Wojciechowski saves Reds bullpen in loss to Nationals

On a day full of bad news, Asher Wojciechowski delivered a small silver lining for the Cincinnati Reds.

Starter Scott Feldman left a game against the Washington Nationals on Monday at Great American Ball Park after allowing five runs in the first inning. Knee pain that has bothered him in recent starts became too much. On short notice, Wojciechowski took the mound, and he made the most of the opportunity.

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Wojciechowski allowed one earned run on two hits in five innings. The Reds still lost 6-1, suffering a four-game sweep, but Wojciechowski’s performance keeps their bullpen rested for the three-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks that starts Tuesday.

“I was attacking the zone and getting quick outs,” Wojciechowski said. “My fastball was working today. Being able to elevate against these guys and get some pop outs and weak contact, I was able to come in there and throw a solid five innings.”

Feldman (7-7, 4.34 ERA) likely will spend time on the disabled list, manager Bryan Price said, and Wojciechowski (1-1, 5.22) could get another chance in the rotation. Wojciechowski has made four starts and five relief appearances.

“At this point in time, it’s a possibility,” Price said. “There’s a lot of options for us to look at. Truth be told, I haven’t thought about what our options are. I was just trying to get through that game without killing the bullpen.”

Nationals dominate: The Nationals (56-36) won the season series 6-1 and outscored the Reds 61-26.

“They clubbed us,” Price said. “They beat us up for four games, even though we came back into that 10-7 game in game two.”

Washington pushed its lead over the Atlanta Braves in the National League East Division to 10 games with its fifth straight victory. The Reds (39-53) fell 12 games back of the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Central with their fourth straight loss.

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Nationals starters combined to allow four earned runs in 27 1/3 innings in the four games. Washington’s starters lowered their season ERA to 3.54. Reds starters have an era of 6.12, the worst in baseball.

Nationals starter Stephen Strasburg allowed one run in seven innings Monday. Tanner Roark allowed three earned runs in six innings Sunday. Max Scherzer pitched six scoreless innings Saturday. Gio Gonzalez pitched 8 1/3 scoreless innings Friday.

“Their starters didn’t give us anything to get excited about,” Price said. “We were able to score off their bullpen when they had big leads and they got some of their younger guys in there, but they steamrolled us.”

Mesoraco update: Reds catcher Devin Mesoraco was scheduled to begin a rehabilitation assignment Monday night for Triple-A Louisville. He has been on the disabled list since July 5 with a shoulder strain.

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Looking ahead: The Reds begin a three-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Great American Ball Park on Tuesday. Sal Romano (1-1, 4.50) starts for the Reds against Robbie Ray (8-4, 2.97).

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