The Washington Nationals for once led for most of Tuesday night's game, but as everyone knows it isn't how you begin the game it is how you finish and the Nationals finished in heartbreaking fashion as the Milwaukee Brewers snuck up on the Nationals and eventually won the game 7-6 in later innings.
The Nationals had a 6-3 in the seventh, but reliever Tyler Clippard gave up a two-run home run to Rickie Weeks to put the Brewers within one. Nationals reliever Henry Rodriguez came in for the eighth-inning to hold Milwaukee off, but he eventually surrendered a two-run single to Jonathan Lucroy which put the Brewers up for good. Nationals first baseman Michael Morse had the bases loaded and two outs in the ninth, but he harmlessly flied out to end the game. Morse had a third-inning grand slam already in the game, the first of his career.
Usually it is the Nationals offense that is the guilty party in their recent string of four straight losses, but Tuesday night's culprit was the pitching. Rarely does everything seem to gel and come together for the Nats.
The Nationals are now 1-6 on the current road trip and hold a 21-27 record with a firm hold on the cellar of the NL East.