Nationals offense needs more consistency; Hagerstown and Potomac playoff updates

Have you noticed how the Nationals offense has been more all or nothing this season? That is one reason why their record when scoring more than four runs jumps out at you. The Nationals are 66-9 when scoring four or more runs in a game this season. They are 14-52 when scoring three or fewer. Ironically, the Phillies series had two games that were against that average - the 11-inning 9-8 loss on Friday and the 3-2 win on Sunday. But it just seems that the Nationals score zero to three runs when they lose and eight to 11 when they win. There's very little middle ground. Games when they can chip away and have three or four rallies in a game where they score runs seem rare. When they do score, it comes in bunches. Obviously, they would like to be more consistent on offense, and that is one thing that has bothered them recently with only four runs in their last two games. The Phillies held the Nationals offense to 21 runs in their last six meetings. Meanwhile, the Nationals have scored three or fewer in seven of their last 12 games. You can talk about Rafael Soriano, but Drew Storen and others can handle that gap if there is a hiccup. But consistency on offense is something the Nationals need to keep fighting to attain for them to make a long run in a possible second season. In the minors, there was a big time response from high Single-A Potomac in Game 2 of the Mills Cup championship series on Sunday. Potomac shut out Myrtle Beach 3-0 behind a three-run homer by designated hitter John Wooten. Right-hander Dakota Bacus (1-0) went 5 2/3 innings, allowing two hits and no runs while striking out five. Relievers Manny Rodriguez and Gilberto Mendez kept the Pelicans scoreless for the final 2 1/3 innings. Mendez picked up the save, his third of the postseason. The best-of-five series is even at 1-1. Game 3 is tomorrow night at 7:05 p.m. at Pfitzner Stadium in Woodbridge, Va. Left-hander Matthew Spann faces Pelicans right-hander Sam Wolff. The low Single-A Hagerstown Suns open the South Atlantic League championship series tonight at Asheville. Right-hander Nick Pivetta (13-8, 4.22 ERA) starts Game 1. The 21-year-old has 98 strikeouts on the season.