WASHINGTON – The World Series champions Washington Nationals are 1-4 after losing three games in a row. Usually? It is not a great deal. But it is more important in a 60-game season, shortened by a pandemic.
Missing hitter Juan Soto scored a total of four runs during the skid, including a 5-1 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday that included two outfielders who hit a home run by Toronto’s Vladimir Guerrero Jr., two errors. by second baseman Starlin Castro that led to three unearned runs and a hit for Washington after the third inning.
“In a longer season, you have time to feel these things,” said Nationals shortstop Trea Turner, who was caught stealing in the sixth, one of the coaches Dave Martinez said. “Now it is definitely magnified.”
There is no doubt that Soto’s absence is a big problem. He has been out since opening day due to a positive COVID-19 test.
“We definitely miss him,” Turner said, “and we need him back.”
Martínez agrees, but he also wanted to put aside scoring problems because, as he put it, “the punches come and go.”
The other issues were more troubling for an employer who changed this club after he opened 2019 with a 19-31 record.
“The game in general. The defense. The base game. We have to clean that up. We have to play better,” he said. “We have to play better. I can’t make those mental errors. Those are mental errors for me. And we will understand. Sometimes when you try to create something, make things happen, you start thinking too much or analyzing too much. Just trying to do something aggressively. I want these guys to just relax and play baseball. Just have fun. “
Associated Press contributed to this report.
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