WASHINGTON _ Juan Marichal, one of the greatest pitchers in his or any era, never won an NL Cy Young award. He never even garnered a single first-place vote. Such was his timing to count Sandy Koufax and Bob Gibson among his contemporaries.
The same fate appeared destined for Madison Bumgarner, who might be able to hit home runs off Clayton Kershaw but can't hold a candle to his strikeouts or ERA or FIP.
The door, though, appears to be open now. Over the final two months of this season, with Kershaw on the Dodgers' 60-day disabled list, Bumgarner could emerge from a smallish pack and lay claim to being the league's best pitcher.
It will be difficult for Bumgarner's candidacy to gain traction, though, or for the Giants (63-48) to distance themselves in the NL West, if they cannot win on their ace's day. Bumgarner allowed just two hits in an eight-inning complete game and paid for one mistake, a pitch that Wilson Ramos hit into the right field seats in the seventh. Nationals center fielder Ben Revere robbed Brandon Belt of a two-run double with a back-to-the-infield catch near the wall, and the Giants lost 1-0 at Nationals Park on Sunday.
One day after the Giants battered Stephen Strasburg, who entered with a 15-1 record, they could not score in seven innings against right-hander Tanner Roark. They did not lack for chances. But when they had opportunities, they were party wallflowers.
Belt batted with two out and two in scoring position in the seventh after Denard Span reached on a fielder's choice and Nationals first baseman Daniel Murphy let Angel Pagan's grounder skid past him for a two-base error. Belt drove Roark's pitch to the deepest part of center field, Revere zagged after it like a horsefly, and caught it over his shoulder as the crowd roared.
Belt spiked his helmet so violently that it skipped into shallow right field.
Bumgarner struck out seven and walked two in 113 pitches while throwing his fourth complete game to match teammate Johnny Cueto for the team lead.
But he paid when he tried to double up on sliders to Ramos, and the Giants fell to 0-5 in the left-hander's starts since the All-Star break. It's quite a pattern breaker from earlier this season, when they won 10 consecutive Bumgarner starts from April 25 to June 14.
They had not lost five consecutive Bumgarner starts since 2013. And they had not allowed two hits or fewer in a loss since Sept. 14, 2010, when Kershaw outpitched Barry Zito.
Other than Revere's catch on Belt, the Giants came nearest to a run in the fourth inning after Buster Posey hit a leadoff double and Joe Panik hit a two-out single. Third base coach Roberto Kelly held Posey at third base _ a questionable decision, given that Revere's arm is fringy and Gregor Blanco, who is batting .139 since the All-Star break and struck out four times a night earlier.
