Late rally not enough as Nats drop 4th in a row

ST. LOUIS -- Even as the Nationals have endured one of their toughest stretches of the season, they had found consolation in the way they have continued to battle. They have lost in heartbreaking fashion, but rebounded to build another late lead the next day. They have trailed for a majority of the game, and found a way to bring the tying run to the plate in the final innings. They insist they are playing good baseball.
However, the results have not manifested themselves, the losses have continued to pile up and the division deficit has increased each day. Washington's 4-2 loss on Wednesday night at Busch Stadium marked its fourth consecutive defeat and fifth in six games on a seven-game road trip that has turned into a mess.
The Nationals are one game under .500 at 60-61 and trail the Braves by nine games in the National League East. On Sunday night in Chicago, the Nats were a strike away from pulling to within 4 1/2 games of first place. Instead, this road trip has turned into a backbreaker, and left the Nationals hanging onto minuscule postseason hopes in what has turned into one of the most disappointing seasons in team history.
"It's small things, but you've got to find ways to win games, and we're not finding ways to win them," Trea Turner said. "We're playing good baseball, but we're not winning. There's something that we need to do, whatever it is, to be on the other side of that."
Injuries have been a major part of why this season has gone far from how the Nationals intended. They sustained another when starter Jeremy Hellickson left the game in the fifth inning after landing on his right wrist covering home plate as Harrison Bader tried to score on a wild pitch. Initial X-rays were negative and although Hellickson believed he avoided the worst of the injury, his wrist was still stiff after the game and the Nats will make a decision on the disabled list Thursday.

"When I went down, I thought it was going to be a lot worse," said Hellickson, who was charged with three runs in 4 1/3 innings. "Really sore on the pinky ring side of my hand. Little tingly. Tough to squeeze and grip."
The Nats have struggled against left-handed starters all season, a trend which continued against Cardinals lefty Austin Gomber, who struck out six in six innings. He issued four walks and the Nats collected five hits, but they went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position and left eight men on base.
The offense had been the one area of this Nationals team that had without question been clicking lately, but aside from a pair of runs in the ninth -- on a solo homer from Daniel Murphy and a sacrifice fly from Matt Wieters -- they went quietly.

"We had opportunities to score runs early in the game, and just couldn't capitalize," manager Dave Martinez said. "I know that's baseball, but when you're in a playoff race, we have to score first. We have to score early. We talk about that every day, about scoring first. And for our pitchers, keep us in the game. We were in the game until Helly got hurt. But we can't squander the opportunities that we get. We have to make those opportunities count."
SOUND SMART
The Nationals have dropped four straight games for the first time since June 30-July 3, when they lost five in a row. They also have received fewer than five innings from their starting pitchers the past three nights, the first time they have failed to do so in three straight games since Sept. 28-30, 2016.
HE SAID IT
"We obviously went into Chicago and played good, probably should have won a couple more of those games that we didn't. Then, obviously, came here and haven't played great baseball. This time of year, when you need to win each and every game, it's not what we're trying to do." -- Ryan Zimmerman, on this seven-game road trip
"I think we have a lot of pride on this team, a lot of guys who really compete, really grind out at-bats and compete on the mound as well. I don't think it's as much about trying to make up ground as it is trying to play good baseball. We want to play good baseball. We want to play with energy and to have some fun. And if we can do those things, I think at the end of the year, the standings will be fine. But it's a matter of playing good baseball, and we've got to figure out how to do that." -- Turner, on watching the standings
UP NEXT
The Nats wrap up this seven-game road trip with Thursday's series finale at Busch Stadium. Tanner Roark will try to continue his hot streak on the mound, where he has posted a 1.21 ERA with 27 strikeouts and two walks during his last four starts. The Cardinals adjusted their rotation and will send Luke Weaver to the mound. First pitch is at 7:15 p.m. ET.