At the beginning of a must-win series, the Washington Nationals needed to play mistake-free baseball against one of the best teams in the National League. But Davey Martinez
After throwing seven straight balls to start the game, Nationals starter Jeremy Hellickson was perfect for five and one-third innings. But when he eclipsed 80 pitches during the sixth, Hellickson lost his command and hit a wall. This was only the start of the Nationals problems.
The sixth inning started with Hellickson recording two outs on nine pitches. Then after a 13-pitch walk to Anthony Rizzo, Hellickson walked Javier Baez and Ben Zobrist on eight pitches.