They kept their composure during three straight losses. By the fourth, the Nationals couldn't hold back their frustration any longer. Particularly with an umpire with a healthy strike zone on a cold afternoon in the District.
Today's 3-2 loss to the Mets, in which the tying and go-ahead runs were scored off reliever Brandon Kintzler in the top of the seventh, leaves the Nationals with an even .500 record through eight games. More concerning, it leaves them 2 1/2 games behind New York in the National League East division, albeit it at an extremely early date in the season.
Frustrations boiled over in the bottom of the third, when Anthony Rendon and then Davey Martinez were ejected by plate umpire Marty Foster, who was on the receiving end of a bunch of complaints from both sides for his wide strike zone.
Four consecutive Nationals hitters appeared to take issue with strike calls by Foster in the game's first two innings. And when Foster rung up Rendon in the bottom of the third on a pitch that appeared to be down and away, the mild-mannered third baseman tossed his bat aside in disgust. Though he didn't appear to say anything, Rendon nonetheless was ejected by Foster, prompting Martinez to come storming out of the dugout and say a whole lot of words.
Upon earning his first career ejection as a manager, Martinez threw his cap to the ground and began kicking the dirt around the plate before finally making his way back to the dugout and handing the reins over to bench coach Chip Hale.
Despite the chaos, Gio Gonzalez was authoring another strong outing, tossing five scoreless innings to begin his afternoon. And when the Nationals manufactured a run in the bottom of the fifth via an error, a sacrifice bunt, a steal of third by Michael A. Taylor and an RBI single by Pedro Severino, Gonzalez had been handed a 1-0 lead.
The lefty gave that run right back in the sixth, though, surrendering three straight hits and then being forced to hand the ball over to Hale, who made the long walk out from the dugout. Lefty Matt Grace escaped the jam and kept the game tied, setting the stage for Bryce Harper to untie it moments later.
Harper's opposite-field homer off Hansel Robles, which landed in the back of the visitors' bullpen, was his fifth in six games. And coming on a pitch up and off the outside corner of the strike zone, it was awfully reminiscent of many of Harper's blasts during his MVP campaign in 2015.
That newfound lead was short-lived as well, though. Kintzler, still reeling from the grand slam he surrendered in Thursday's home opener, immediately got into trouble in the top of the seventh today when he allowed a single to Amed Rosario and an RBI double to Asdrubal Cabrera. And when Cabrera advanced to third on a groundball, taking advantage of Ryan Zimmerman's hesitance to throw across the diamond, he found himself in position to score the go-ahead run moments later on Todd Frazier's grounder up the middle (a play in which Howie Kendrick's bobble prevented any chance at an inning-ending double play).
Down 3-2 now, the Nationals needed to rally against the Mets bullpen. But with Harper in scoring position and one out in the eighth, Zimmerman and Kendrick each grounded out against Jeurys Familia, who went on to record a five-out save.