Summing Up Our Season

"That two pitch scenario sums up this season," stated Dave Jageler on WFED.

The usually reliable Nick Johnson had just dropped a routine foul fly off the bat of Gabe Kapler in the bottom of the 8th with two outs. NJ had lost the baseball in the roof lights of "Simply Awful" Tropicana Field.

Given new life in a tie ballgame--Kapler delivered when Ron Villone served in a slider right over the middle of the plate. A Gopher Pitch that Gabe didn't miss and slapped over the leftfield fence in St. Petersburg for the game winning run.

Our Washington Nationals had again given an opponent an extra out. And once again paid dearly for their mistake.

It didn't matter Washington got out to an early 3-0 lead in the very first inning over The Tampa Bay Rays.

It didn't matter another Starting Pitcher--Craig Stammen--threw a solid start (5.1 Innings and just two earned runs).

What mattered was that DC's team lost another winnable game. Defeated again because they couldn't execute the basic play. A simple pop out--more errors--the inexcusable ones.

Love Nick Johnson--want him to play in Our Nation's Capital for a few more years. But excuses only go so far. Everyone is responsible for their own work and there comes a time this stuff has just got to stop. He should have caught that baseball.

More costly mistakes, like Josh Bard not dropping down to take out Ben Zobrist in the bottom of the second inning. Elijah Dukes could not have made a more perfect throw home. Yet, Our Number 7 failed to apply the tag and Zobrist was safe. And Bard again throwing away a toss on a double steal by The Tampa Bay Rays in the bottom of the 3rd. B.J Upton scoring easily when Our Number 7 heaved the baseball over Ryan Zimmerman and down the leftfield line.

The silly stuff.

Three scores by The Rays thanks to poor execution defensively. A three run lead given up and wasted.

When Nick Johnson grounded out to end this latest of demoralizing losses of 2009--Charlie Slowes added to Dave Jageler's perfect summation: "They found another way to let a game slip away."

So very, very true!!

Both Dave Jageler and Charlie Slowes were Summing Up Our Season.

Washington's 43rd defeat against just 16 Curly "W's" was again ugly. Final Score from Tropicana Field--The Tampa Bay Rays 4 and Our Washington Nationals 3.

Tonight's In Game Photos--Henry Blanco (AP)