.

Wieters first picked off Bryce Harper’s steal attempt for the second out of the fourth. One inning later, Wieters wiped Jesus Flores off the docket trying to steal second, and Arrieta struck out Jackson to end the fifth.

The bottom of the sixth began with Arrieta trying to get an 0-1 sinker by Desmond. The Nationals shortstop instead drove the ball into the left field seats roughly a dozen rows deep, and the score was tied at 1.

Desmond blasted his sixth homer and ensured his 15th multi-hit game of the season, the most on the Nationals. He has hit safely in seven of his last eight games with two home runs, four RBI and seven runs.

Arrieta regrouped to retire the side in order the rest of the way without having a ball leave the infield. Arrieta yielded a leadoff single in the seventh to Harper, who reached base on his first three at-bats, before again setting down the side in order with a strikeout and two popups in foul territory.

Arrieta’s night was complete after that inning, and the Orioles’ opening day starter had recovered impressively from his last two outings in which he allowed 13 combined earned runs. His final line included six hits with one walk and nine strikeouts in his most efficient outing since eight shutout innings against the New York Yankees on May 2.

Jackson, meantime, logged his best start since giving up no runs over 6²/
₃innings on April 26 against San Diego. He also fell one strikeout short of matching his season high and worked at least five innings for the 98th time in his last 104 starts dating from 2009.

It also was the second time this season Jackson has pitched at least eight innings. His only other such performance came on April 14, when the right-hander’s two-hitter on 92 pitches against Cincinnati sparked the Nationals to a 4-1 triumph and his only victory this season.

Jackson did run into trouble early against Baltimore, walking leadoff hitter Xavier Avery on six pitches. J.J. Hardy flied out to right field, but Markakis lined a double into the gap in left center that left Avery standing on third base.

Adam Jones provided the first run of the game by following with a single that caromed straight up off the pitcher’s mound and dropped in the infield. Avery scored on the peculiar hit, and Markakis advanced to third base before Jackson got Wieters to ground to Desmond on a 1-1 count.

Desmond fielded the ball with ease, stepped on second base and threw to Adam LaRoche at first for the double play, allowing Jackson to escape further damage during an inning in which he threw 18 pitches.

The Nationals were in position to tie in the second when Harper led off the home half by grounding softly to Andino at second base. Harper sprinted to first despite the apparent routine grounder that turned into a single when Andino was unable to field the ball cleanly.

Harper wound up on second when the ball went into the Nationals dugout after Andino tried to shovel the ball to first with his glove, and the rookie sensation went to third on Danny Espinosa’s fly out to center.

The inning concluded, though, with Harper stranded following Rick Ankiel’s strikeout and a fly ball to right off the bat of Flores.

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MLB: Stauffer shaky in return to Padres

info — Fri, 18 May 2012 23:32:00 +0000

Harper raced around the bases quickly and continued his sprint straight to the dugout, where he exchanged high-fives with teammates. As the crowd cheered, Harper came to the top of the dugout steps for a curtain call, thrusting his right index finger into the air.

He’s the youngest player in the majors – and, at 19 years, 211 days old, the youngest to hit a homer since Adrian Beltre of the Los Angeles Dodgers connected when he was 19 years, 171 days old on Sept. 25, 1998, according to STATS LLC.

Harper’s homer gave the Nationals a 4-1 lead, but San Diego tied the game with a three-run inning in the fourth. With two on and one out, Orlando Hudson hit a single to center field that scored two runs, the second coming on Headley’s collision with Leon. Hudson later scored on Stauffer’s sacrifice.

After Headley gave the Padres the lead an inning later, Ian Desmond put Washington ahead for good in the sixth with a two-run double off the right field wall. Tracy and Nady added a pair of insurance runs with their eighth-inning solo homers.

WASHINGTON – Saratoga Central Catholic High School graduate Tim Stauffer earned a no-decision and Bryce Harper hit his first big league home run, helping lead the Washington Nationals to an 8-5 victory over the San Diego Padres on Monday night.

Harper became the youngest major leaguer to homer since 1998, going deep on a solo shot to straightaway center field in the third inning off Stauffer. The home run came in the outfielder’s 15th game and 54th at-bat with the Nationals.

Washington lost another player to injury in a season that has been filled with them. Catcher Sandy Leon making his major league debut – left the game in the fourth inning after spraining his right ankle in a collision at home plate.

Chase Headley was one of three Padres to score in the fourth when he bowled into Leon on a play at the plate, causing the catcher’s right ankle to buckle under him. Headly briefly gave the Padres a 5-4 lead an inning later with an RBI single. He also doubled and made two errors.

Chad Tracy and Xavier Nady each connected in the eighth inning for Washington.

Craig Stammen (3-0) pitched two innings for the win. Washington closer Henry Rodriguez walked the bases loaded with one out in the ninth inning before giving way to Sean Burnett, who got Jesus Guzman to ground into a 1-2-3 double play for his first save.

Miles Mikolas (0-1) gave up two runs and two hits while getting just one out.

Stauffer was reinstated from the disabled list before the game and started for the first time this season after being sidelined with a strained right elbow. He gave up four runs – three earned – on seven hits in five innings. He struck out five and walked three.

Nationals starter Ross Detwiler gave up a season-high four earned runs – five overall – on seven hits in five innings. In his seventh start of the season, his ERA rose from 2.10 to 2.75.

In the third inning, Ryan Zimmerman had a run-scoring single and Roger Bernadina scored from third when Headley missed a pick-off throw from catcher Nick Hundley. Then the 19-year-old Harper drove a 2-1 pitch to the grass backdrop just to the left of the 402-foot marker with two outs.

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Washington Nationals and Baltimore Orioles Set for…

info — Fri, 18 May 2012 20:28:00 +0000

Who would have thought that a Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals matchup would actually feature two teams that weren’t in last place in their respective divisions? Let’s face it, both teams have been terrible over the past few years, but 2012 may be the year things are finally starting to turn around for each team.

Washington Nationals

The Washington Nationals are currently 23-15 on the year and are in second place in the division behind the Atlanta Braves. The Nationals have really shocked everyone this year with how great their starting pitching has been. Stephen Strasburg was expected to be very good in 2012, but Gio Gonzalez, Jordan Zimmerman, and Ross Detwiler have also been pitching out of their minds this year. Throw in Edwin Jackson, a workhorse with an ERA under four, and you have a recipe for success. That is not to say that the Nationals don’t have any weaknesses, as the team has struggled mightily on offense, but a lot of it has had to with injuries more than anything else. Michael Morse and Jayson Werth are currently on the DL, and Ryan Zimmerman has been out for a stretch of time as well. Adam LaRoche has been the one player who has really stepped it up at the plate for the team this year, with a .336 average and 10 doubles to go along with 30 RBIs.

Baltimore Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles, on the other hand, have gotten to a record of 25-14 on the year and first place in the highly competitive American League East with offense more than anything else. What makes the Orioles unique is that they have not only a young lineup but one that is chock full of power hitters as well, with seven of them having the potential to hit 20 home runs on the year. Combine that with great starting pitching at the top in Jason Hammel and Wei-Yin Chen to go along with one of the best closers in the game in Jim Johnson, and Orioles fans actually have something to cheer about this year.

Series Prediction

That takes us into the first interleague series of the year between the two ball clubs, with Jake Arrieta, Jason Hammel, and Wei-Yin Chen taking the mound against Edwin Jackson, Ross Detwiler, and Stephen Strasburg. Ultimately I like the Orioles to win two out of three in this series, as their offense is clearly better and their starting pitching pretty much evens out who the Nationals will be putting on the mound.

Ryan Kekoufski lives near the Nationals’ stadium and has been following the team ever since they moved to Washington D.C. He covers sports for the Yahoo! Contributor Network, and currently resides in Virginia. Follow him on Twitter @RyanKekoufski.

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McCutchen, McDonald lead Pirates over Nats 5-3

info — Fri, 18 May 2012 08:55:22 +0000

WASHINGTON (AP) Andrew McCutchen won’t get to face the Washington Nationals again this season. He’s sorry about it. They’re not.

McCutchen homered twice, James McDonald took a no-hitter into the sixth inning and struck out a career-high 11, and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Nationals 5-3 on Thursday night.

In five games against Washington this season, McCutchen went 10 for 17. He is batting .442 with 10 home runs in 23 career games versus the Nationals.

”It’s a good place to hit,” McCutchen said. ”I really can’t pinpoint it. I’m just hitting what they throw to me.”

According to Washington third baseman Ryan Zimmerman, it doesn’t matter how McCutchen is pitched.

”You pitch him away, and he hits it away,” Zimmerman said. ”He’s one of those special players that can do everything. He’s fun to watch. I just wish we didn’t have to watch so much when we play them.”

Nationals manager Davey Johnson had a frustrating night watching Jordan Zimmermann lose, his team flail at McDonald’s pitches for the first five innings and McCutchen hit the two homers.

”We certainly haven’t figured out how to pitch him,” Johnson said. ”He looks awful comfortable in there.”

As a rookie in 2009, McCutchen hit three home runs in a game against the Nationals, and he nearly had three in this game. He had solo shots against Zimmermann (2-4) in the first and sixth and nearly had another homer in the third, but his long shot to left went foul by a few feet.

McCutchen also made a beautiful catch in center field, robbing Adam LaRoche of an extra-base hit in the fifth.

”That was an unbelievable catch,” McDonald said. ”That was for sure a double off the wall.”

McDonald retired his first 13 batters – striking out nine – and also was helped by a spectacular play from Casey McGehee at first base. The right-hander walked Bryce Harper with one out in the fifth.

Carrying a 4-0 lead in the sixth, McDonald weakened and allowed consecutive doubles to Jesus Flores and Steve Lombardozzi to start the inning. Flores held at third because he wasn’t sure Lombardozzi’s ball was going to drop. Zimmerman’s single drove in both runners, and LaRoche’s triple scored Zimmerman.

”He went from no-no to oh no!” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. ”It was good stuff for five innings, though. Really electric.”

McDonald (3-2) was pulled after 5 2-3 innings. He gave up three runs and four hits with one walk.

Tony Watson retired the final batter of the sixth. Juan Cruz pitched a scoreless seventh, Jason Grilli worked the eighth and Joel Hanrahan the ninth for his eighth save in nine chances.

Zimmermann gave up a season-high four runs and seven hits in six innings, walking one and striking out six.

”That’s the worst I’ve seen him with his command early in a ballgame,” Johnson said. ”His location was off. He was all over the place.”

Zimmermann, who received two runs or fewer in six of his seven previous starts, was backed by better offensive support than he usually gets – three runs.

”We had runners on. We just couldn’t get a big hit,” Johnson said.

Washington left six runners on in the final four innings and had runners on first and second with one out in the ninth, but Pittsburgh third baseman Pedro Alvarez made a nice catch on Lombardozzi’s foul ball near the third base stands.

Rod Barajas added a two-run homer in the fourth, his third. He had three hits.

Neil Walker drove in the fifth run for Pittsburgh in the seventh on an infield out.

NOTES: Nationals OF Michael Morse, who hasn’t played this season because of an injured back muscle, will probably report to Viera, Fla., early next week to begin playing in games, Johnson said. He had hoped Morse would return to be the designated hitter when the Nationals play in Boston on June 8, but Morse told Johnson he could play a week earlier. … Washington INF Mark DeRosa is probably a week from returning from a left oblique strain, Johnson said. … The Nationals play a three-game series against the Orioles beginning Friday. Washington RHP Edwin Jackson pitches against RHP Jake Arrieta. … The Pirates open a three-game series in Detroit on Friday. Pittsburgh will send RHP Charlie Morton to the mound against Justin Verlander.

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Hobbled Nationals Return Home to Face Last-Place…

info — Mon, 14 May 2012 18:33:00 +0000

The Washington Nationals have been decimated by injuries but entered the bottom of the 9^th inning Sunday evening in Cincinnati with a chance to finish off a sweep of the Reds and build a four-game winning streak. It didn’t happen. Joey Votto hit a walk-off grand slam — his third HR of the day — capping a wild, rain-soaked game. It was a depressing ending to the road trip and it dropped the Nats out of first place in the NL East for the first time in a month. The one solace is that the Nationals return to D.C. to open a seven-game homestand, beginning with two games against the National League‘s worst team, the San Diego Padres.

Washington Nationals vs. San Diego Padres

Monday, May 14, 7:05 p.m. EDT

Ross Detwiler (3-2, 2.10) vs. Tim Stauffer (first start)

Tuesday, May 15, 1:05 p.m. EDT

Stephen Strasburg (3-0, 1.64) vs. Anthony Bass (1-4, 3.23)

Season Series: The Nats took 2 of 3 games against the Padres in San Diego April 24-26, and this series wraps up the season series between the two teams.

The Match-up

The Nationals broke even in their six-game road trip to Pittsburgh and Cincinnati, but the walk-off loss on Sunday was painful. Even more painful was losing catcher Wilson Ramos on Saturday night to a torn ACL. The line-up and the back end of the bullpen have been riddled by injuries but the team has managed to stay afloat. That’s mostly attributable to the starting rotation which is intact and looking dominant. The offense perked up in Cincinnati, scoring 15 runs in the three games against the Reds.

The Padres have been struggling all season and come into Nationals Park in last place in the NL West with a 12-23 record. There’s not much to fear from an offense which isn’t hitting for average or power, ranking at the bottom of the National League in both batting average and HRs. The pitching has been much better, but the Nats luck out by missing Edinson Volquez.

The Outlook

The homestand comes at an ideal time with the Nationals desperately patching their line-up and licking their emotional wounds as well after Sunday’s tough loss. Detwiler and Strasburg should feast on the Padres line-up, but that doesn’t necessarily translate into a cakewalk. The Padres counter with a pair of intriguing starters. Stauffer comes off the DL to make his first start of the year and has looked good over the past few seasons, while the youngster Bass has been sharp outside of a few bad innings. This two-game series is a chance for the Nats to get better — in the standings if not in the doctor’s office — but don’t be surprised if the Padres put up a fight.

SOURCES:

MLB.com: Probable Pitchers

Yahoo! Sports: MLB Stats

KW Rosenfeld is a lifelong baseball fan who visited every major league ballpark in the summer of 1991. A longtime resident of Northern Virginia, he’s still thankful that baseball has returned to D.C.

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Joey Votto grand slam, 3 homers pull Reds past…

info — Mon, 14 May 2012 17:26:32 +0000

May 14, 2012 (CINCINNATI) —
Joey Votto gave the Washington Nationals one more heartache in a week already full of them.

Votto hit a grand slam in the ninth inning for his third home run of the game on Sunday, rallying the Cincinnati Reds to a rain-delayed 9-6 victory that knocked the Nationals out of first place in the NL East.

Washington headed home after a week that included two more players going on the disabled list with significant injuries and a 19-year-old rookie figuring in games in unusual ways.

Nothing was more unusual than how they let their chance to complete a sweep slip away.

“It was a tough night in the conditions and everything, but we gave them some cheap runs and you can’t do that,” manager Davey Johnson said.

They couldn’t contain Votto, either.

The 2010 NL MVP hit solo homers in his first two at-bats off Edwin Jackson, then flied out to the warning track and doubled. Given one more chance by struggling closer Henry Rodriguez, he thrilled a crowd that sat through a long delay and then more rain.

Washington came into the game with only 15 homers allowed all season, fewest in the majors. Votto hadn’t hit a homer since April 30.

He got the chance for last-swing drama when Rodriguez (1-3) got into the game and couldn’t get comfortable on the wet mound. Rodriguez walked two batters with two outs to load the bases, including Chris Heisey after getting ahead in the count 0-2.

Johnson came out to visit Rodriguez, who repeatedly scraped at the wet mound with his cleats.

“Rodriguez didn’t have command and he was kicking at the mound,” Johnson said. “Rodriguez has done such a great job. You just can’t walk guys like that. You don’t want Votto up there ever. He walked the guys he should have gotten out.”

Rodriguez left a 2-2 pitch up and over the plate for Votto, who hit it over the wall in center. He finished with a career-high six RBIs and the second three-homer game of his career.

The Reds said it was the first time in major league history that a player hit a game-ending grand slam for his third home run, according to research by the Elias Sports Bureau.

It was Votto’s best day since he signed a new deal before opening day that added 10 years and $225 million.

“He did today what he’s been known to do,” Jackson said. “That’s what he got paid a lot of money to do.”

The last player to hit a game-ending home run in a three-homer game was Albert Pujols for St. Louis against Cincinnati on April 16, 2006, according to STATS LLC.

Giancarlo Stanton also hit a game-ending slam Sunday for Miami against the New York Mets, making it the first time in 14 years that there were two walk-off slams on one day, STATS said. Mo Vaughn connected for Boston and Steve Finley for San Diego on April 10, 1998.

A few thousand fans were left to cheer Cincinnati’s first game-ending grand slam since Adam Dunn connected off Cleveland’s Bob Wickman on June 30, 2006.

Sean Marshall (1-2) got the win at the end of the long day. The start was delayed 3 hours, 36 minutes by rain, which continued to fall throughout the 3-hour, 45-minute game.

Ahead 6-3, the Nationals couldn’t close out what would have been their first three-game sweep of the season. The Reds got two runs in the eighth when rookie right fielder Bryce Harper lost Jay Bruce’s two-out fly ball in the twilight sky, letting it fall way behind him for a double.

“Once the ball got above the stands, I lost it,” Harper said. “It was hazy. I had no clue. I didn’t think he hit it that deep.”

Then, their closer let it slip away, concluding a painful one-week trip.

Right fielder Jayson Werth had surgery on his broken left wrist Monday, and Harper needed 10 stitches for a self-inflicted gash above his left eye on Friday after he hurt himself slamming a bat against a wall near the dugout. Catcher Wilson Ramos tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee while chasing a passed ball Saturday night.

Despite sending 11 players to the disabled list already this season, the Nationals had managed to stay atop the NL East because of their pitching staff, which leads the majors. For one of the few times, it let them down, and Washington dropped into second place behind Atlanta.

NOTES: The Nationals headed out for a seven-game homestand, including two games each against San Diego and Pittsburgh and three against Baltimore. The Reds left for an unusual seven-game trip: Atlanta for two games, then on to New York for two against the Mets and three against the Yankees. … The Nationals called up C Sandy Leon from Double-A Harrisburg. … Harper wore a bandage over his left eye for the second straight game and had a pair of singles, ending his 0-for-9 slump in Cincinnati. … Reds 3B Mike Costanzo, called up to replace injured Scott Rolen, made his big league debut as a pinch-hitter in the fifth and hit a sacrifice fly on the first pitch.

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