Tomlin keeps getting stuck in ‘traffic’

WASHINGTON — Josh Tomlin was not concerned with the ball that right fielder Abraham Almonte lost momentarily in the sun in the first inning. The pitcher also shrugged off the one that struck Almonte’s glove before dropping to the warning track for a game-changing double in the fifth.

In the wake of Wednesday’s 7-4 loss to the Nationals, all Tomlin was focused on was the pitches he did not execute following the defensive miscues. Regardless of what happened behind Tomlin, all seven runs scored by Washington were hung on the right-hander’s pitching line.

“I didn’t do my job on the mound,” Tomlin said. “That’s the reason we lost the game.”

That was true to an extent for Tomlin, who is trying to get back on track amidst some sporadic production from Cleveland’s rotation over the past two weeks. The Indians’ stellar staff has been one of the driving forces behind the club’s climb to first place in the American League Central, but a few hiccups of late have contributed to Detroit closing the gap in the division race.

Tomlin’s success across the first three months played a large part in the Tribe’s success overall, but a few familiar kinks in the pitcher’s armor have come back to haunt him. Tomlin has always been prone to home runs, for example, but his ability to limit baserunners (his rate of 1.2 walks per nine innings leads the AL) reduces the damage done.

Lately, however, that has not been the …

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