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The Washington Nationals lost a heartbreaker last night when runner’s obstruction was not called. So instead of possibly a rubber game tonight against the Houston Astros, the Nats are seeking a much needed win to salvage a game in this series and avoid the dreaded sweep. The team has now dropped 8-of-9 games in this stretch, and a season-low of 14-games below .500. To cap it all off, the Astros did not schedule a day-game for a getaway game which means the Nats won’t arrive back to their residences in the D.C. area until 3-to-4 am in the wee hours of Friday morning.

The Washington Nationals lost last night and have now dropped 7-of-8 games in this stretch. From that great 20-game run the team was on, they have sunk to 13-games below .500. On any given night some main part of their game is off. Last night it was an offense that just scored 1-run, and the team had it’s chances and did not capitalize. They also hit their longballs to the long part of the park. Two went to the fence and were caught — they were the longest shots of the game — yet no runs, and the Astros clubbed four homers to the pull-side in each case in much shorter distances. It proves once again that it’s not about how far — just whether it is far enough.

The Washington Nationals are back at the scene of the celebration of the team’s first World Series win in Game 7, back on October 30, 2019. It was exactly 3.62 years ago (1,322 days) from today when Howie Kendrick hit the go-ahead homer off of that right field foul pole that was the “Clang heard ’round the world.” Closer Daniel Hudson got the strikeout to end the game, and the party was on. This should give Nats’ fans hope that the team knows how to win. Think about all of the teams that have not won a World Series in the past 30-years. The list is long.

The “CAUTION BE ALERT” sign in the foreground can be seen just before Ronald Acuña Jr. unleashed the decisive 2-run homer; Photo by Sol Tucker for TalkNats

When will it end? The Washington Nationals enter this game stuck in a 6-game losing streak, and the blurred lines of managerial strategy and two costly mistake pitches that turned into a pair of 2-run homers were the big difference in this one.

The Washington Nationals enter this game stuck in a 5-game losing streak, and mistakes once again K.O.’d the team. Tell me if you heard this before: Another winnable game lost in a 1-run game. Errors, pitches in the dirt not blocked, plays not made, walks not accepted, and the 14th blown save of the season.