WASHINGTON -- Arizona Diamondbacks manager Chip Hale wasnt sure what to expect from Matt Koch in his first major league start. He just knew it wouldnt be a long outing.Koch knew it, too, and he made the most of his limited time on the mound, allowing one hit and two runs in five-plus innings as the Arizona Diamondbacks lost 4-2 to the Washington Nationals on Tuesday night.The 25-year-old no-hit the NL East champions through five innings before Jose Lobaton singled to lead off the sixth. Walking pinch-hitter Wilmer Difo spelled the end of Kochs night at 69 pitches with a blister issue cropping up along the way.Hale said the pitch count and not the blister was the reason he took Koch out of the game after an impressive showing.We wanted to see him pitch up here and get a chance to start, Hale said. He showed us he can do it. ... We were real close on the 70-75 pitches we wanted to get him, so we were really happy with what he did. Its too bad. He had a win in his pocket there and it went away quick.Anthony Rendon hit a three-run home run off Randall Delgado (4-2) to provide the winning margin for the Nationals, who cut their magic number for home-field advantage against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL Division series to five. Diamondbacks second baseman Jean Segura hit a leadoff home run off Max Scherzer (19-7) and Welington Castillo had an RBI double in the third, but the Cy Young Award candidate settled in to strike out 10 in six innings.Hale acknowledged being surprised by Kochs performance, even if the right-hander didnt impress himself.Just trying to get quick outs, Koch said. I knew I was at my pitch limit, so I was just trying to make the most of the pitches I had and trying to get quick groundball outs.It worked for most of the game, and the Louisville product started thinking about a potential no-hitter after getting through four.My mindset was just stay focused and keep the ball down, he said.Koch succeeded in doing that even if Delgado made a mistake that cost the Diamondbacks a victory. With the organization looking ahead to next season and beyond, Koch did well in a spot start in place of Zack Greinke after five career relief appearances.This was a guy who has already shown in the relief appearance that we gave him that hes not afraid and he goes right at guys, Hale said. He was very, very, very good.SCHERZER DOMINATESScherzer mixed his slider, curveball and changeup in with his overpowering fastball to wrest control of the game back. At one point he struck out six consecutive hitters.What allowed him to settle in is that he changed his game plan because you could tell their game plan on him was to sit hard and early in the count, Nationals manager Dusty Baker said. That was just a veteran making the adjustment at the right time.TRAINERS ROOMDiamondbacks: Hale said RHP Rubby De La Rosa successfully had stem cell injections in his elbow. De La Rosa is trying the stem cell procedure in an attempt to avoid a second Tommy John surgery.Nationals: C Wilson Ramos is out for the rest of the season and playoffs after an MRI revealed a torn ACL in his right knee. ... LHP Sammy Solis threw a perfect seventh inning in his first appearance since Aug. 15 after a stint on the DL with shoulder inflammation. ... OF Bryce Harper missed another game with a left thumb injury. ... 2B Daniel Murphy remained out with a strained glute.UP NEXTLHP Gio Gonzalez (11-10, 4.51 ERA) starts the third of the four-game series for the Nationals against Diamondbacks RHP Shelby Miller (2-12, 6.47). Custom Blue Jackets Jersey China . -- Ty Montgomery had 290 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns, and fifth-ranked Stanford held on to beat No. Custom Seth Jones Jersey . Dusautoir, the former World Player of the Year, sustained a torn bicep playing for Toulouse in the Heineken Cup on Saturday. The flanker, who has played 65 times for France, is expected to be out for up to four months. http://www.custombluejacketsjersey.com/ . The Australian is competing in his final season in Formula One and still looking for his first win this year. He will look to end Vettels run of six straight race wins on Sunday. Webber, who is fifth in the championship, earned his second pole from the past three races and 13th of his career. Authentic Custom Blue Jackets Jersey . Anthony Davis had 31 points and 17 rebounds in his seventh straight game with more than 20 points, but that was only enough to keep the Pelicans competitive into the final minutes. Andrew Bogut had 10 points and 15 rebounds for Golden State, which rebounded from a loss a night earlier in Oklahoma City and snapped a two-game skid. Custom Blue Jackets Jerseys . -- The Sacramento Kings are set to become the first major professional sports franchise to accept Bitcoin virtual currency for ticket and merchandise purchases.VIRGINIA WATER, England -- Matteo Manassero became the youngest champion in the 58-year history of the BMW PGA Championship on Sunday, beating Simon Khan of England on the fourth playoff hole for his fourth European Tour title. Manassero, 20 years and 37 days, made amends for letting victory slip away at the event two years ago. The previous youngest winner was BBernhard Gallacher of Scotland at 20 years, 97 days in 1969.dddddddddddd With the win, the Italian qualified for next months U.S. Open and avoided a 36-hole qualifier Monday at the Walton Heath course. Marc Warren of Scotland, Manassero and Khan were tied at 10-under 278 after regulation play. Warren was eliminated after the first playoff hole. ' ' '
