The Washington Nationals rallied in the ninth inning on Sunday but still fell short and were swept by the Cincinnati Reds. The loss drops the Nationals to 34-56 on the season.
Collin Balester started for the Nationals and was hit with the loss. He threw 5.2 innings and gave up five runs. He also struck out three and walked three. Three Washington relievers threw the last 2.1 innings and didn’t give up any runs. The quality performance of the bullpen kept the Nationals in the game.
The Nationals took a 3-0 lead in the third inning, the third run scored on a bases loaded walk to Dmitri Young. Felipe Lopez and Austin Kearns each had two hits for the Nationals while All Star Cristian Guzman had two RBI. Paul LoDuca went 0-4 and left five men on base.
The Nationals will start a series with the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday. Odalis Perez is set to start for the Nationals. Game time is 7:10pm.