Brandon McCarthy pitched very well for the Diamondbacks. He only allowed one run, a solo shot to Jayson Werth in the 7th, which was one of two hits he allowed all game.
The D'Backs, for their part, only had one run off of Nationals starter Doug Fister in the form of an Aaron Hill solo homer in the 4th. Fister went 7 innings and McCarthy went 8, so both starters did a good job.
However, as is so often the case, the Diamondbacks bullpen blinked first. Brad Ziegler came in the game in the top of the 9th. He walked Denard Span on 10 pitches. Anthony Rendon then doubled to put it at 2nd and 3rd with no outs. A free pass was issued to Werth and then it got bad.
Ian Desmond hit a two-run single, and one out later, Tyler Moore hit a two-run single. Ziegler was lifted for Oliver Perez, who limited the damage to that, but it was still damage. The Diamondbacks affected no positive offensive change in the 9th, and lose yet another series at home.