Lack of run support costs Livan Hernandez, Nationals again in loss to Padres

SAN DIEGO — At one point Thursday night, Livan Hernandez was flat on his back on the mound at Petco Park, happy to still be alive. Chris Denorfia had crushed a line drive back at him in the third inning, directly at his face. He flashed his glove — brand new and not yet broken in — in front of his eyes. “I don’t know how it got it in the glove,” he said later. He stayed on the ground for a few moments, eyes closed. He removed his glove and shook his hand, which was still stinging.

“It was really, really scary,” Hernandez said. “I opened my eyes again, and I’m thinking, ‘I could be done.’ I got lucky on that one. That might have been the end of my career right there.”

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So worse things could have happened to Hernandez than another Washington Nationals loss in a game he started, this one 7-3 at the hands of the San Diego Padres.

Hernandez notched his eighth loss of the season, tied for the most in the majors, but that black mark says more about the team around him than his own performance.

The Nationals failed to score more than three runs for the sixth time in eight games. Hernandez exited with one out and two on in the sixth inning, and two relievers issued consecutive walks and then a single to score both runners. They made two outs on the bases. They have played well and lost at times this season, but Thursday was not one of those games.

“It was not a good game,” Manager Jim Riggleman said. “The effort and the intensity was there. It just was not a good game. Just was not a pretty game. I don’t know how else to say it.”

The first mistake came at the very start. Rick Ankiel led off the game with a walk, then stole second. With Jayson Werth at the plate with one out, Ankiel tried to steal third, too, a decision he made on his own. Padres catcher Nick Hundley threw him out. And then Ankiel watched Werth hit a triple from the dugout.

“Bad time to run,” Ankiel said. “It was bad judgment on my call. Let’s leave it at that.”

Thursday, Hernandez was not at his best against the Padres, the worst offense in the National League. He allowed six earned runs on nine hits and a walk. The Nationals offense, as is its habit, could not help Hernandez, scoring three or fewer runs for the third straight game.

Hernandez lacked the sharpness from his recent starts from the outset. Denorfia led off the game with a sharp single, but Hernandez picked him off first base with a quick, spinning move. Jason Bartlett followed with a single to center. Hernandez ran the count full against Chase Headley and then left a sinker high in the strike zone, which Headley pummeled over the fence in right-center field. The first three batters had smacked hits, and the Nationals found themselves in an instant 2-0 deficit.

They also gave themselves an instant chance to erase it. They loaded the bases against Padres starter Aaron Harang with no outs, by way of a single by Michael Morse, a bunt base hit from Danny Espinosa and a walk by Ivan Rodriguez. Alex Cora drove in a run with a sacrifice fly, and a sacrifice bunt by Hernandez put runners on second and third for Ankiel. He flied to left, stranding a pair of runners in scoring position.