Giants bullpen implodes again in 4-3 loss to Nationals

SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco Giants bullpen wasted another good starting pitching performance.

Keaton Winn gave up three runs in the top of the ninth inning as the Washington Nationals came from behind to defeat the San Francisco Giants 4-3 on a crisp Monday evening at Oracle Park.

The Nationals were 0-29 when trailing after eight innings this season, before tonight's ninth-inning comeback.

Winn was able to get the first man out in what has become the “Nightmare Ninth” for San Francisco and then was a complete disaster after that giving up three runs on a double, a hit batter, a pass ball and back-to-back RBI singles by CJ Abrams and Daylen Lile before being lifted for Dylan Smith, who recorded the final two outs in the inning.

The blown save spoiled an excellent outing by starting pitcher Logan Webb who went eight innings giving up just one earned run on five hits while striking out seven. Since his return from the injured list, Webb has a 0.93 ERA in 19 innings with 16 strikeouts and a .067 WHIP in his last three starts.

Webb, who deemed himself healthy, has looked like the former All-Star pitcher Giants fans have been accustomed to seeing when he takes the mound every fifth day. At 99 pitches he let manager Tony Vitello decide who would go out to pitch the ninth inning and the fate of the game.

“You tell me,” Webb said when asked if he had overcompensated some of his pitches when he dealt with the knee discomfort that caused him to miss a month of the season. “It looks a little better now. But yeah, you’re never going to feel 100 percent (healthy), but I thought I was trying to push through some things and obviously it felt like I was hurting the team. Now I feel a lot better, I’m happy to be able to contribute.”

It was a decision made solely based on analytics as the dreaded ol pitch count came into play on why Vitello went with Winn to try to close out the game. I remember talking to Vitello in January in San Jose when the team held one of its offseason Fan Fests. I asked him if he was the type of manager that made decisions based more on his gut or analytics. He said he was the type of manager that went with his gut more often than not.

This was not one of those nights where he trusted his instincts as Webb dominated throughout the game as he kept a hot Nationals offense off balanced and frustrated at the plate during his 99 pitches. Webb said he plenty of gas left in the tank to finish the game but trusted Vitello's decision to go with Winn.

“Yeah I felt like I could throw as many (pitches) as I wanted to,” said Webb. “I felt good, I don’t regret the decision at all. I was excited to watch Keaton (Winn) throw, we scored two there (in the eighth inning). It’s just unfortunate the way that inning unfolded.”

There were some positives to take away from the game. Right fielder Jung Hoo Lee extended his hit streak to 16 games, the longest active streak in the major leagues this season, with a four hit performance where he roped the ball to all parts of the outfielder. It’s been a revelation for the Korean outfielder who has been spraying the ball to the opposite side and not just pulling it to the right side of the field in the past since he's started his hitting streak.

“I feel that it’s really hard to say if I’m trying to go oppo every time because the quality of the pitching that this league offers is pretty good. I think I’m just going with the groove of the pitch that is coming in and I’m making that swing (adjustment),” Lee admitted.

Rookie first baseman/designated hitter Bryce Eldridge continued to stay hot himself, going 2-for-5 as he knocked in the go-ahead run in the bottom of the eighth. The 21-year-old is showing the ability to come through in the clutch as he did on the recent three-city road trip in Colorado, Milwaukee and Chicago.