The Washington Nationals didn't have long to take in the fanfare of their first playoff series since moving to DC and the first postseason game in Washington in 79 years. They now need a win to stay alive after going down 2-1 to the St. Louis Cardinals.
After tearing up the National League all season, Washington lost convincingly at home in Game 3, falling 8-0. That left Nationals blog Federal Baseball wondering what happened to the 98-win Nats? Part of it was the pitching:
It's that shaky start: Edwin Jackson (-24.1%) gives up 4 runs in first 2 innings, but settles down to finish 5 IP with 4 Ks and 1 BB.
2 for 9 with runners in scoring position in Game One. 1 for 7 in Game Two. 0 for 8 today. Things have gotten bad pretty quickly for the team that not only won the NL East but finished the regular season with the NL's best record.
Whatever it is, they need to shake it off quickly. A loss in Game 4 ends the series and a phenomenal season for the Nationals. They send Ross Detwiler to the mound in hopes of staving off elimination in a game that starts at 4:07 p.m. ET. Facing him will be Kyle Lohse, who went 16-3 for the Cardinals during the regular season. He pitched last week with his own team needing a win in the NL Wild Card game, and twirled 5.2 innings of two-run ball as St. Louis beat the Atlanta Braves.