Depleted lineup again struggles during 3-2 loss (updated)

The bullpen has managed to straighten itself out over the last three days. The rotation, while not pitching up to its lofty potential, is mostly giving the team a chance to win. The Nationals lineup? Well, that has now become the roster's biggest problem area.

With three key regulars on the injured list and several others struggling mightily to produce with any consistency, the Nationals just aren't doing enough at the plate these days. And so they squandered a golden opportunity to win a game tonight, mustering two early solo homers but nothing else during a 3-2 loss to the Cardinals.

"We can score," manager Davey Martinez said, perhaps wistfully. "I know we can score."

They can, but they aren't. Losers of 8 of 11 and now four games under .500 for the season, the Nationals have been held to three or fewer runs in four of their last five games, all losses. They're going to have to figure out a way to reverse that trend to snap out of this funk. And they'll have to do it with a piecemeal lineup.

Anthony Rendon was added to the injured list today, joining Trea Turner and Ryan Zimmerman. None is expected to return for at least another week, so the remaining group of hitters is on its own to get the job done.

"For me, if everybody (does) his part, everything will be good and we're going to win a lot of games," left fielder Juan Soto said. "It doesn't matter when they come back. I know we prefer they're in the lineup. But if everybody (does) their part, everything's going to be good."

It didn't happen tonight. Adam Eaton and Victor Robles hit back-to-back homers in the bottom of the third to stake their team to an early lead, but that's all the Nationals managed to do against Adam Wainwright and the Cardinals bullpen.

The shame of it all? The Nats bullpen turned in four more scoreless innings, extending that group's streak to 16 over the last three days. The relievers have lowered their collective ERA from 7.34 to 5.95 during that span.

"The bullpen came in and did a great job again," Martinez said. "We just didn't get production from the back of our lineup."

This one followed a script that felt eerily similar to Monday night's series opener. The Nationals took an early lead and seemed to have the opposing starter on the ropes, then went silent at the plate. Meanwhile, their starter cruised early on, only to be done in by one big inning.

The Nationals saw seven batters reach base in the second and third innings against Wainwright, yet the only two who scored did so via solo homer. Despite back-to-back singles in the second, they couldn't push across a run. And though Eaton and Robles' back-to-back jacks to open the third were impressive, each came with the bases empty.

Aníbal Sánchez did have a 2-0 lead with which to pitch, though, and that should have put him in an advantageous position. But the veteran right-hander, despite dominating early to the tune of six strikeouts through three innings, couldn't close out the fourth when he needed to.

The key sequence came with two outs and the bottom half of the Cardinals lineup at the plate. Yadier Molina worked a nine-pitch walk to load the bases. Kolten Wong then put down a squeeze bunt, not traditionally a two-out play but one that worked to perfection here, allowing a run to score and everyone else to be safe.

"It was really surprising, and at the end this guy is the perfect guy to do that," Sánchez said. "Really good bunt, and he's got great speed. So there's nothing you can do with the ball on the line like that. ... For me, it was a really good play."

With a chance to get out of the inning with the lead intact, Sánchez couldn't put away No. 8 hitter Harrison Bader. Bader, the light-hitting center fielder who homered off Patrick Corbin on Monday night, sent a line drive single up the middle this time, bringing home the tying and go-ahead runs.

Sánchez wouldn't allow any more runs before departing following the fifth, but continues to struggle to pitch deeper in games. He's now completed six innings only once in six starts and sports a 5.91 ERA.

In spite of all that, the Nationals only trailed 3-2 in the fourth inning. But as was the case in the series opener, there simply was no more offense to come from a lineup sorely missing some of its key regulars.

"They're definitely key pieces of the ballclub, and we definitely miss them," Robles said, via interpreter Octavio Martinez. "But all we can do is keep working hard, and doing our work and keep producing out there as much as we can. As long as we keep doing that, we'll be OK and help the team win."