The Nationals dropped two games in the standings over the last 12 days, and with those losses, perhaps their last best chance to gain real ground on a division title passed them by.
From Aug. 31 to Sept. 9, Washington's bullpen blew five late-inning leads, including three in New York against the division-leading Mets. With five wins in those games, the Nationals would be 1/2 game behind the Mets. Now, they sit 8.5 back with 22 to play.
On the last day of August, in the series opener against St. Louis, the Nationals scored three runs in the top of the seventh to jump out to a 5-3 lead.