Josh Beckett had pitched seven scoreless innings and allowed just two hits.
Davey Johnson had essentially thrown in the towel, taking Ryan Zimmerman, Adam LaRoche and Jayson Werth out of the game.
It sure looked like the Nationals were going to have to wait another day to lock up a playoff spot.
Well, maybe not.
Six Nats runs came around to score in the bottom of the eighth, turning a laugher for the Dodgers into a fantastic ballgame. Twelve Nats came to the plate as they smacked two homers and had seven hits.
Michael Morse had three RBIs over two at-bats and Steve Lombardozzi crushed a two-run shot, helping the Nats crawl their way back into a ballgame it looked like they were done with.
This is remarkable. Tyler Clippard now enters in a tie game after the Nats trailed by six runs seemingly five minutes ago.
And how large does that blown call at home loom in which umpires awarded the Dodgers a run even though Matt Kemp hadn't touched home prior to Ryan Zimmerman's tag of Adrian Gonzalez? The tag of Gonzalez took place with Kemp a good 10 feet from the plate. There's no way that run should've counted.
Without it, this is a much different ballgame right now.
Update: Clippard's fourth pitch of the ninth inning left the yard.
Kemp crushed a solo shot to center, putting the Dodgers back up 7-6.
Update: It was all set up to be a storybook way for the Nats to clinch a playoff spot. Come back from a six-run deficit in the eighth and dramatically earn the win that locked it all up.
Instead, Kemp put the celebrations on hold and the Nats lost 7-6.
Great ballgame, but it's a bit of a letdown.
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