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GAME IN A NUTSHELL: This one had it all, some disconcerting moments early, a stunning Nationals rally in the middle and then an epic collapse late entirely of their own making. In a season-opening stretch that has defied logic, this game managed somehow to stand out from the rest.
The Nationals fell into an early 5-1 hole, with the Red Sox grinding out at-bats against Stephen Strasburg and preventing the right-hander from putting most guys away. But then came the rally in the top of the fifth, a 6-run barrage that saw the Nats get a string of big hits from Clint Robinson, Ian Desmond and Michael Taylor.