AP
All innings, in theory, are created equal. A run in the fourth inning does count as much as a run in the ninth.
But it certainly feels like some innings are more important than others. And right now, the eighth inning feels really important for the Nationals. Not for positive reasons.
It happened again Friday night at Citi Field. When the eighth inning began, the Nationals trailed the Mets 1-0. They got a leadoff single from Dan Uggla but couldn’t bring him home. Then in the bottom of the inning, Matt Thornton and Blake Treinen combined to surrender three runs, with a major assist to Jayson Werth, whose misplay of Daniel Murphy’s line drive to left turned what should’ve been a sacrifice fly into a 3-run double.