Trainwreck: Starring the Nats bullpen

In a season filled with many regrets and excuses, the Nationals can direct your attention to several reasons why they are nearing the end of the road. One problem that's so glaring it's blinding is the collapse of the bullpen.

Try to digest this: The Nationals were in position to erase the Mets' 6 1/2-game lead in only nine games. The Nats led entering the sixth inning in all four losses over the last nine days. Twice they took multiple-run leads to the seventh and once to the eighth.

After Ryan Zimmerman's massive three-run homer in the seventh in St. Louis on Aug. 31, relievers Casey Janssen and Felipe Rivero fell apart, allowing the Cardinals five runs in the bottom of the frame, leading to a brutal 8-5 loss.

The next night, the Nats again held a 5-3 advantage, only to have Drew Storen cough it up with two runs in the eighth and then Janssen with three more in the ninth on Brandon Moss' walk-off.

On Monday, after working themselves back into striking distance at four games out, the Nationals had a chance to gain another game on the Mets after Wilson Ramos belted a grand slam in a five-run fourth inning, giving the Nats another 5-3 lead. But Max Scherzer, not pitching like the ace the Nats expected him to be late in the season, gave up a run in the fifth and another in the sixth, allowing the Mets to even the score.

Manager Matt Williams turned it over to the frightful bullpen for another three-run seventh as the Mets coasted to an 8-5 win.

But none of those debacles matched the trainwreck that occurred in the infamous seventh inning last night. With the Nats holding a commanding 7-1 lead, three relievers combined to walk six batters and yield three hits while basically handing over six runs to the Mets to tie the game.

Though the blame could have been easily spread among Blake Treinen (two hits, one walk, three runs), Rivero (two walks, two runs) and Storen (one hit, three walks, one run), most was heaped on Storen for the collapse.

Storen, the once dominant closer, was tasked with getting Yoenis Cespedes out with the bases loaded to end the inning and hold a 7-3 lead. Instead, the Mets slugger unloaded a three-run double into the left field corner to pull New York within one.

Storen then wilted, walking the next two batters to load the bases and then throwing four straight balls to Lucas Duda, allowing Cespedes to amble home for the game-tying run.

Storen threw 22 pitches in the dreadful frame, only seven found the strike zone. The rookie Rivero hurled eight balls in his 10 pitches.

"I felt really great, just command was a little off," Storen said straight-faced. "Kept trying to hit a spot and was just missing."

Jonathan Papelbon, who bumped Storen out of the closer's role when general manager Mike Rizzo acquired him at the trade deadline, surrendered the go-ahead homer to Kirk Nieuwenhuis with two outs in the eighth.

So in the Nats' last four losses, the bullpen allowed an astounding 20 runs from the seventh inning on. If the Nats close out all four games, they're tied with the Mets atop the National League East heading into tonight's finale.

"To the outside observer it's like, 'Man, what have we got ourselves into?'" Papelbon said. "For me personally, and I think I can speak for most of the guys in this clubhouse, we have to accept the challenge. Take it on and almost enjoy it and say, 'Hey. This is the spot we're in, and let's do everything we can to get out of it.'"

Meanwhile, the normally popular "Drewwww" chants for Storen were replaced with "boo" as the right-hander walked off the field. In his first 38 appearances as the Nats closer this season, Storen's ERA was 1.73. In 19 opportunities since he was shoved to the set-up role on July 28, Storen has struggled with a mammoth 6.50 ERA.

"It is what it is, right? It's part of it," Storen said appearing a bit apathetic. "If you don't do your job, they're going to let it be known. So it's fine."

Not long after, a few fans pressed against the window of the Presidents Club voiced their displeasure with Williams, booing as the skipper finished his postgame press conference.

"There's good times and there's bad times and in the bad times you need support," Williams said after the grueling loss. "That's part of my job."

The previous nine days proved that the Mets' lead isn't insurmountable, especially with four head-to-head matchups remaining. But it's the Nats that seem unlikely to overcome their own problems as time slips away.

"I mean, you know the guys at this point really well," veteran Jayson Werth said. "You've spent a lot of time with them. It's a resilient group, resilient bunch. Obviously, this a tough one. This is probably the toughest loss ... I'm not gonna say in my career, but it's right up there. So we're gonna have to find a way. We're gonna have to fight back. It's gonna be a long, hard road for us. There's a lot of games left in the season and like I said it's not over until it's over.

"I think at this point, we're in a must-win situation pretty much the rest of the way."