BSJ Game Report: Nationals 6, Red Sox 2 - Big eighth inning for Washington makes Boston pay on quiet night offensively

All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' loss to the Nationals, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:

BOX SCORE

HEADLINES

Ice-cold offense costs Boston early on: The Red Sox' offense was ice-cold for nearly the entire evening in Wednesday's 6-2 loss to the Nationals in Washington, struggling to solve Nats youngster MacKenzie Gore, who threw 6.1 scoreless, one-hit innings before exiting the game with an injury. Pablo Reyes' two-run blast in the eighth appeared to give Boston life after a pair of solo shots for Stone Garrett and old friend Michael Chavis earlier in the contest, but Garrett Whitlock struggled in a four-run eighth inning for the Nats.

Nats take advantage of Whitlock’s struggles: James Paxton was fine in the start, giving up five hits and two runs with three strikeouts and a walk in six innings of work, and John Schreiber was also solid in a scoreless, one-hit seventh inning. But Garrett Whitlock’s eighth inning was a stark contrast to his strong return on Sunday. The righty’s velocity was down and couldn’t execute his locations, allowing Keibert Ruiz to launch a three-run blast for the game-deciding runs. Garrett hit his second solo shot on the very next pitch.

TURNING POINT

Bottom of the eighth: After Reyes’ blast in the top half of the inning gave the Red Sox momentum with a much-needed sign of life, it all came to a quick, grinding halt when the Nats came up to bat. Whitlock let up a leadoff single to Lane Thomas before pegging Joey Meneses with a sinker high and inside. Ruiz took the second pitch he saw for a ride to center to restore Washington’s lead to make it 5-2. Garrett took a no-douber to deep center seconds later, effectively putting the game out of reach at 6-2, given the state of Boston’s offense. 

ONE UP

Pablo Reyes: Reyes’ second homer of the season was the most offense the Sox got out of anybody at the plate on Wednesday. Before the Nationals flipped the game on its head, it felt like Reyes’ shot was the spark Boston needed to snap out of it and come away with the win. It was crushed, too, leaving the bat at 107.8 mph after he squared the barrel to a high fastball. 

ONE ‘MEH’

James Paxton: Paxton was good enough and gave the Red Sox a chance to win, overall, but two bad pitches defined his outing. Wanted his knuckle curves in the dirt, but left the first to Chavis in the zone before Garrett put a good swing on the other. Did his job to no run support, though. Averaged 95.6 mph on his four-seamer, his highest since June 11. 

"I thought overall, it was a good effort. The fastball was better tonight. Just didn't execute a few two-strike pitches that they put good wings on," Paxton said. "Just been struggling a little bit with the off-speed stuff lately, just getting into positions that I want to get them to. I was trying to get those pitches in the dirt, and they just didn't quite get to the dirt and they put good swings on. Just wasn't quite as sharp tonight with the off-speed stuff."

THREE DOWN

Garrett Whitlock: Whitlock just didn't have it. After averaging 96 mph on his sinker in his return from the injured list on Sunday, the righty averaged 93 mph against Washington. Left a changeup over the plate for Ruiz, a pitch that should have been below the zone before Garrett took a sinker to the same spot for a 108.2-mph ride. Just didn't execute.

"Not good," Whitlock, ever the orator, said of his outing. 

Alex Cora said, "He wasn't able to locate. ... It's gonna happen and he's not perfect so we just got to turn the page. ... It was just a bad outing."

Rob Refsnyder: Has gone incredibly quiet of late, failing to come through against lefties, contrary to his calling card. Went 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts in this one with all four at-bats coming against lefties. He's 1-for-12 in the month of August.

Heart of the order: In a night where the Sox needed something, anything, out of their best bets, they got zero from the third through fifth spot of the order, combining to go 0-for-11 between Rafael Devers (0-for-3, BB), Trevor Story (0-for-4, K), Adam Duvall (0-for-2, K) and Masataka Yoshida (PR – 0-for-2). 

NOTABLE

The Sox didn't lose any ground on the Blue Jays, remaining 3.0 games back of the final AL Wild Card spot, after the Phillies came from behind to overpower Toronto, 9-4.

QUOTE OF NOTE

"He gives himself a chance, and that's the most important thing," Cora said of Reyes. "Great at-bats. He's been great for us. It was a big swing there for us. ... I think, overall, what he's done, whoever said that they saw it coming, they're lying to you."

UP NEXT

The Red Sox are back at it in the series finale against the Nationals in search of a series win during a Thursday matinee. First pitch is set for 4:05 p.m. LHP Chris Sale (5-2, 4.52 ERA) will face LHP Patrick Corbin (7-11, 4.85 ERA).