The Washington Nationals are down 4-1 to the Florida Marlins going into the bottom of the sixth inning of Wednesday's night game between the two division rivals. The Nationals are getting some hits, but not ones that put the runs over the plate.
The Nats have collected five hits against Florida's Javier Vazquez but have left 10 men stranded on base. Outfielder Laynce Nix finally punctured through with a solo shot in the fourth inning. It is Nix's second homer in as many nights. Not much else has been used to back up starting pitcher Livan Hernandez who had another bad night. He pitched only four innings giving up four runs on five hits with three walks and five strikeouts. Ross Detwiler came in to relieve him.
It seems like the same old story for the Nats. They continue to get inconsistent hitting and poorer and poorer performances from their starters. The thrill of the hunt, that red aggression and the sheer euphoric feeling of having fun playing the game seems to have either wore off or burned the team out.