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After the Nationals scored three runs in the third inning to take a 6-2 lead over the Dodgers, it looked like they had a series win in their hands. But then, they were in the exact same situation the last time Tom Gorzelanny was on the mound. And just like last Sunday in Atlanta, when they blew a 6-2 lead after Gorzelanny left early with a sprained ankle, the Nationals couldn't make it stand up.
Gorzelanny was more at fault this time, allowing five runs in three healthy innings. An overworked bullpen cracked, once again, when Henry Rodriguez threw over Wilson Ramos' head in the seventh inning and allowed a run to score on a wild pitch. Ryan Mattheus gave up two singles and a double in the ninth inning, losing the game on Rafael Furcal's RBI double. But once the Nationals got the lead, it was on Gorzelanny to make it stand up. He couldn't do it.
And for the third time on this nine-game road trip, the Nationals have blown a chance to win a series. They'll get another shot tomorrow afternoon, but when they've scored 39 runs in their last seven games, they should be better than 3-5 - especially when they've made a habit of winning without much offense all year.
They got enough to win on Saturday night, and couldn't get the job done. Until that changes, it's unlikely they'll do anything better than linger within a few games of the .500 mark.
