Missed opportunities added up; Scherzer’s great effort wasted!

This game was 1-1 into the 9th inning and the Nationals had opportunities earlier to add-on runs and they did not. Instead they left themselves no margin for error, and Kelvin Herrera gave up what looked like a double that Bryce Harper played into a triple with little urgency and two runs scored as Harper nonchalantly threw the ball in. Bryce’s effort there could have loomed large if the Braves were held to just 1-run in the 9th inning. In the bottom of the 9th inning, the Nationals had two runners on and one out and Matt Wieters lined-out hard to 3rd base and Ryan Zimmerman who was the offensive star in the game was doubled off of second base. Very unlucky. That is a game ending gut punch double play. The Nats lose 3-1.

With Max Scherzer going 7.0 full innings of one-run baseball, you expect the Nationals to win the game, but the Nats did not take advantage of opportunities. With a lead-off double by Michael Taylor in the 5th inning, he was stranded. That just cannot happen and yet it did.

This was a tough loss and ended the Nationals modest 3-game winning streak. Next up, the Braves send their All-Star Mike Foltynewicz to the mound tomorrow against Tommy Milone and Thursday’s matinee finale matches up Anibal Sanchez and Gio Gonzalez.

Kelvin Herrera was removed as he walked off the mound with the trainer with an apparent injury with one-out in the 9th inning which manager Dave Martinez said is right shoulder tightness. Herrera will get an MRI tomorrow. The Nationals are already playing without closer Sean Doolittle and Stephen Strasburg.

In this game, Max Scherzer extended his hitting streak to six games, Juan Soto hit his 14th home run, and Ryan Zimmerman was 3-3 with a walk

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