WASHINGTON _ Eric Lauer found the consistency he had worked for and the Padres were seeking from him.
The rookie left-hander went six strong innings on Tuesday, surrendering his only run on Bryce Harper's game-tying solo home run in the fifth.
The Padres lost 2-1 on a walk-off double by Michael A. Taylor against Matt Strahm scored Juan Soto from second base, two batters after third baseman Cory Spangenberg bobbled a grounder and had to settle for an out at first instead of what seemed a nearly certain bases-clearing double play.
The Padres have had defensive issues at a few positions lately. They struck out eight times over the final three innings, including the heart of their order going down swinging in succession in the top of the ninth. Strahm (0-2) has allowed at least one baserunner in each of his six outings.
But especially in this season of discovery and growth, wherein losing is never accepted but is often expected, the lasting takeaway is that Lauer put together another quality start.
It was just his second such start in six outings and came on the heels of two horrid endeavors.
That's a big deal.
Manager Andy Green had said before the game the team believed in Lauer and expected him to pitch for the Padres for a long time. But he acknowledged Lauer is being evaluated on a start-by-start basis and left open the possibility the 22-year-old's path could wind through the minors at some point.
A pitcher whose fastball runs about 90 mph on average, sometimes less and occasionally a little more, has to be precise. And Lauer's command in his previous two starts wouldn't have won him a game of horse shoes, as he allowed 10 runs and lasted a total of seven innings.
Tuesday, he got ahead of 15 of the 25 batters he faced, going 0-2 on 10 of them and striking out seven. He allowed six hits and walked two.
Franchy Cordero's 449-foot blast into the second deck of seats beyond right-center field put the Padres up 1-0 in the fourth inning.
It was Cordero's first homer since April 28, a span of 80 at-bats and just the sixth home run by a Padres cleanup hitter this season.
Harper's 433-foot shot to center tied the game at 1 in the fifth inning. It might have gotten where it was going even quicker than Cordero's homer, if only because it went 16 fewer feet. The exit velocity on Cordero's homer was 111.6 mph. Harper's homer was clocked at 110.1 mph.
The Padres actually led briefly again in the sixth _ really briefly and never officially _ on a ball that was perhaps hit too hard.
With Jose Pirela on second after a two-out double, Franmil Reyes ripped a single to center field that traveled 115.9 mph off his bat.
Pirela, running on the crack of the bat, was hardly to third base when the ball reached Taylor in center field, who made a perfect throw home that Pirela seemed to beat by a spec of dust _ and that is how home plate umpire Eric Cooper saw it.
The Nationals challenged the call, and it was overturned, as the replay did show catcher Pedro Severino's glove hitting Pirela's leg just before his back foot slid across the plate.
