Washington Nationals: Backs Against the Wall is Nothing New

The Washington Nationals must once again stave off elimination as they travel back to Houston trailing three games to two.

The Washington Nationals were unable to win in front of their home crowd and now must win two more games in the Lonestar State if they want to become World Series champions.

The Nationals have their backs against the wall as they head back to Houston for game six of the World Series. The Houston Astros took all three games in Washington by only allowing three runs in twenty-seven innings.

Nats ace, Max Scherzer, missed game five because of excruciating neck spasms and received a cortisone shot Sunday morning. If the Nats are able to win game six, Max might be able to return for a decisive game seven

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Wednesday night. Joe Ross pitched admirably in game five, but the four runs he gave up were more than enough for Astros star pitcher, Garrett Cole.

With the mantra of “Stay in the Fight” echoing throughout the clubhouse, the Nationals will have to once again battle for their playoff lives.

The Washington Nationals were trailing 3-1 in the National League wild-card game against the Milwaukee Brewers and were able to score three runs off all-star closer Josh Hader.

In game five of the divisional series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Nationals once again had to come back from a 3-1 deficit against Clayton Kershaw. They tied the game in the eighth with home runs from Anthony Rendon and Juan Soto, and punched their ticket to the league championship series with a grand slam from Howie Kendrick in the tenth inning.

This Nats team has persevered all season.

On May 24th, the Washington Nationals were 19-31 and had the fourth-worst record in the league. Diehard Nationals fans wanted to trade cornerstones of the franchise, Max Scherzer and Anthony Rendon, to acquire prospects to rebuild the organization. They also want to oust manager Davey Martinez after missing the playoffs in 2018. However, this team never stopped fighting and finished the season at 93-69 and secured the top wild-card spot in the National League.

After winning the first two games in Houston, the Nationals appeared on their way to the franchise’s first World Series title. However, when the scene shifted to the nation’s capital, the bats went silent for the Nationals and the bats arose from the dead for the Astros.

The Nationals only managed to score three runs in the three games they played in front of their home crowd. They only had one hit with a runner in scoring position in twenty-one at-bats. On the other hand, the Houston Astros smashed the ball into the night with nineteen runs in the three-game.

With the season on life support, the Washington Nationals will once again rely on their star pitcher, Stephen Strasburg, to fend off elimination. The Nationals were punched in the proverbial gut by the Astros in D.C. and now will have to find that playoff magic one more time in the Lonestar state.