When I went to bed just after midnight last night, the Nats had a 5-0 lead on the Padres and what looked like their fifth straight win all but locked up.
Oh, would that that that were so! Instead, Frank Robinson decided to change pitchers in the ninth twice, and closer Chad Cordero gave up a grand slam that Chris Needham from Capitol Punishment would call “Vomit Inducing“:
It’s late. I’m tired. I’m angry. I’m disappointed. Pick a negative or hostile emotion — it’s probably in me somewhere. I’ll have the gory details, and why I think Frank managed us out of the playoffs in the morning. For now, I’ll stew in my bile.
And sure enough, that’s exactly what happened. With two outs in the ninth, Chad Cordero tossed a pitch that would hit the gut of every Nationals fan as it sailed out of Petco Park and forced extra innings. Of course, that was the mental defeat right there, but the killing blow came on a three run home run from Ramon Hernandez off Jon Rauch in the 12th.
Today the Nats sought to keep the Padres below .500 and keep alive their scant chances at a Wild Card spot. It was not to be. They went up 1-0 in the 2nd on a sacrifice by Cristian Guzman, but that would be the only run the Nats could score. They’d give up two late runs, and the losing run ended up being on a throwing error by Joey Eischen. The Nats ended the day 77-73, in need of four wins in their final games to make the .500 line. While it’s unlikely that the Nats would finish in last place, they’re only three and a half games ahead of the Mets who are currently riding the bottom of the NL East.
The Giants and Barry Bonds are in town starting on Tuesday for one of the last series of the year. Tickets are still out there. See you at RFK!
This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs
I live and work in the District of Columbia. I write at We Love DC, a blog I helped start, I work at Technolutionary, a company I helped start, and I’m happy doing both. I enjoy watching baseball, cooking, and gardening. I grow a mean pepper, keep a clean scorebook, and wash the dishes when I’m done. Read Why I Love DC.
