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Washington Nationals lose another late lead: NL wild-card race tightens

Chris Graham

washington nationalsStop me if you’ve heard this one before: the Washington Nationals couldn’t hold a late lead.

Miami scored four runs ithe seventh off three Nats relievers to turn a 3-1 deficit into a 5-3 win on Sunday.

The loss drops the Nationals (85-69) into a tie for the top spot in the NL wild-card race with streaking Milwaukee (86-70), which completed a weekend sweep of Pittsburgh on Sunday, giving the Brewers 14 wins in their last 16 games.

The Chicago Cubs (82-74) continued their late-season collapse, losing to St. Louis on Sunday, giving the Cardinals (89-67) a four-game sweep in Wrigley Field.

Washington has eight games left, including a grueling four-day, five-day series with Philadelphia (79-74) that begins on Monday, and includes a Tuesday doubleheader.

The Nationals should have gone into the final week on a winning streak. Rookie Austin Voth was solid in the spot start, allowing a run on three hits in five innings, leaving the game with a 3-1 lead.

The trio of Hunter Strickland, Wander Suero and Tanner Rainey would take care of that in the four-run Marlins seventh.

Story by Chris Graham

 

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Chris Graham

Chris Graham

Chris Graham is the founder and editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1994 alum of the University of Virginia, Chris is the author and co-author of seven books, including Poverty of Imagination, a memoir published in 2019. For his commentaries on news, sports and politics, go to his YouTube page, TikTok, BlueSky, or subscribe to his Street Knowledge podcast. Email Chris at [email protected]. Support AFP by signing up for our newsletter and/or powering our work with a one-time or monthly contribution.