A Good Start Spoiled

• Padres 8, Nationals 5 (12 innings)

Once is a fluke, twice is a trend, three times is evidence. The Chief has now blown two saves in a week on long balls at the last out. Are we on the verge of seeing evidence that Chad has been overworked this season?

Not that there was any reason he should have been in there at all. The Nats had a 5-0 lead going into the bottom of the ninth, thanks to a masterful 3-hit spot-start by Hector "El Matador" Carrasco, the newest member of our starting rotation. They had a 5-1 lead with two outs in the ninth, but Cap'n Hook, perhaps mistaking this for a little league game where everyone gets to play, managed to use all of our relievers in 2 2/3 innings, necessitating recourse to The Chief. Of course, the walks our relievers gave up contributed mightily to the problem.

With the loss, the Nats drop to 3.5 back in the wild card, still looking up at Houston, Philly and Florida. The life-support monitor beeps ominously...