Nationals Fail to Sweep Giants in Most Shocking Way Possible

Exactly a week ago, the Washington Nationals had just been swept by the Miami Marlins to start June.

That was a disappointing result after they had such a great month in May. And based on how things have previously fizzled out for this team during the summer, there was some concern that they would start regressing back to where preseason expectations slotted them. But one week later, it appeared like the Nationals were going to hand out a sweep of their own, as they had thoroughly dominated the San Francisco Giants throughout this three-game set.

Except, then, the unthinkable happened.

Nationals Blow Eight-Run Lead in Final Two Innings

Washington Nationals pitcher Paxton Schultz | Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

Washington was up 9-1 in entering the bottom of the eighth inning. Starting pitcher Foster Griffin had spun another gem, and the offense had done more than enough to get the Nationals back to the nation's capital feeling good about themselves after a successful road trip.

But this maligned bullpen, which had seemingly turned things around following a disastrous start to the year, completely imploded down the stretch.

After getting through the seventh inning unscathed, Paxton Schultz gave up back-to-back homers to start the eighth before walking two batters in a row and giving up a double. With three earned runs allowed, manager Blake Butera turned to Orlando Ribalta to get out of the jam. He did exactly that, but he also allowed the inherited runs to score, which closed the book on Schultz's outing where he was tagged for five earned runs across one inning pitched.

Still, it felt like there wasn't much to worry about. Washington was up 9-6 entering the top of the ninth. And when Curtis Mead hit a solo shot to give them a four-run lead, it seemed like there was little chance that San Francisco's challenged offense would be able to complete the comeback.

But that's exactly what happened. With Gus Varland on the mound, who has previously closed out games for the Nationals, the Giants jumped on him early with two consecutive doubles that made the score, 10-7. Varland then walked Rafael Devers and was pulled from the game in favor of Mitchell Parker, who was had his struggles in high-leverage moments.

Well, those continued. After Parker got the count to 0-2 against Jung Hoo Lee, he gave up a single that loaded the bases. Slugging rookie Bryce Eldridge stepped into the batter's box, and he launched a walk-off grand slam into the right field seats that won the game for San Francisco.

This was a shocking defeat for Washington, and it's going to make that long trip back east a difficult one. The good news is that this ballclub has responded when the chips are down all season long, and they'll now get a day off to do that once again before they enter a crucial stretch to close out June that could make or break their playoff chances.

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