MLB Rankings: Greatest Hits in Week-19
7. Michael Conforto, 39 percent
This was not a good week to be a Washington Nationals reliever.
On Sunday, the Nats pen allowed a pair of seventh-inning runs that turned a 5-5 tie with the Arizona Diamondbacks into a 7-5 defeat. On Friday, closer Sean Doolittle allowed the Mets four ninth-inning runs to undermine a 6-3 Washington lead. Then on Saturday, the pen lost a 3-2 lead to the Mets on a pair of eighth-inning runs.
The Friday outcome was, obviously, the most galling, and its ruination was seeded by a pair of the week’s most impactful plays.
Michael Conforto delivered the second, capstone blow. By then the Mets had already rallied against Doolittle to affix a 6-6 tie by methods that will be dealt with momentarily.
Once that tie was in place, with three outs remaining to be gotten, Doolittle compounded his problems by allowing a base hit to recently acquired second baseman Joe Panik. Juan Lagares tried to move Panik into scoring position but succeeded merely in forcing him at second base. Doolittle then retired Jeff McNeil on a fly ball.
That left Doolittle just one out away from at least sending the game into extra innings. He could not, however, get that final out. Amed Rosario grounded a single into left field advancing Lagares into scoring position, and on a 2-2 pitch Conforto delivered the coup de grace, a line drive hit into the gap in right.