Swept away by the pinstripes

The much-anticipated battle of first-place teams at Nats Park this weekend turned out to be a complete dud for the Nationals. The Yankees punctuated a dominating weekend in the nation's capital with a 4-1 win today, finishing off a three-game sweep. This marks the third time the Nats have been swept this season, and the first of those sweeps which has come at home. Ivan Nova went 7 2/3 innings for the pinstripes today, holding the Nats to one run on seven hits, while Curtis Granderson, Robinson Cano and Mark Teixeira each recorded at least two hits and a RBI to provide the offense. Other than Adam LaRoche's solo home run in the second, the Nats' big bats failed to match the production of their opponents. Ryan Zimmerman's issues at the plate continue, as his 0-for-4 day dropped his average to .229, while Michael Morse's average stands at .211 after an 0-for-4 day. Shockingly, the three straight losses didn't damage the Nats' positioning in the National League East all that much; they entered the series leading the division by five games but are still up by a full four games even after the sweep at the hands of the Yankees. Overall, the NL East went 2-13 this weekend. Would've been nice if the Nats could have capitalized on the struggles of the division instead of contributing to them.