PHILADELPHIA - While Davey Martinez keeps insisting that his charges are playing better baseball and control their own fate in the most improbable of postseason runs, one look at Gio Gonzalez in the clubhouse after tonight's 8-6 loss to the Phillies demonstrated how the message isn't always getting through and offsetting a poor performance.
Gonzalez walked out of the shower, slowly shuffling to his locker stall to put on his clothes and contemplate another start that got away from him in the most frustrating manner.
Whether Gonzalez is running on empty or Martinez is trying to squeeze just another few pitches out of his enigmatic left-hander, tonight's five-inning effort was a microcosm of Gonzalez's season. At times, he was very good - like when he threw a shutdown inning after two-run homers by Trea Turner and Juan Soto erased a 2-0 deficit in the third. But at times, he wasn't good at all, certainly not good enough to deliver the Nationals a sweep.
After Anthony Rendon's solo shot made it 5-2, Gonzalez labored through the fifth inning, when the Phillies retook the lead on a Carlos Santana grand slam. After giving up a pair of singles and striking out two Phillies, Gonzalez was an out away from escaping a jam. But he walked Wilson Ramos to load the bases and Santana ripped an 0-1 changeup to dead center field for a 6-5 lead.
"It actually wasn't that bad of a pitch," said catcher Matt Wieters. "It was a changeup down. First two at-bats against Santana, we'd gone changeup down and gone in on him. Was kind of thinking he might be looking for the fastball. .... But he stayed on the changeup and put a good swing on it. It really was the one swing that kind of changed Gio's outing. He gets an out there, rolls through another inning or two and it's a good outing."
Just not good enough. Gonzalez didn't take the loss - that went to Jimmy Cordero, who yielded José Bautista's RBI single to break a 6-6 tie in the seventh. But Gonzalez is still searching for answers and consistency; he's dropped eight of nine decisions since June 15 and can't seem to get any forward momentum established.
Wieters' positivity aside, Gonzalez struggled to find words to explain the inexplicable.
"At the end of the day, I wish it was a better pitch," Gonzalez said. "I mean, I'm glad he's saying it, a guy you work with the last couple years and he's seen progress. But for me, it's just ... kind of a step backwards for me when you go out there and you're pushing forward, pushing forward, and the team gives you that much run support and all of a sudden it's just one damn pitch. That's all it was."
Gonzalez wound up pitching five innings, allowing six runs on six hits, walking three and striking out six.
Manager Davey Martinez considered not extending Gonzalez another batter after he loaded the bases, but decided he liked his left-hander in the matchup versus Santana. Earlier, Gonzalez had been one strike away from getting out of the second inning unscathed, but gave up a two-run single to Phillies starter Jake Arrieta to start the evening's scoring.
"I thought about it," Martinez said when asked if he considered going to the bullpen for Santana. "I like Gio in that spot. I really did. I didn't think he was going to give up a grand slam, but hey. I've said it before. When we get good starting pitcher, we have a chance to win the ballgame. We were ahead and just couldn't keep the lead."
A similar situation unfolded with Cordero on the hill in the seventh. With two down and runners on first and second in a 6-all game, Martinez elected to stick with Cordero, who allowed the go-ahead single to Bautista instead of completing his second full inning.
Cordero explained afterward, through interpreter Octavio Martinez, that he was trying to make quick work of hitters and that the Bautista at-bat, which ended on a 3-1 fastball, got too deep.
"I liked the matchup," Davey Martinez said. "And his velo was 99 (mph). He was doing good. He hadn't pitched in a while. And I wanted to stretch him out, see what he's got."
For now, Gonzalez will keep his rotation spot and pitch on normal rest - assuming the Nationals don't make a deal to send him to a pitching-needy team before the Aug. 31 waiver trading deadline.
"He's been really good over the past years," Martinez said. "He's a good pitcher. We just - we got to - I got a lot of confidence in him. Go out there again five days from now and try to keep us in the game."
Then Martinez continued with what has become a familiar refrain over the past few weeks.
"We're playing really, really well," he said. "We really are. The boys are playing hard. Playing with a lot of intensity. A lot of energy. I came in, I told them all, I said, 'Hey, have a good day off. You guys are playing really good. We'll come back Friday and we'll do it again.'"
Note: Wieters was removed after the seventh inning when his hip tightened up on him, a problem that the catcher said began a couple of innings earlier.
"It's just the back was kind of locking up on me," Wieters said. "It just kind of got to the point where we felt it was better to get (Spencer) Kieboom in there rather than not be able to move on a play we needed to make. The trainers already looked at it and kind of moved the hip back to where we think it needs to be. Feels better now and should be fine by Friday. Just got to the point where I felt I wasn't able to help the team to my full ability."