Reds try to snap recent skid while Nationals eye sweep

Two and a half weeks ago, the Cincinnati Reds felt pretty good. They were third in the National League Central, had just swept the New York Yankees, and their next four opponents were all teams with losing records.

Fast forward and they've gone 5-7 against those clubs and are looking to avoid being swept by the host Washington Nationals in the finale of a three-game set on Sunday.

Cincinnati, which led 4-2 after the third inning, blew a one-run advantage in the seventh in a 5-4 loss on Saturday.

The Reds have lost three straight overall, failing to gain ground in the race for an NL wild-card spot. They're four games behind the New York Mets, who hold the final berth, while only half a game up on the Chicago Cubs, last in the Central, and one ahead of the suddenly surging Nationals.

There are also four teams between them and the Mets in the wild-card standings.

"It definitely hurt," catcher Tyler Stephenson said of the loss. "You want to say that there's plenty of games left, but each game's important at this point. We know where we're at."

The loss was the latest in Cincinnati's struggles in one-run games, dropping to 8-19 in those contests this season. It's a stark contrast from a year ago when it led the majors with 34 such wins.

"We've been kind of searching for that and have had some ups and downs," Stephenson said. "But we know when we're going at our best we're a really, really talented team. We're hoping we can do that sooner rather than later, because we're going to need to."

The Reds will hope their recent success with Andrew Abbott (9-6, 3.39 ERA) on the mound continues. They've won each of his past five starts and seven of his past eight. The lefty took the loss in his lone career appearance against Washington, allowing six runs on nine hits over 5 2/3 innings in a 7-3 home loss last Aug. 5.

The Nationals, meanwhile, are feeling good about themselves after the win, their fourth in their past five games after a five-game losing streak.

"I call those like a locker room win, that kind of brings the team a little closer together," reliever Derek Law said. "Everybody's in here celebrating a little bit extra."

Washington is eyeing its first three-game winning streak since sweeping the Miami Marlins from June 14-16.

The Nationals will turn to right-hander Jake Irvin (7-8, 3.49) to close out the series. Irvin has struggled in his past two starts, taking the losses in both while allowing 13 runs (12 earned) on 18 hits, including four homers, in 10 innings. He's 0-1 with a 5.28 ERA in three career starts against the Reds, allowing nine runs on 18 hits in 15 1/3 innings.

If the Nationals need to turn to their bullpen, they'll be hoping for a similar effort from the group as they got Saturday. Relievers held Cincinnati to three hits over the final six innings, with two of those coming in the same inning.

"I really believe the boys are going to play hard for 27 outs. They're not going to give up," manager Dave Martinez said. "We stayed pretty close in the game, and I think they really felt that they had a chance to win this game. The bullpen was nails."

--Field Level Media