P-Nats can't maintain lead, fall to Blue Rocks

The day began with so much promise for the Potomac Nationals.

They had snapped Wilmington's 12-game win streak the night before and pulled back into a first-place Northern Division tie with the Blue Rocks.

That momentum continued well into Sunday's series finale. The Nationals jumped out to a 3-0 lead and starting pitcher Brad Peacock was in control through the first five innings.

Then came the sixth inning where Peacock showed his vulnerability, the lead disappeared and Potomac never recaptured its energy.

Instead of forcing a split of the four-game series, the Nationals dropped three games and a game behind Wilmington following their 6-4 defeat at Pfitzner Stadium.

An off day comes today before Potomac welcomes Frederick to start a three-game series on Tuesday.

The Nationals (63-47 overall, 26-17 second half), though, will not alter their approach even if they are facing a different team.

"This team is going to win ballgames," relief pitcher Patrick McCoy said. "We're going to do what we've been doing to win ballgames. We're not going to change a thing."

Back-to-back triples by Michael Martinez and Danny Espinosa produced Potomac's first run.

Jesus Valdez singled to score Espinosa and give the Nationals a 2-0 lead.

Potomac added its third run in the third when Espinosa singled to score Boomer Whiting.

Those runs appeared to be more than enough for Peacock. He kept his pitches to Blue Rocks hitters knee-high and Wilmington was unable to do much against him.

Nick Van Stratten's single and Anthony Seratelli's walk were the only times Wilmington put runners on base off Peacock in the first four innings.

"He worked ahead well," Potomac manager Trent Jewett said. "He stayed down in the zone."

But after allowing back-to-back singles in the fifth, the Blue Rocks finally got going an inning later. Seratelli opened the sixth with a double and scored on a Mike Moustakas single.

Moustakas's single was one of four straight the Blue Rocks had. The sequence produced two runs to tie the score at three before Jamar Walton flied out for the third out.

Nationals relief pitcher Dan Leatherman, who suffered the loss to drop to 5-1, pitched a perfect seventh.

But he opened the eighth by allowing Johnny Giavotella's double. Giavotella advanced to third on Moustakas' groundout.

Moustakas was Leatherman's final hitter. McCoy, a left-hander, came on to face Clint Robinson.

One of McCoy's pitches to Robinson was high. The ball glanced off catcher Devin Ivany's glove and off to the right.

It was a passed ball and Giavotella scored, giving the Blue Rocks a 4-3 lead. The miscue, though, was a simple mistake.

"Devin's caught great for us," Jewett said. "He's human and he's working really hard. Those catchers work hard all nine innings. I'm not complaining about that. No chance."

Robinson eventually doubled. He went to third when Eric Hosmer grounded out to Martinez, the second baseman.

Van Stratten was intentionally walked before Walton stepped to the plate.

Walton took an 0-1 offering to left field. The ball dropped and Robinson scored. The ball then was kicked by left fielder Dan Nelson and went into center field. Van Stratten scored as a result of the error.

The deficit, though, was not insurmountable. Potomac rallied with a run in the ninth and brought the winning run to the plate in Tim Pahuta.

Pahuta, though, struck out with the tying run at second and the Nationals fell to 2-6 in August.

"We haven't played very well in our last seven games," Jewett said. "Frederick took two of three from us. When you lose six out of your last eight games, you don't feel too good."

Staff writer Robert Daski can be reached at 703-878-8049.