Nationals 3, Diamondbacks 0
Luke Weaver left after only four innings despite allowing no runs on one hit and two walks. The reason was “right shoulder discomfort” after he told manager Torey Lovullo that it was “something that felt like a Charley Horse.” Injuries have been a familiar refrain for the Diamondbacks, since he would be the 11th player on the injured list if he has to go there. His relievers gave a valiant effort, but a three-run eighth inning off Stefan Crichton gave the visitors all they needed to prevail Sunday afternoon. Ultimately, the Nationals blanked the Diamondbacks, 3–0.
Nationals sinkerballer Erick Fedde (3–4) continued his dominance of the Diamondbacks. He allowed three hits and two walks in seven scoreless innings to earn the win. “A cutter-change up combination… in the upper level of the strike zone caused us some problems,” Lovullo said. “He was throwing a sinker off the cutter. Playing the X game. He was criss-crossing each side of the strike zone when he could, even at the top of the box.”
Crichton (0–2) took the loss after allowing three earned runs on four hits in his inning of relief. It started with a leadoff pinch-home run by Yadiel Hernandez to break the scoreless tie. A pair of follow-up doubles by speedsters Victor Robles and Trea Turner made the score 2–0. An RBI single by Kyle Schwarber plated Ryan Zimmerman for the third and final run. Nationals reliever Daniel Hudson allowed one hit in a scoreless eighth before Brad Hand pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to earn the save and seal the victory.
Luke Weaver Injury
Weaver erred on the side of caution by mentioning the arm discomfort. “I feel good. I made a decision personally where that inning didn’t seem to line up mechanically with where my arm was feeling,” Weaver told reporters after the game. He continued, “Today I felt like I was a little quick to the mound — a little erratic with control on the mound. I was fighting against that. Sometimes, you’ll put your arm in a vulnerable spot, and it takes a little bit of a beating.”
Weaver is optimistic going into his imaging appointment Monday morning. “I feel pretty confident, to be honest, knowing my body. (However,) I’m not the expert when it comes to human anatomy,” he said. The imaging is being done as a precautionary measure because his arm and shoulder felt strong in all the training room tests after leaving the game.
His mechanics, especially timing-wise, felt off. He adjusted, but he “made the wrong adjustment.” The last pitch was “all arm. I was really trying to throw a strike and not give a free pass. Being more convicted and locked in on doing that, I did not allow my body to move correctly.” The Charley Horse feeling in his shoulder told him that his body was putting up a defense, telling him not to try to throw 95 “all arm.”
Some of his erring on the side of caution came from his experience in 2019 with the elbow injury. He said he wanted to be smart. “I think I pushed through some of the tells in that further than it needed to be.” He continued, “I wasn’t making the same mistake, so I wanted to be as smart as possible.”
Looking Ahead
The Diamondbacks (18–23) head to Los Angeles for a four-game series with the banged-up Dodgers, who have also struggled with injuries recently. Game One is Monday night at 7:10 Pacific. Walker Buehler (1–0, 3.45 ERA) will take the hill for the Dodgers against the red-hot Madison Bumgarner (4–2, 4.12 ERA). Bumgarner is riding a five-start span where he has a 0.90 ERA, 0.467 WHIP, and 34 strikeouts. He is the first pitcher in major league history with a sub-1.00 ERA, a sub-0.470 WHIP, and at least 30 strikeouts in any five-start span, according to Stathead.
The Nationals, meanwhile, head to Wrigley Field for a four-game series with the Chicago Cubs. The first game is Monday night at 7:40 Eastern, with Jon Lester (0–1, 2.25 ERA) facing his old team. Adbert Alzolay (1–3, 4.50 ERA) will start for the Cubs.
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
Players Mentioned:
Luke Weaver, Torey Lovullo, Stefan Crichton, Yadiel Hernandez, Victor Robles, Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, Ryan Zimmerman, Daniel Hudson, Brad Hand, Walker Buehler, Madison Bumgarner, Jon Lester, Adbert Alzolay
